Partnership Accelerates the Use of Innovative Raw Materials and Surfactants.
Sustainably produced insect oil as an alternative to palm kernel oil: DR.SCHNELL is transforming the professional cleaning industry with its award-winning product MILIZID ONE. This next-generation sanitary cleaner was developed in close collaboration with Sasol International Chemicals, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of surfactants. The partnership combines cutting-edge surfactant innovation and application expertise with the goal of delivering highly effective cleaning products made entirely from renewable raw materials.
At the heart of this development partnership is LIVINEX IO 7, a novel, insect oil-based nonionic surfactant from Sasol (patent pending). LIVINEX IO 7 is derived from sustainably produced insect oil and enables MILIZID ONE to deliver the exceptional cleaning performance that characterizes DR.SCHNELL products, while at the same time significantly reducing the product’s and the company’s carbon footprint and shortening supply chains.
“MILIZID ONE impressively demonstrates what is possible when strong partners along the entire value chain work together toward a common goal,” says Dr. Axel Schloßbauer, Head of Product Development at DR.SCHNELL. “Through close collaboration with Sasol, we were able to completely eliminate the use of palm kernel oil thanks to innovative biogenic raw materials and move closer to our goal of a European supply chain—without compromising on performance, supply reliability, or formulation. LIVINEX IO 7 plays a key role in this, as it serves as a one-to-one replacement for standard surfactants from other sources.”
LIVINEX IO 7 is produced from insect oil, which is obtained as a byproduct of a process for manufacturing more sustainable proteins for animal feed—a process that converts low-value organic byproducts into a valuable, renewable chemical feedstock. Based on a cradle-to-gate approach that accounts for biogenic carbon sequestration, the surfactant can achieve a significantly reduced—and in some cases negative—carbon footprint in accordance with DIN ISO 14067 (Scopes 1–3).
Beyond its sustainability profile, the surfactant LIVINEX IO 7 meets the high standards of professional sanitary cleaning: It offers powerful grease and limescale removal, reliable foaming, and broad material compatibility. Since its chemical composition is comparable to that of conventional C12–14-based surfactants, LIVINEX IO 7 can be integrated without extensive reformulation—enabling the faster introduction of more sustainable solutions.
The market relevance of this approach has already been recognized. MILIZID ONE was honored with the Purus Innovation Award 2025 in the cleaning products category at the prestigious CMS trade show in Berlin, underscoring the product’s contribution to promoting greater sustainability and performance in professional cleaning. Following the success of MILIZID ONE as a pilot product, DR.SCHNELL is building on this new technology and will integrate LIVINEX IO 7 into other products in its lineup. For example, the surfactant is already included in ROBOLUTION, the revolutionary 2-in-1 floor cleaner for cleaning robots that cleans both surfaces and the robots themselves.
“We are very pleased that LIVINEX IO 7 is contributing to such successful innovations,” says Louis Snyders, Vice President, Care Chemicals at Sasol International Chemicals. “MILIZID ONE demonstrates how quickly innovation can move from development to commercial reality when suppliers and customers work together. The fact that LIVINEX IO 7 has been incorporated into an award-winning product is an important validation of both the technology and the growing market demand for more sustainable surfactant solutions. Building on this collaboration, we are already driving further developments based on this renewable feedstock, thereby laying the foundation for continuous innovation with partners such as DR.SCHNELL.”
“With MILIZID ONE and ROBOLUTION, we are not only introducing new products, but also breaking new ground in innovation—through close collaboration, shared expertise, and a clear focus on improving the sustainability characteristics of our products and reducing our carbon footprint—as demonstrated by our DIN-ISO-certified carbon calculator,” adds Dr. Thomas Schnell, Managing Director of DR.SCHNELL. “This is an important step toward our long-term goal—to make our world a little cleaner every day than we found it—and a solid foundation for future joint developments with partners like Sasol.”