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Peter Malaise
A Belgian researcher and consultant on all things sustainable since 1972, Peter is the founder and managing director of Meta.Consort Partnership (B), assisting companies and NGO's worldwide in the practical development of products and services on a sustainable base.
In 1976 Peter co-founded Meta Fellowship (B), a non-profit organisation for the development and promotion of future-proof solutions, and created one of the first brands of sustainable washing and cleaning products worldwide.
He acted several years as a consultant in the organic food sector. From 1991 to 2010, Peter was R&D manager and Concept manager with Ecover, the worldwide market leader in sustainable washing and cleaning products.
In 1993 and 1995 he was a member of the Belgian economical mission in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan.
From 1993 onwards he cooperated in the Ad-Hoc Commission of the European Union ecolabel scheme for detergents.
In 2003 he was invited to join the Sustainability Circle of the King Baudouin Foundation (B).
Since 2011 he is a dedicated expert for several independent initiatives and standards of sustainable detergents.
Peter is a trustee with the Foundation for Water (UK) (www.foundationforwater.org). He is regularly publishing columns and articles related to sustainability issues.
Peter is a trustee with the Foundation for Water (UK) (www.foundationforwater.org). He is regularly publishing columns and articles related to sustainability issues.
Since 2012 he is cooperating with his Italian friend and colleague Fabrizio Zago in AsSust.
Fabrizio Zago
If there is a feeling that I've never felt, it's boredom!
With everything that goes on, with all the stimuli that we have in front of us, to remain unarmed is simply impossible!
So the fact of being a chemist is a pure detail, I could be anything else, there is plenty to do for everyone.
But first things first: my belief is that we have treated badly our world, the environment around us and ourselves. Today we are at the dawn of a new revolutionary era. We have the choice, the responsibility to participate in this revolution or to stand quiet in our corner.
The new era is to do the opposite of what we have done so far. In a few years we ran out of oil, deforested islands and whole countries and all this for a fleeting sense of progress. The real progress is measured by the happiness of the people, and I see little happy people around me.
For these my beliefs and also because I was exhausted by the constant questions about "but this substance is good? Does it hurt? "In 2000 I invented the biodizionario, a simple, very simple guide, which accompanies consumers to a first approach to the world of cosmetics. With this tool, free and open access, you can know my opinion on some 6000 substances frequently used in cosmetics.
In the same year the UEAPME (European Union Artisans Small and Medium Enterprises) was in need of an experienced technician who was going to discuss the issues of the quality certification known as the European Ecolabel. I accepted with enthusiasm convinced that it was an important road to follow and if after 15 years I am still here, does not mean that something good you can do?
I am a consultant and thank God now I can do it with relevant companies and dedicated to eco-bio. Now those companies are real and thrive, years ago it was not so. I have a laboratory where I measure the performance of different products that we create with my employees. We are confident that the products are not only "green" but also that wash well.
To make this work we are so few that I find myself (without wanting it) to write on newspapers, to be a guest on television and to participate in conferences throughout Europe.
I close by saying this: at this very moment children are being born, will they be motivated by ecological choice? No one has the answer, but to each of us remains the responsibility to teach them that we only have one world and there is no need to throw it in the trash.