WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:01.170 --> 00:00:05.560 Welcome to The Chemical Show, the podcast where chemical means business. 00:00:05.930 --> 00:00:09.710 I'm your host, Victoria Meyer, bringing you stories and insights 00:00:09.710 --> 00:00:13.620 from leaders, driving innovation and growth across the chemical industry. 00:00:14.529 --> 00:00:18.830 Each week, we explore key trends, real world challenges, and the 00:00:18.830 --> 00:00:20.580 strategies that make an impact. 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:21.959 Let's get started. 00:00:23.553 --> 00:00:25.303 Victoria M: Hi, welcome back to The Chemical Show. 00:00:25.853 --> 00:00:28.873 I just wrapped up a great week in Orlando, Florida with the 00:00:28.873 --> 00:00:32.603 American Cleaning Institute at its annual meeting and convention. 00:00:32.913 --> 00:00:37.683 For those of you that attend, you know that it is a busy nonstop week 00:00:38.063 --> 00:00:42.413 with representatives from the cleaning industry, whether they be consumer 00:00:42.413 --> 00:00:48.208 products companies, chemical companies, formulators, fragrances and more. 00:00:48.208 --> 00:00:52.678 So always a great kickoff to the year and also an opportunity to really get 00:00:52.678 --> 00:00:55.958 a pulse of what's going on across the industry, what some of the key themes 00:00:55.988 --> 00:00:57.458 are and what some innovations are. 00:00:57.458 --> 00:00:59.758 And so that is what I'm bringing you today. 00:00:59.758 --> 00:01:05.198 So both key themes and innovations from ACI, both on stage in press 00:01:05.198 --> 00:01:07.288 briefings and in meeting rooms. 00:01:07.568 --> 00:01:12.068 Plus I've got some special guests to discuss what they are hearing and 00:01:12.068 --> 00:01:16.683 seeing As it relates to the cleaning industry, that includes Jim Griffin, 00:01:16.693 --> 00:01:21.603 who is the technical director at SCT and Ned Weintraub, who is the 00:01:21.603 --> 00:01:24.363 chief commercial officer at Noble AI. 00:01:24.743 --> 00:01:27.573 So both will be sharing some insights and innovation. 00:01:27.573 --> 00:01:28.933 So stay tuned. 00:01:29.223 --> 00:01:31.853 Now I'm going to just start with a little bit of a market sentiment 00:01:31.873 --> 00:01:34.817 because everybody's like, well, how are people feeling optimistic? 00:01:34.827 --> 00:01:36.357 Everybody said, Oh, I'm optimistic. 00:01:36.507 --> 00:01:39.127 And what I would actually say is Cautiously optimistic. 00:01:39.147 --> 00:01:40.977 And I think you see that in your business. 00:01:40.997 --> 00:01:43.447 I know that I see that in mine and I see it as we talk to 00:01:43.447 --> 00:01:45.257 people across the industry. 00:01:45.547 --> 00:01:49.027 We're sitting here, at the beginning of the year, currently the first 00:01:49.027 --> 00:01:52.947 week of February as I'm recording this and, a lot's happening. 00:01:53.077 --> 00:01:57.697 A lot of political action is taking place in conjunction with market 00:01:57.697 --> 00:02:02.007 economics, supply chains that are still recovering in some ways from some of 00:02:02.017 --> 00:02:04.637 the challenges that we saw in 2024. 00:02:04.667 --> 00:02:10.237 So what I would say on an overall sentiment is cautiously optimistic. 00:02:10.483 --> 00:02:15.063 And with that, though, I think the trends and the themes coming out of 00:02:15.063 --> 00:02:20.323 ACI would lead us to more optimism and certainly a lot of action and 00:02:20.343 --> 00:02:22.643 innovation and focus on the future. 00:02:22.873 --> 00:02:27.428 So what I'm going to talk today about is about the five key trends and innovations 00:02:27.428 --> 00:02:31.588 that I saw coming out of ACI 2025. 00:02:32.298 --> 00:02:36.198 The first is performance focus, right? 00:02:36.208 --> 00:02:40.398 So performance was a word I kept hearing over and over again. 00:02:40.988 --> 00:02:46.128 Companies and customers, consumers are looking for performance 00:02:46.178 --> 00:02:49.468 and functionality of their ingredients and cleaning products. 00:02:49.778 --> 00:02:53.083 So it's a bit of this message that, Pricing is important, 00:02:53.223 --> 00:02:54.903 but it still has to perform. 00:02:55.423 --> 00:02:58.933 Sustainability is important, but it still has to perform. 00:02:59.293 --> 00:03:03.623 Supply chains are critical and yet they still need to perform. 00:03:03.633 --> 00:03:07.233 So more on that, especially as we talk about some of the products and innovations 00:03:07.233 --> 00:03:11.003 that are coming out, into the market, currently in 2025 and heading into 00:03:11.003 --> 00:03:15.513 26, A lot of discussion, particularly with the executive teams and on an 00:03:15.513 --> 00:03:19.963 executive panel around supply chains and how supply chains need to perform. 00:03:20.633 --> 00:03:22.383 What we're seeing is smarter supply chains. 00:03:22.883 --> 00:03:27.333 And performing supply chains and shifting supply chains, not just due 00:03:27.333 --> 00:03:31.863 to tariffs, and I know tariffs are in discussion, and I think none of us really 00:03:31.863 --> 00:03:33.183 know how that's going to shake out. 00:03:33.493 --> 00:03:37.173 We've seen that people are prepping, were prepping ahead of time before Trump took 00:03:37.173 --> 00:03:42.593 office, So definitely some discussion on supply chains and smarter supply chains 00:03:42.593 --> 00:03:46.493 and smarter not just being around smarter technology But just having products 00:03:46.493 --> 00:03:52.198 in the right places Understanding what it takes to potentially avoid tariffs, 00:03:52.248 --> 00:03:56.678 manage through tariffs, understanding the cost and the time, right? 00:03:56.678 --> 00:04:00.178 So we definitely saw some supply chain disruptions in 00:04:00.188 --> 00:04:03.048 2024 that affected the time. 00:04:03.068 --> 00:04:07.413 And frankly, 21, 22, 2020, right? 00:04:07.593 --> 00:04:10.383 I have said this before, I'll say it again, the 2020s are 00:04:10.383 --> 00:04:12.493 the decade of the supply chain. 00:04:12.743 --> 00:04:13.803 There is no doubt about that. 00:04:14.153 --> 00:04:18.613 But it's really back to performance, and having supply chains that perform. 00:04:18.803 --> 00:04:23.868 And in fact, one leader said, from the stage, We will never get back to 00:04:23.878 --> 00:04:26.018 just in time supply chains, right? 00:04:26.568 --> 00:04:30.828 Too much vulnerability in that, in the current business and market environments. 00:04:30.908 --> 00:04:33.478 So that is one aspect of performance. 00:04:33.808 --> 00:04:37.968 The other aspect is around, um, a bit about sustainability and the theme 00:04:37.968 --> 00:04:41.948 that came through is sustainability is great, but the products in use. 00:04:42.183 --> 00:04:44.103 really need to perform. 00:04:44.183 --> 00:04:47.213 It's not enough that there's a green label. 00:04:47.583 --> 00:04:50.643 It's that it needs to perform and meet what customers want. 00:04:50.703 --> 00:04:55.793 So that's actually a great segue into my second key theme, which is 00:04:55.873 --> 00:04:59.513 sustainability with a small S, right? 00:04:59.933 --> 00:05:04.393 So what I mean by that is, I think we're in a transitory period where We were 00:05:04.393 --> 00:05:08.633 talking for the past several years about sustainability with a big S, right? 00:05:08.633 --> 00:05:14.593 So big numbers, big targets, big promises, a lot of work and a lot of innovation 00:05:14.593 --> 00:05:16.123 along the way to try to meet that. 00:05:16.523 --> 00:05:18.853 But where we are today. 00:05:19.398 --> 00:05:22.258 Is about sustainability with a little S. 00:05:22.518 --> 00:05:25.768 Sustainability in practice, going back to what the real 00:05:25.768 --> 00:05:27.678 meaning of sustainability is. 00:05:27.688 --> 00:05:32.478 So having sustainable, long lasting business models and business plans, 00:05:32.478 --> 00:05:36.708 being able to be in business and have a robust business for a long time. 00:05:37.098 --> 00:05:40.678 Connecting sustainability to consumer value. 00:05:40.958 --> 00:05:41.268 Right? 00:05:41.268 --> 00:05:46.188 So a lot of what I heard and what we're going to talk about today is around 00:05:46.188 --> 00:05:47.938 that connection to consumer value. 00:05:47.988 --> 00:05:53.658 And Chris Hyder from Clorox said this really well on the industry leaders panel. 00:05:54.168 --> 00:05:57.048 What he said was customers don't. 00:05:57.303 --> 00:05:58.803 Ask for sustainability. 00:05:59.623 --> 00:06:05.273 They ask for products that help them feel safer are less wasteful. 00:06:05.643 --> 00:06:09.933 They want to buy from a company that meets their values. 00:06:10.013 --> 00:06:14.283 So, I think it's, it's that it's sustainability with a small S 00:06:14.283 --> 00:06:15.733 we are shifting from the big S. 00:06:15.733 --> 00:06:20.023 In fact, in a lot of ways, there was not much discussion. 00:06:20.188 --> 00:06:21.338 About sustainability. 00:06:21.418 --> 00:06:26.748 So sat in on several innovation sessions where leaders were presenting some of 00:06:26.748 --> 00:06:30.238 the technology and innovations that their companies are bringing to market. 00:06:30.628 --> 00:06:35.548 Yeah, there's a sustainability and a green component, but absolutely 00:06:35.748 --> 00:06:37.768 it was much more about innovation. 00:06:37.968 --> 00:06:42.928 It was much more about meeting consumers needs and the need for 00:06:42.928 --> 00:06:45.088 acceleration and support to do so. 00:06:45.913 --> 00:06:50.693 So take that as you will, sustainability with a small S the next 00:06:50.693 --> 00:06:55.253 key theme that really came through was alignment to values, right? 00:06:55.253 --> 00:06:59.523 So there was a lot of conversation and presentation and discussion 00:06:59.533 --> 00:07:05.073 around really meeting the values that first of all, employees. 00:07:05.773 --> 00:07:08.843 And that relates to attracting and retaining talent, right? 00:07:08.853 --> 00:07:12.873 How do we build that talent supply chain and value chain? 00:07:13.563 --> 00:07:15.093 It's about values, right? 00:07:15.333 --> 00:07:18.803 Business customers and individual consumers, right? 00:07:18.813 --> 00:07:22.323 So DSM Firminac, Developed a sensorium. 00:07:22.363 --> 00:07:25.263 My first time experiencing it was very cool. 00:07:25.593 --> 00:07:27.343 Multi sensory experience. 00:07:27.353 --> 00:07:29.993 And of course, if you don't know DSM Firmanek, they are 00:07:30.323 --> 00:07:31.703 largely a fragrance house. 00:07:32.043 --> 00:07:34.283 They probably do some more things than I think they might tell me. 00:07:34.283 --> 00:07:38.263 But I think of them, and certainly in the context of ACI, it's around fragrances. 00:07:38.263 --> 00:07:41.183 And the fragrances that are going into cleaning products. 00:07:41.183 --> 00:07:45.423 Whether they be laundry detergent, dish detergent, hand detergent. 00:07:45.433 --> 00:07:47.103 Whatever people are using, right? 00:07:47.493 --> 00:07:52.333 What I thought was really fascinating is they created four archetypes based on 00:07:52.333 --> 00:08:00.663 global consumer research, really seeking to understand the values, the interests, 00:08:00.723 --> 00:08:04.573 and the aspirations of customers globally. 00:08:04.573 --> 00:08:11.053 And then they created archetypes and fragrance profiles to meet those consumer 00:08:11.393 --> 00:08:13.923 values and those consumer archetypes. 00:08:13.973 --> 00:08:18.808 And those four archetypes were social seekers, Healthy heroes, grounded 00:08:18.818 --> 00:08:21.008 realists, and brave explorers. 00:08:21.038 --> 00:08:23.068 Now, I'm not going to get into all of that. 00:08:23.098 --> 00:08:27.998 In fact, um, I will probably be posting their research and kind of a high level 00:08:28.008 --> 00:08:30.518 summary on our blog at thechemicalshow. 00:08:30.518 --> 00:08:30.908 com. 00:08:31.228 --> 00:08:33.998 We will also link to it in the show notes for today's episode. 00:08:34.328 --> 00:08:38.308 And you can read a little bit more about the research that they've uncovered. 00:08:38.338 --> 00:08:42.938 And, and frankly, I'd love for you to go on to the chemical show 00:08:43.178 --> 00:08:47.148 on LinkedIn and let me know what archetype do you think you fit 00:08:47.178 --> 00:08:52.098 into again, social seekers, healthy heroes, grounded realists, and brave 00:08:52.098 --> 00:08:53.778 explorers would love to hear from you. 00:08:54.128 --> 00:08:58.298 One of the ones that stood out for me, and it actually ties again to our next theme. 00:08:58.658 --> 00:09:00.248 Um, and I think it was in healthy heroes. 00:09:00.248 --> 00:09:04.248 They talked about really being interested in, Less wasteful. 00:09:04.318 --> 00:09:05.768 Protecting water. 00:09:05.778 --> 00:09:10.148 One of the, the things they had in the sensorium room, which was this really 00:09:10.148 --> 00:09:15.348 cool, again, multi sensory experience, was a hydroponic gardening because of this 00:09:15.348 --> 00:09:19.218 realization of the need to protect water. 00:09:19.318 --> 00:09:23.128 And so that really gets into my next theme, which is being less 00:09:23.138 --> 00:09:25.618 wasteful of water, protecting water. 00:09:25.628 --> 00:09:27.488 A couple of things that came out of that. 00:09:27.498 --> 00:09:31.338 Number one, I've certainly seen this all over my social media, You've 00:09:31.348 --> 00:09:35.588 probably seen this on your social media and in the news, a real concern 00:09:35.648 --> 00:09:38.568 about microplastics in water, right? 00:09:38.828 --> 00:09:42.918 And I think a lot of us attribute it to, The plastic water 00:09:42.918 --> 00:09:44.608 bottles, plastics and use, right? 00:09:44.608 --> 00:09:45.528 So I see a lot of that. 00:09:45.818 --> 00:09:50.728 What I found fascinating was Proto presented some research that talked 00:09:50.728 --> 00:09:53.468 about microplastics, in water. 00:09:53.468 --> 00:09:58.668 And they said their research shows that one third of the microplastics 00:09:59.418 --> 00:10:06.008 in our global water systems are due to synthetic fibers in our clothing, right? 00:10:06.008 --> 00:10:10.088 So if you think about polyester clothing, all kinds of. 00:10:10.398 --> 00:10:13.978 Different, innovative materials that performance materials 00:10:13.978 --> 00:10:15.078 that do a lot of great things. 00:10:15.408 --> 00:10:18.498 And yet, when they go through the laundry, they break down. 00:10:18.538 --> 00:10:23.338 And, and again, the research that they uncovered and that they shared stated 00:10:23.338 --> 00:10:27.968 that one third of the microplastics, in water supply globally are due to 00:10:27.968 --> 00:10:29.338 synthetic fibers in our clothing. 00:10:29.758 --> 00:10:30.928 That was eye opening to me. 00:10:31.298 --> 00:10:34.218 And so protecting water is clearly a key value. 00:10:34.238 --> 00:10:38.228 It's actually a key value, and a priority of ACI, but it's also 00:10:38.258 --> 00:10:39.898 across all of its member companies. 00:10:39.928 --> 00:10:42.548 And so, you know, Crota, when they talked about this, they also shared 00:10:42.548 --> 00:10:48.008 that they've identified a biopolymer, so back to a green product, laundry 00:10:48.008 --> 00:10:51.168 additive that prevents fibers from breaking down in laundry. 00:10:51.368 --> 00:10:56.198 And thereby reducing microplastics, I suspect that based on some of this, 00:10:56.458 --> 00:10:59.458 there may be other companies doing some similar things, but I thought that was 00:10:59.458 --> 00:11:03.888 pretty fascinating, when we think about just this whole theme, especially in 00:11:03.888 --> 00:11:08.718 cleaning, when I think of cleaning, I do think of water, but also this aspect 00:11:08.728 --> 00:11:11.278 of protecting water and reducing water. 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:16.868 Um, the other piece of this around less water usage and water scarcity, I had a 00:11:16.868 --> 00:11:21.588 great conversation with Jim Griffin, who is the technical director at SCT about 00:11:21.588 --> 00:11:24.338 this trend and how SCT is responding. 00:11:24.338 --> 00:11:28.538 So I'm going to insert that part of that conversation here and let Jim 00:11:28.738 --> 00:11:30.438 share that with you in his own words. 00:11:31.148 --> 00:11:35.818 So when you think about the trends that you guys are focused on, what's 00:11:35.818 --> 00:11:38.338 your excitement, where are you guys focusing and what products are you 00:11:38.338 --> 00:11:39.868 bringing to market to support that? 00:11:40.568 --> 00:11:45.028 Jim G: Depending on on the market or depending on the application, it's, 00:11:45.708 --> 00:11:49.988 you know, for like hand dish, it's going to be like amine oxides, but 00:11:50.078 --> 00:11:52.678 you know that really don't have any prop 65 ingredients in them. 00:11:53.048 --> 00:11:56.418 And they're the primary primary foamers in that, again, green chemistry. 00:11:56.568 --> 00:12:00.338 It's one of the things that's happening all around industry. 00:12:00.648 --> 00:12:03.198 You know, it's sort of a regulatory world we're living in now. 00:12:04.013 --> 00:12:08.183 And things like Prop 65 freeze has been a thing for a while. 00:12:08.423 --> 00:12:08.613 And 00:12:08.618 --> 00:12:10.508 Victoria M: which is a California proposition, but 00:12:10.508 --> 00:12:12.068 it of course it affects the US 00:12:12.403 --> 00:12:15.603 Jim G: Yeah, it started as a drinking water standard and here we are. 00:12:15.613 --> 00:12:20.313 So there's a heightened awareness of, of, you know, downstream and upstream. 00:12:20.323 --> 00:12:22.853 People want cleaner, greener type products. 00:12:22.853 --> 00:12:27.443 And depending on the brand, it means different things to different people. 00:12:27.593 --> 00:12:27.813 Victoria M: Yeah. 00:12:27.973 --> 00:12:33.403 And so in addition to clean water, there's also a focus on less water usage, right? 00:12:33.403 --> 00:12:37.093 And so that's where, , we're talking before we just jumped in here, you guys 00:12:37.093 --> 00:12:42.523 are rolling out a new product that's really aiming at low or no water cleaning. 00:12:42.533 --> 00:12:43.123 Is that right? 00:12:43.433 --> 00:12:43.853 Yes. 00:12:44.203 --> 00:12:44.563 Um, 00:12:45.098 --> 00:12:49.948 Jim G: is called SOPAL Zero and we've reimagined cleaning with 00:12:49.948 --> 00:12:51.458 solid surfactant technology. 00:12:51.798 --> 00:12:52.858 It's fully formulated. 00:12:53.143 --> 00:12:57.623 Um, it's provided in a granule or flake form and it's, and it's water free. 00:12:57.623 --> 00:13:01.483 And in the case of bars, um, it can be pressed into bars. 00:13:01.703 --> 00:13:03.443 So that means there's no water involved. 00:13:03.723 --> 00:13:08.203 Um, and the companies that are out there and, and the, the prototypes that we're 00:13:08.203 --> 00:13:11.873 providing, are not packaged in plastic, they're packaged in compostable paper. 00:13:12.213 --> 00:13:12.593 Victoria M: Got it. 00:13:12.623 --> 00:13:13.123 That's cool. 00:13:13.418 --> 00:13:17.018 Jim G: ACI defines sustainable cleaning as reduced water, 00:13:17.578 --> 00:13:20.368 reduced energy, and reduced waste. 00:13:20.818 --> 00:13:23.418 And the product that we rolled out addresses all. 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:23.769 I 00:13:24.018 --> 00:13:24.598 Victoria M: I love that. 00:13:24.788 --> 00:13:27.808 So when we talk about less water, I've been in the cleaning industry and I've 00:13:27.808 --> 00:13:32.278 been around ACI for a long time, for my time at Shell and Clariant, I personally 00:13:32.278 --> 00:13:36.918 don't do laundry because my husband's the laundry guy, just for the record. 00:13:37.222 --> 00:13:39.742 But I think about laundry, I think about dish cleaning, water is 00:13:39.742 --> 00:13:41.992 inherently part of that process. 00:13:42.182 --> 00:13:46.542 So when we talk about a water free formulation, this is about getting it to 00:13:46.542 --> 00:13:48.462 the consumer without the use of water. 00:13:48.462 --> 00:13:49.912 Is that, is that the interpretation? 00:13:49.962 --> 00:13:50.062 Jim G: is 00:13:50.062 --> 00:13:50.472 correct. 00:13:51.072 --> 00:13:51.982 That, that is correct. 00:13:52.012 --> 00:13:52.342 Victoria M: Got it. 00:13:52.352 --> 00:13:55.852 So you, so it can be formulated in a dry format. 00:13:55.962 --> 00:13:56.482 Jim G: Correct. 00:13:56.692 --> 00:14:00.772 It also can be used as is because the granular form, powdered 00:14:00.782 --> 00:14:02.992 cleansers are emerging once again. 00:14:03.472 --> 00:14:03.682 Victoria M: You know 00:14:04.202 --> 00:14:06.012 Jim G: yes, what's old is now new. 00:14:06.290 --> 00:14:09.360 Victoria M: Thanks, Jim, for those insights, appreciate learning more 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:13.040 about what you're hearing about water and how SCT is approaching that. 00:14:13.810 --> 00:14:14.350 Cool stuff. 00:14:14.770 --> 00:14:19.400 My fifth theme that I want to share with you coming out of ACI 00:14:19.420 --> 00:14:22.600 was around balancing innovation. 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:26.160 You know, sometimes we could say we're balancing innovation on a knife edge. 00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:33.100 I see it as this innovation tug of war between desires and intents, 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:38.690 capability, product capabilities and corporate and company and manufacturing 00:14:38.700 --> 00:14:41.280 capabilities and speed, right? 00:14:41.280 --> 00:14:46.310 So what's the desired companies are desiring innovation, companies, 00:14:46.310 --> 00:14:48.730 consumers, we're all seeking this, right? 00:14:49.040 --> 00:14:53.250 Whether it's sourcing ingredients in an evolving environment, whether it's 00:14:53.780 --> 00:14:58.220 Developing and bringing out greener, more sustainable products to meet some of these 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:00.500 other trends that I've just discussed. 00:15:00.510 --> 00:15:02.530 Think, you know, less water usage. 00:15:02.530 --> 00:15:04.360 Well, that requires some different products. 00:15:04.650 --> 00:15:05.560 Protecting water. 00:15:05.570 --> 00:15:06.890 That requires some different products. 00:15:06.890 --> 00:15:08.940 And of course, there's this desire. 00:15:08.950 --> 00:15:10.760 And that's one part of this. 00:15:11.280 --> 00:15:14.730 The second piece is around capabilities and performance. 00:15:14.730 --> 00:15:17.820 So again, I started this conversation around things with performance. 00:15:17.820 --> 00:15:19.140 I'm going to talk about that again. 00:15:19.770 --> 00:15:20.560 Because. 00:15:21.340 --> 00:15:22.750 It's not easy, right? 00:15:22.760 --> 00:15:23.710 You guys know this. 00:15:23.770 --> 00:15:24.380 I know this. 00:15:24.400 --> 00:15:27.840 In fact, one of the words that kept getting referenced too is, Oh, 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:31.550 this is, you know, this product has multifunctional capabilities, right? 00:15:31.550 --> 00:15:36.080 So the balance of this innovation capabilities is multifunctional. 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:41.160 And my lingo is code word for it is not a drop in replacement. 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:43.290 You should not be shocked by this. 00:15:43.490 --> 00:15:44.650 I am not shocked by this. 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:46.470 There are no easy drop ins, right? 00:15:46.780 --> 00:15:50.430 Part of this is it's hard to replace decades of continuous improvement 00:15:50.430 --> 00:15:51.700 and innovation in a heartbeat. 00:15:52.040 --> 00:15:55.120 I think if we look at today's formulations, they've 00:15:55.150 --> 00:15:56.340 come together over time. 00:15:56.340 --> 00:15:57.140 They've evolved. 00:15:57.210 --> 00:15:58.820 We are seeing the same thing. 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:03.200 So, the desire for innovation and new products, the capabilities 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:04.360 of those products, right? 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:09.600 So having to find new ways to put them together, um, maximizing 00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:11.930 performance across that value chain. 00:16:12.220 --> 00:16:14.780 And then the third piece is around speed, right? 00:16:14.780 --> 00:16:17.010 So it's one thing to innovate quickly. 00:16:17.900 --> 00:16:22.990 Other flip side of this and, and this drag, frankly, on speed that has been 00:16:23.270 --> 00:16:25.560 the topic of conversation at ACI. 00:16:25.560 --> 00:16:29.090 It's been the topic of conversation at other industry events I've been 00:16:29.090 --> 00:16:32.990 to as I talked to leaders, frankly, for the past several years is 00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:35.900 difficult regulatory timelines, right? 00:16:35.900 --> 00:16:40.600 And the need for the EPA to be effective, the need for TSCA to be effective. 00:16:40.900 --> 00:16:46.895 We need to be able to bring the products into market that the market wants. 00:16:46.975 --> 00:16:50.675 And in order to do that, we need to be able to have much 00:16:50.695 --> 00:16:52.665 quicker regulatory approvals. 00:16:52.945 --> 00:16:55.525 They are taking, you know, I think they have sped up a little 00:16:55.525 --> 00:16:58.204 bit from 12 to 18 months to last. 00:16:58.599 --> 00:17:01.999 But for TSCA, a lot of this stuff is supposed to be approved in three months. 00:17:01.999 --> 00:17:06.199 And we're certainly not seeing that now, you know, again, overlaying this 00:17:06.239 --> 00:17:12.239 concern around the changes that the new Trump administration is bringing down 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:18.439 on government agencies, including the EPA, what the effects of doge are, and 00:17:18.439 --> 00:17:19.639 how we're going to start reshaping. 00:17:19.639 --> 00:17:24.979 So balancing innovation is definitely a theme that is coming through. 00:17:25.199 --> 00:17:26.109 When we talk about that. 00:17:26.199 --> 00:17:26.379 Thanks. 00:17:27.049 --> 00:17:31.039 I had a great conversation with Ned Weintraub from Noble AI. 00:17:31.399 --> 00:17:34.939 I'm sharing part of that here with you as we talk about this challenge 00:17:35.049 --> 00:17:41.249 of timing of replacements of finding suitable replacements and innovations, 00:17:41.649 --> 00:17:47.019 and how AI and specifically noble AI are helping companies navigate that. 00:17:47.029 --> 00:17:48.709 So here's Ned. 00:17:49.399 --> 00:17:53.619 What are the key trends that you are seeing and hearing that chemical 00:17:53.619 --> 00:17:57.019 companies and cleaning products companies are looking for today? 00:17:57.374 --> 00:18:01.214 Ned W: Yeah, there's really two big ones that are big takeaways for us. 00:18:01.244 --> 00:18:04.804 Number one is around regulatory and sustainability issues, a 00:18:04.804 --> 00:18:09.584 continuation from last year, but really a heavier focus on regulatory 00:18:09.584 --> 00:18:11.064 issues that are coming down the pike. 00:18:11.484 --> 00:18:15.074 Number one, and, you know, really understanding how. 00:18:15.439 --> 00:18:20.259 They themselves, these companies can be more proactive in avoiding 00:18:20.259 --> 00:18:22.659 risk, avoiding potential issues. 00:18:23.349 --> 00:18:27.029 And then number two is the market is heating up in terms 00:18:27.029 --> 00:18:28.449 of getting products to market. 00:18:28.459 --> 00:18:31.969 How can they get products to market, faster, more 00:18:31.969 --> 00:18:33.659 profitably and more sustainable? 00:18:33.854 --> 00:18:34.154 Victoria M: Yeah. 00:18:34.154 --> 00:18:34.514 Two big takeaways. 00:18:35.174 --> 00:18:36.284 Yeah, that, that makes sense. 00:18:36.284 --> 00:18:37.634 And I'm hearing a lot about that as well. 00:18:37.634 --> 00:18:40.424 So how does AI fit in and support that? 00:18:40.469 --> 00:18:40.929 Ned W: Yeah. 00:18:40.989 --> 00:18:44.819 You know, the old saying, how do we do more with less AI 00:18:44.829 --> 00:18:46.769 certainly, checks that box. 00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:52.239 This is a way that companies from tip to tail, from ideation, all the way out to 00:18:52.239 --> 00:18:55.479 scale out and optimization can leverage. 00:18:55.744 --> 00:19:00.344 Machine learning to solve a lot of these problems long before you ever 00:19:00.344 --> 00:19:04.374 have to go to a bench and do any kind of chemistry or any kind of production. 00:19:04.734 --> 00:19:07.384 A lot of these problems can be solved in a computer. 00:19:07.889 --> 00:19:08.429 Victoria M: makes sense. 00:19:08.429 --> 00:19:11.639 And I know I, I'm embracing AI more and more every day. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:12.659 It is what it is. 00:19:12.989 --> 00:19:15.989 Um, and noble AI is, obviously it's a young company, it 00:19:15.989 --> 00:19:17.339 is an innovative company. 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:21.359 What new innovations are you guys rolling out this year 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:22.439 that we should be looking for? 00:19:22.439 --> 00:19:22.679 Yeah, 00:19:22.744 --> 00:19:24.484 Ned W: great question for us. 00:19:24.514 --> 00:19:25.104 And thank you. 00:19:25.104 --> 00:19:25.654 We do. 00:19:25.664 --> 00:19:29.524 We do pride ourselves on pushing the envelope and being cutting edge. 00:19:29.714 --> 00:19:31.844 And that's what our customers expect from us. 00:19:32.294 --> 00:19:38.329 What we're seeing are ways that again, what can customers do better 00:19:38.549 --> 00:19:43.869 without having to hire their way out of a problem , or becoming a leader. 00:19:44.129 --> 00:19:50.369 So for us, it is number one, building products around helping them be more agile 00:19:50.379 --> 00:19:52.659 around potential regulatory issues, right? 00:19:52.659 --> 00:19:54.349 Again, becoming more proactive. 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:57.689 And number two is really helping. 00:19:57.979 --> 00:20:03.439 From tip to tail, from, you know, the first ideas of a product all the way 00:20:03.439 --> 00:20:09.179 through each step, and helping where AI can insert and optimize, right? 00:20:09.179 --> 00:20:12.399 We're not replacing anything, but we are optimizing in areas. 00:20:12.459 --> 00:20:13.709 that normally have not 00:20:13.874 --> 00:20:15.974 Victoria M: And you guys are rolling out a new solution this year, is that 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:16.989 Ned W: We certainly are. 00:20:16.989 --> 00:20:17.899 It's called RAIR. 00:20:18.289 --> 00:20:22.789 And it is actually spelled R A I R, R A is risk assessment, 00:20:22.829 --> 00:20:24.959 I R is ingredient replacement. 00:20:25.049 --> 00:20:28.633 And this goes to this notion of some of these companies have. 00:20:28.743 --> 00:20:30.913 Thousands and thousands of ingredients. 00:20:30.913 --> 00:20:33.563 Certainly, you know, hundreds and hundreds of products. 00:20:34.183 --> 00:20:39.443 How can they quickly assess those formulations for potential risks? 00:20:39.803 --> 00:20:42.393 So that number one, they're avoiding those risks. 00:20:42.413 --> 00:20:46.063 And then number two, it's not just enough to tell them that you've got a problem. 00:20:46.453 --> 00:20:47.533 People don't want to hear problems. 00:20:47.533 --> 00:20:48.563 They want to hear solutions. 00:20:48.563 --> 00:20:53.623 And so our idea is not only do we tell you what the risks are, we 00:20:53.623 --> 00:20:55.463 have an opportunity then to help. 00:20:55.763 --> 00:20:58.743 Identify potential replacement ingredients, 00:20:58.929 --> 00:20:59.288 Victoria M: it. 00:20:59.288 --> 00:21:01.448 And which is, which is half the battle, right? 00:21:01.448 --> 00:21:05.088 It's easy to say what you don't want in your formulation, it's harder 00:21:05.088 --> 00:21:06.738 to find what you do want sometimes 00:21:06.938 --> 00:21:07.198 All right. 00:21:07.238 --> 00:21:10.098 Again, some great insights from Ned Weintraub. 00:21:10.098 --> 00:21:14.668 So thank you for taking time with me at ACI Ned to share some of those insights. 00:21:15.468 --> 00:21:16.728 I hope you found this valuable. 00:21:16.728 --> 00:21:19.938 Again, I'm going to just restate the five themes that have really 00:21:19.938 --> 00:21:23.008 come through from the ACI 2025. 00:21:23.018 --> 00:21:26.088 And that is number one performance focus. 00:21:26.238 --> 00:21:34.368 Secondly, a shift to sustainability with a small S three is alignment to values, 00:21:34.448 --> 00:21:37.308 both employee and consumer values. 00:21:37.908 --> 00:21:41.958 The fourth is protecting and reducing water, right? 00:21:41.958 --> 00:21:42.758 And water is. 00:21:43.288 --> 00:21:44.368 Definitely in focus. 00:21:44.818 --> 00:21:47.448 I'm in the fifth is balancing innovation. 00:21:47.448 --> 00:21:50.838 Grants desires, capability, and speed. 00:21:51.088 --> 00:21:54.148 So that's it for me for this week. 00:21:54.148 --> 00:21:57.858 And I'd love to hear what did you hear at ACI this year? 00:21:58.198 --> 00:21:59.458 What stands out for you? 00:21:59.458 --> 00:22:00.928 What did you pick up on? 00:22:01.188 --> 00:22:02.018 What am I missing? 00:22:02.378 --> 00:22:03.288 Shoot me an email. 00:22:03.873 --> 00:22:07.593 Send me a message on LinkedIn or you know, leave a message on the 00:22:07.593 --> 00:22:11.783 chemical show Page on LinkedIn and would love to hear from you. 00:22:12.503 --> 00:22:15.343 Thanks for joining us today We will talk to you again soon 00:22:17.243 --> 00:22:19.403 Thanks for joining us today on The Chemical Show. 00:22:19.743 --> 00:22:24.203 If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, 00:22:24.473 --> 00:22:28.033 and most importantly, share it with your friends and colleagues. 00:22:28.863 --> 00:22:31.753 For more insights, visit TheChemicalShow. 00:22:31.763 --> 00:22:34.283 com and connect with us on LinkedIn. 00:22:34.933 --> 00:22:38.883 You can find me at Victoria King Meyer on LinkedIn, and you can also 00:22:38.883 --> 00:22:40.833 find us at The Chemical Show Podcast. 00:22:41.243 --> 00:22:44.473 Join us next time for more conversations and strategies 00:22:44.733 --> 00:22:46.523 shaping the future of the industry. 00:22:46.893 --> 00:22:47.603 We'll see you soon.