Welcome to the world of BIODEGRADABLE brand GREENWASHING! Join us on a journey to uncover true eco-friendliness versus marketing tricks. Let the greenwashing games begin...
If you don't want to read all this, the summary is simple, non toxic, OCEAN-DEGRADABLE™ chemical ingredients are the only long term solution for direct release to water cleaners coupled with clear labelling on products that actually do what they say on the label... That's pretty much Simple Sailor Marine's mission.
In this post we are going to break down the difference between terms seen on labels seen below and why at SIMPLE SAILOR MARINE® we decided to do the right thing, the difficult thing, the expensive thing and go OCEAN-DEGRADABLE™.
The law on Boat Cleaners, or lack there of...
Shockingly there is no law that prevents JOE SHMOE, a dude with no morals from bottling up chemicals more toxic than an oil spill and selling them for a 1000% markup as a 'Boat Soap' or 'Black Streak Remover'. The most common offence is of boat soaps or boat soaps containing 'Sodium Lauryl Sulfates' (an acute aquatic toxin). Now you can put it in low levels to limit the aquatic toxicity but when you are using as much as is used on a 300 foot yacht for example or have a marina of boats using these products, well, the % just went catastrophic killing seagrasses, algae and phytoplankton in hours. Boat soaps are easy to white label (i.e. have a company put your label on) and most commonly car soaps not designed for direct to ocean release, diluted to be softer on marine paints. They then add in in some instances, highly toxic 'sheeting' chemicals to give the illusion of shine at the expense of the poor micro sea creatures.
The second most common offence in this case (although there are some more honest brands, Ditec for example) are LIQUID two step teak gallon bottle cleaners containing 'Sodium Hydroxide' (DRAINO by another name) and Hydrochloric Acid. Marvels on the inorganic chemical molar scale of peak high/ low PH levels but menaces to everything other than themselves. The even sneakier thing we see is 'Proprietary Trade Secret' on 'Marine Safety Data' Sheets. If you see any of this wording you should be suspicious. For clarity 2 step teak cleaners such as Snappy are so environmentally friendly if used per the instructions that its shocking the formula was literally a 'jungle juice blend of toxic chemicals in their own right'. The chemical reaction of Snappy Step 1 on Snappy Step 2 is a chemical equation that looks like this:
𝑁𝑎𝑂𝐻(𝑎𝑞)+𝐻𝐶𝑙(𝑎𝑞)→𝑁𝑎𝐶𝑙(𝑎𝑞)+𝐻2𝑂(𝑙)
=
When sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) are mixed, they undergo a neutralization reaction that produces sodium chloride (NaCl) and water (H2O):
=
SALT WATER
Surprised given how harsh SNAPPY is in its individual steps? Well you should be and you shouldn't be. You see the properties and carrier agents of STEP 1 and Step 2 are the problem. Both chemicals remove Stainless Passivation Layers (this is why you get rust after 2 step teak cleaners such as this. The deck crew solution is then to wet polish using a PTEF (highly toxic) and acid paste polish (non toxic) to both the oxidized iron content from the stainless surface and thus attempt to seal it but ultimately only exaggerate the problem. The problem is that the passivation layer on the stainless is now gone for good. And as now made clear, your hands and feet are burning, the stainless is tarnished for good and the caulk is chemically unstable. Oh and did we mention that 40% of the toxic chemicals in STEP 1 went over the side down the scuppers when the deck crew rinsed the teak pulp away. It's a minefield of winners and losers but most of all costly in both material, ecotoxicity and labor hours.
What is Stainless Steel Passivation, AKA the Stain-less than more in stainless
With all that said there is a time and place for cleaners like Snappy, once a year, controlled, with stainless properly protected prior and a dilute formula as per directions (which most sailors, deckies seem to just ignore because they are too dull or too dangerous to comprehend).
What secret potions are hidden in the magical mix of ingredients?
We started Simple Sailor Marine, 5 years ago in 2019 with a goal to take the pain and burn out of teak cleaning. We did what every other company does but in reverse.
We compiled a list of all materials found in the construction of boats and superyachts and what issues arose from our combined 36 years in the industry working on deck.
We then compiled a list of organic and inorganic chemicals compatible with each material regardless of cost and got samples of each.
We tested all the viable chemicals in increment % levels reviewing the long term effects on real superyachts and in house test beds.
We got our chemical mixes and equations lab reviewed to ensure we were keeping it simple and right.
We made samples and sent them to our growing customer base and once we had a 100% thumbs up.
We start production and sale.
What most Marine, Boat Cleaning manufacturers do...
Their first task is to usually identify high profit margin, high problem areas that they can compete in. They then peruse over company Safety Data Sheets (some publicly available some, like ours available on request'). They then go to a lab and have them tweak the ingredients to not be in infringement. They then bottle up and fight off the mixed reviews because of the adverse effects of their chemicals in the hands of sailors who don't read the 'lab instruction' wording on the back because it doesn't match with the real world of sunshine, salt and time crunches. They, then market the crap out of 'their new greatest, eco alternative'. But then...
They use the term 'proprietary trade secret' in their ingredients. Now you may think this is to protect a competitor from copying their 'new greatest, eco alternative'. The reality is, that in chemistry, reverse engineering is cheap. By testing a products PH and properties and then adding a few test chemicals it is possible to get a 99% match to chemical property composition in a few hours. We are talking <$100. We know this because we have an inhouse Organic Biology and Chemistry Major and utilise two third party labs with two of the smartest, most conscious industrial chemists we have come to trust with making products safe enough for our child to use or even bathe in.
The label terms you will most often see, which are not always in error but most of the time are:
BIODEGRADABLE (A MINEFIELD OF MISINFORMATION)
ECO FRIENDLY (FRESH WATER IN SALT WATER IS TOXIC...OXICLEAN IS TOXIC)
MARPOL COMPLIANT (THERE IS NO MARPOL WORDING FOR CHEMICALS)
CLEAN MARINAS (NOT A LABEL LOGO ENDORSEMENT)
EPA SAFER CHOICE COMPLIANT (PAID ENDORSEMENT LABELLING)
In most instances, if a product truly rocks, it wouldn't rely on these fancy terms to sell itself. Take Simple Sailor, for instance. We steer clear of those flashy logos because we prefer to be upfront and honest... not like a barren ocean (clear). A vibrant blue/green sea is a happy sea, despite what the Reddit says. Ever witnessed the water waltz between land and sea during the tides? That's when nutrients and so-called 'BIODEGRADABLE' chemicals mingle, serving up a mix of nourishing goodness and, alas, some 'ACUTE AQUATIC TOXINS'.
Reflections on the Insignificant Relevance of MARPOL in Superyacht and boat cleaners
Behold the magical incantation straight from the ancient scrolls of MARPOL! Only those with the keenest eyes and the bravest hearts dare to gaze upon its specific and exclusive wording below:
IMO Approved Tank Cleaning Chemicals MARPOL MEPC 63 Annex V
The only wording is as follows:
Cleaning agents and additives in deck and external surfaces wash water:
6 These substances must not be harmful to the marine environment.
Yep thats it folks, any high end lawyer can now argue that crude oil is not toxic in small enough percentages because it is in the marine environment, but when it comes to wash water 500 localised gallons magnified by a superyacht marina is a toxic mess.
NOTE: The Marpol Compliance requirements are looser than Miley Cyrus on stage and not worth the MARPOL COMPLIANT branding you often see on labels as no chemicals or percentages are listed in ANNEX V (Thats basically our Keep It Simple Sailor Summary).
Biodegradable VS Non Toxic: Understanding the Key Differences
The term is seen on nearly every so called 'GREEN' cleaning companies bottles. It has become an icon that shoppers look for. In most cases the veracity of these claims is borderline illegal but in a few instances the companies even use the term ECO or GREEN on products that are just down right neither.
OUR DIRECT RELEASE: TO THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT PRODUCTS ARE SAFE AS DIRECTED.
OUR NON DIRECT RELEASE: TO THE OCEAN PRODUCTS DEGRADE IN 28 DAYS OR LESS AND ARE LABELLED WITH ALL 'GHS HANDLING' WARNINGS EVEN IF NON TOXIC BASED ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL CHEMICALS BE IT <1% or 100%. Its simple and honest.
To put the 'current' problem with misinformation in Simple Sailor terms:
Did you know that many so-called BIODEGRADABLE products are like procrastinators in the ocean? They just refuse to break down and may take ages to degrade if they end up there. These products prefer to decompose under specific conditions, like in fancy industrial composters or cozy soil, but definitely not in the water. Some of them are so high-maintenance that they need temperatures above 50°C to even think about disintegrating, a luxury rarely found in the chill marine environments. And don't get me started on those products boasting about 'sheeting properties' or 'water beading' - they are as legit as PTEFS or those elusive 'CERAMIC SOAPS'.
But wait, there's more! The real jokesters in the market are the companies peddling marine cleaners and protectants as 'BIODEGRADABLE'. They are like magicians, creating illusions of eco-friendliness. Sure, there are plenty of marine cleaners out there, new brands popping up faster than you can say 'seaweed', but the catch is they can't resist a little fibbing. It's like a game of 'GREENWASHING', where truth takes a vacation. Remember the epic saga of 'SIMPLE GREEN' and its not-so-simple legal troubles? Ah, the drama!
Here is a Simple greenwashing example, Google AI summary
Simple Green claims that its All-Purpose Cleaner is biodegradable and meets the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) requirements for biodegradability. However, some say that the product has been greenwashed and could mislead shoppers. For example, CBC News reported in 2012 that the cleaner's label claims it's non-toxic, but one ingredient, 2-butoxyethanol, is listed by Environment Canada as a toxic health hazard. CBS News also reported in 2012 that some of the alcohol ethoxylate surfactants in Simple Green's Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner have been banned by the European Union.
THE AMBIGUOUS REALM OF AQUATIC TOXICITY AND MATERIAL COMPATIBILITY SCIENCE
The simplest way to understand this in understanding the key components that make up 'marine cleaners' that are often re branded car cleaning products.
ACIDS
ALKYLPHENOL ETHOXYLATES (KNOWN AS APE's)
SODIUM HYDROXIDE (LYE/ CAUSTIC SODA)
CHLORINES
BLEACHES
PHOSPHATES
SULPHATES
DYES
NITRATES
BRIGHTENERS (CONTAINED IN OXICLEAN AND WASHING SODAS)
Oh, the drama! Nitrates and phosphates are like the troublemakers at the water pollution party, causing chaos for aquatic ecosystems and turning drinking water supplies into a contaminated mess.
Watch out for the acid squad, led by hydrochloric acid and the dyes. They're on a mission to crash the pH levels of water bodies, making life hard for aquatic creatures and throwing ecosystems into a frenzy. Acid spills are like the villains that mess up soil quality and give plants a hard time. Alternatives such as yummy citric acid or hardcore, ocean abundant oxalic acid on the other hand can do the same job for more money but with clear, safe results
Bleach & chlorines, the sneaky troublemakers, love to create toxic byproducts like dioxins that stick around in the environment, playing the long game of ecological and health risks. What a sly one! The 'chlorine tree' is huge but contrary to popular belief it doesn't kill mold, it actually just whitens the mold poop to make it appear gone whilst then creating food for the mold to thrive. We prefer Hydrogen peroxide as it is readily degradeable coming from water and returning back into H20 in a short time window.
Ammonia, the aquatic villain, is toxic to underwater critters and loves to stir up trouble by polluting water bodies with excess nutrients, causing all sorts of environmental chaos. Any product containing unnatural deep blue tones such as WINDEX or a strong urine smell masked by musky smell contain Ammonia or an adjunct, often behind a label that says 'No Amonia' because it is under the reportable limits
Beware of the thickeners, like propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol (PEG)carbomers, turning into microplastics and sneaking their way into water bodies, where they wreak havoc on aquatic life and join the plastic pollution party. What a mess!
If sodium hydroxide crashes the water bodies, get ready for some serious ecosystem drama! It loves to mess with pH levels, causing chaos for aquatic life and plants. Its reactive nature means it's also a troublemaker for soil quality and biodiversity. Handle with care or face the consequences!
The optical brighteners are the party animals that refuse to leave the water bodies! They stick around, messing with aquatic life and adding to the chemical chaos in ecosystems. What a wild bunch!
Old Salts Last waypoint to remember... Arr Mateys!
Avast ye, me fellow Sailors and Proper Yachties! As we hope we have illustrated these boat cleaners currently on the shelves be as biodegradable as a plastic seaweed salad, MARPOL COMPLIANT like a non swearing parrot on a pirate ship, and they be leaguin' way behind of their landlubber counterparts who be drownin' in regulations without a compass. If this were a race for captaincy, we'd be the ones sportin' the sharpest spyglass and the most honest treasure map. Aye, we be takin' on those scurvy big corporations with their fancy marketing doubloons. We swear on Blackbeard's beard, we won't be slinging mud or firing broadsides at our fellow yacht swabbers. We just be keepin' it shipshape, clear as a cloudless sky, and as jolly as a parrot on a plunderin' spree. We be watchin' our back like a wary lookout, keepin' an eye on the scallywags tryin' to hornswaggle our secrets. But that's no bother to us, for ye can try to mimic, but ye'll never be the true Old Salt who charted these waters first!
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