Building a better world today, tomorrow, together

As a global leader in chemical and ingredient distribution, we work at the intersection of science and technology, helping customers bring forward sustainable solutions to achieve their ESG goals. That means we are more than a distributor: we are a technical innovator and supply chain connector, exploring new ways to take your products to the next level and solve challenges for a better tomorrow.

Why is sustainability important to your bottom line? Sustainability can mean a lot of things depending on your perspective or business imperative and where you are on the sustainability journey. We all want to meet the moment, safeguarding people and the planet, while keeping businesses successful and profitable. Since 2008, we've made substantial progress in sustainability as a responsible company doing just that, and we will continue to lead the way in our commitments to driving a sustainable future in distribution.

Social Impact Accreditation

These materials are supplied with a specific socially focused related claim, certification, attestation, or accreditation from an independent party. The certification/ accreditation may indicate the producer, supplier, or product meets certain standards which enable social impact to be realized in a material's production. Suppliers must provide certification aligned to the most recent standard available with expiration dates included.

The accreditation must be given at the product level. Accreditations address criteria aligned with delivering social value (e.g. fair wages, labor practices, transparency and community investment).

Natural or Bio-based

This sustainability characteristic seeks to provide customers with important information regarding the feedstocks used to create each product. To be considered natural or bio-based, a product must comprise >50% natural ingredients, or >50% bio-based feedstocks by mass. Please note that here, “natural” does not refer to specific regulatory language such as that defined by TSCA or REACH. 

Natural products contain greater than 50% natural ingredients[1] by mass, where “natural ingredients” are defined by ISO 16128:1-2016. Natural ingredients may include plants, fungi, animals, microbes, or minerals, and are only processed using physical processing such as grinding, drying, centrifuging, distillation, and extraction using solvents, and fermentation reactions that occur in nature and lead to naturally-occurring molecules. Natural ingredients are not genetically modified. Suppliers will provide documentation of naturality including the natural material feedstock and the Natural Index and/or natural content by mass. 

Bio-based products are derived from greater than 50% bio-based feedstocks such as plants, fungi, animals, and microbes. Bio-based ingredients can be chemically processed or genetically modified, while natural ingredients cannot. For this reason, the supplier should provide documentation which makes it clear if the product is natural, bio-based, or both. Suppliers will provide documentation of bio-based characterization including the biological feedstock and the bio-based content by mass.

[1] Here it is assumed that individual ingredients do not chemically react with one another in a product.

Carbon Footprinting

Starting in October 2023, carbon footprinting will be considered a “Sustainability Characteristic” when there is LCIA or PCF calculation data, audited by a third party, that shows a ≥10% reduction vs a conventional fossil-based product. 

Any supplier PCF or LCA must be supported by providing the underlying materials to Univar Solutions, accompanied by a figure on the emission per unit of product (likely in Kg or metric tonne of CO2 per unit), KgCO2e or tCO2e/ton product.

If a PCF or LCA does not show a ≥10% reduction, we will gladly accept this data, to be posted on the Product Description Page outside of the Sustainable and Natural Products section.  This very important information will be gated behind login security for customers to self-serve. Click here if you need to sign up for this feature of UnivarSolutions.com.

Circular Materials

Circular materials are those which support the principles of a circular economy through responsible capture and reuse. 

Circular materials are produced from the recovery and reprocessing of waste products or previously-used products. This can apply to the reuse of product or process by-products, and to pre-consumer and post-consumer waste. 

Evidence of circularity should include the waste material source and the circular content by mass (dry mass or mass without added water). Circular materials can include physically segregated material (100% circular), or it can be partially circular. Suppliers will provide the origin of circular material and the circular content of the product as a percentage.

Environmental Accreditation

These materials are supplied with a specific environmental–related claim, certification, attestation or accreditation from an independent party.

The accreditation must be at the product level. Accreditations address criteria aligned with delivering environmental benefits (e.g. land use benefits, water and waste impact reduction, biodegradability or regenerative practices of production).

The most credible ecolabels offer clear criteria for performance and require data to demonstrate performance. Third party auditing offers additional credibility.  An ecolabel created by a supplier itself is not acceptable.

• Low carbon deliveries
• Sustainable reconditioned packaging
• Formulate for end market sustainability
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) »