A process for making a biodegradable composition involving: (a) providing from about 20 to 80% by weight of C8-22 fatty alcohol; (b) providing from about 20 to 80% by weight of a ring opening product of a C8-18 1,2-epoxyalkane with ethylene glycol; (c) combining (a) and (b) to form a reaction mixture; and (d) reacting the reaction mixture with ethylene oxide, with the proviso that the ethylene oxide is used in an amount of from about 5 to 100 mol ethylene oxide per mol of free OH groups present in the reaction mixture.