14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, American multinational consumer goods company Procter & Gamble went public with the news that, in about 2 years’ time, a new generation of laundry detergents would hit the market.
In a press release on the matter at hand, the company details that the new detergents it is working on developing will contain no phosphates.
These inorganic chemicals have been part and parcel of washing powders for many years now. However, several studies have shown that they have a negative impact on freshwater sources.
Besides, they have been documented to cause algae blooms and, consequently, oxygen deficits should they accumulate in the environment. Because of this, many consider them to be a threat to biodiversity.
By the looks of it, Procter and Gamble has been working on eliminating the amount of phosphates the laundry detergents it makes and markets contain since 2005, Business Green reports.
The company says that is has succeeded in figuring out a way to rid washing powders of said chemical compounds and thus make them more environmentally friendly.
“P&G has been gradually reducing the consumption of Phosphates since 2005,” Group President of Global Fabric and Home Care, Gianni Ciserani, said in a statement.
Furthermore, “By the time the above laundry reformulations are fully implemented, P&G will have eliminated close to half a million metric tons per year compared to its peak consumption during calendar year 2005.”
The company promises that, although they will no longer contain phosphates, its washing powders will continue to be efficient in terms of cleaning laundry, the same source tells us.
In fact, word has it that their new ingredients will boost their performance. Thus, Procter & Gamble promises to deliver, “superior cleaning performance whilst maximizing the conservation of precious resources.”
The move to cross phosphates off the ingredients list for washing powders targets several laundry detergent brands including Ariel, Tide, and Ace.