Ahead of the 2026 Cleaning Products Europe conference, we spoke to Nick Smith, Commercial Director at Viridi. The conversation provides a sneak peek of what you can look forward to at the conference taking place on 23-25 March 2026 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Q: Cleaning Products Europe brings together the full home care and HI&I value chain. What are you most looking forward to discussing with delegates this year?
I’m particularly looking forward to practical conversations around decarbonisation that go beyond ambition and into implementation. There is strong momentum around carbon reporting and Scope 3 reduction, but many companies are still asking what actionable alternatives actually look like in practice. Events like this create the space to explore solutions that can integrate into existing manufacturing systems without compromising performance or cost. That’s where we believe Viridi can contribute meaningfully.
Q: Your presentation makes the case for CO2 as a raw material for surfactants. Why is carbon capture and utilisation such a compelling route for the cleaning industry specifically?
Surfactants sit at the heart of almost every cleaning formulation, and many of them still rely on fossil-derived carbon. That makes them a powerful lever for reducing embedded emissions, that is such a strategic imperative for the industry. Carbon capture and utilisation allows us to transform CO2 - an abundant and widely available resource into a high-value chemical building block for surfactants. For the cleaning industry, this is particularly compelling because it offers a route to lower carbon intensity without fundamentally changing how products perform or how they are manufactured. Additionally it can help solve other challenges like compliance to the Deforestation regulation and 1,4-dioxane levels.
Q: Viridi has developed unique catalyst technology to enable efficient CO2 transformation. Without revealing proprietary details, what makes this breakthrough significant?
CO2 is a very stable molecule, and transforming it requires a high energy barrier. Catalysts reduce that energy barrier, but historically, catalysts have required pressure conditions that are unrealistic for industry infrastructure. Our technology works at regular pressures, meaning it is designed to integrate with existing chemical manufacturing infrastructure, removing cost barriers to adoption. Additionally, it works at lower temperatures than incumbent technology, improving process efficiency. Finally its exceptional efficiency means it is compatible with existing production schedules and can even reduce the number of process steps. That combination of compatibility and efficiency, is what makes the technology commercially meaningful and practically scalable, rather than just scientifically interesting. It moves CO2 utilisation from concept to practical manufacturing reality.
Q: What key message would you like delegates to take away from your presentation - and how should they begin thinking differently about carbon in formulations?
I’d like delegates to leave with the understanding that CO2 is a viable renewable carbon building block for surfactants, and that it’s not a distant, theoretical solution - products built with it are being developed towards commercialisation now, and since they are compatible with existing production assets, they can be scaled quickly without the need for new asset construction. The cleaning industry is under pressure from carbon targets, reporting requirements and raw material price volatility. Captured carbon-based surfactants can address all three - it is abundant, localised and low-cost, and we think it will power the next generation of surfactants.
Wednesday 25 March 2026 | 12:30pm
