Green transformation accelerates; bio-based surfactants lead the new revolution in the industry 

1. Cost of bio-based surfactants drops, large-scale application accelerates
Since 2026, the global surface active agent industry has significantly accelerated its green transformation. Bio-based surfactants, leveraging their advantages such as renewable raw materials and biodegradability, are moving from the high-end niche market to mainstream applications. Data shows that the production costs of current bio-based products such as alkyl polyglucoside (APG) and amino acid surfactants have continued to decline and are now basically on par with traditional petroleum-based products. They have been widely adopted in sectors such as personal care, industrial cleaning, and pesticide emulsification. Compared to petroleum-based products, bio-based surfactants use renewable resources such as corn starch, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil as raw materials, with a biodegradation rate of over 90%, significantly enhancing their environmental friendliness. In scenarios such as infant personal care, sensitive skin care, and food contact cleaning, bio-based surfactants have become the preferred ingredients, with a year-on-year growth rate of over 18%, far exceeding the industry average. 

2. Green Process Innovation: Significant Reduction in Production Energy Consumption
The industry's production process is accelerating the replacement of traditional processes with green technologies. Technologies such as microchannel continuous production and bio-enzyme synthesis are gradually replacing the traditional batch-based sulfonation processes. The new process can shorten the reaction time from several hours to minutes, reducing energy consumption by over 40% and reducing by 60% the emission of by-products. This effectively addresses the traditional production's high pollution and high energy consumption problems. At the same time, the industry focuses on carbon footprint management, reducing carbon emissions throughout the entire production chain, from raw material procurement to manufacturing and product transportation. In 2026, many domestic enterprises launched "zero-carbon surfactant" products. Through methods such as using renewable energy for power supply and recycling raw materials, they achieve carbon reduction throughout the product's life cycle, obtaining green product certifications from both the EU and China, and significantly enhancing their export competitiveness. 

3. High-end breakthrough: Acceleration of import substitution for special surfactants
During the concurrent transition to bio-based materials, the process of upgrading to high-end and enhancing functionality in the surfactant industry has accelerated. In response to the demands of emerging fields such as new energy, semiconductors, and biomedicine, breakthroughs have been achieved in the research and development of special surfactants. New fluorinated surfactants and polymer surfactants have been applied in scenarios such as lithium battery electrolytes, semiconductor photomasks, and medical dressings, achieving performance at the international advanced level. Previously, the high-end special surfactant market was monopolized by overseas enterprises, with the domestic self-sufficiency rate being less than 50%. In 2026, with local technological breakthroughs, the domestic production rate of polymer surfactants increased to 83%, and the domestic production rate of pharmaceutical-grade surfactants exceeded 50%. The pace of import substitution has significantly accelerated, breaking the monopoly of overseas technologies and prices. 

4. Dual-driven by policies and market: Industry structure reshaping
At the policy level, the updated environmental-friendly surfactant standards in China for 2024 have been fully implemented, restricting the production of non-biodegradable and highly toxic products, forcing the industry to upgrade towards green development. The EU's carbon border tax and REACH regulations have also prompted export enterprises to accelerate their green transformation. At the market end, consumers' preference for green and safe products has further driven the growth of demand for bio-based surfactants. The industry structure is accelerating its reconfiguration, with environmental restrictions on production and fluctuations in raw material prices pushing out small and medium-sized production capacities, while the concentration of leading enterprises continues to increase. In the first quarter of 2026, the revenue and profits of leading enterprises in the domestic surfactant industry both increased, and the effectiveness of overseas market expansion was remarkable. The export growth rate has remained above 9% for three consecutive years, and Southeast Asia and the Middle East have become emerging growth markets.