Case Study on Life Cycle Assessment 1 -
Cutting Environmental Impact by Half: Compact Detergents Have Done It!
Did you know that since the early nineties, compact detergents 
have had 20-50% less impact on the environment than traditional "big-box" powders? In that period, there have been great technical advances in the detergents that you use to wash your clothes.
For the last decade, P&G has been able to offer you much more than traditional powders. Compact detergents became available in 1992, and we introduced super compact detergents in 1998, giving you, the consumer, more choice than ever before.
But what exactly are the environmental benefits of using compact detergents? In order to find out, we compared regular detergents to compacts and super compacts, using the methods of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Risk Assessment.
have had 20-50% less impact on the environment than traditional "big-box" powders? In that period, there have been great technical advances in the detergents that you use to wash your clothes. For the last decade, P&G has been able to offer you much more than traditional powders. Compact detergents became available in 1992, and we introduced super compact detergents in 1998, giving you, the consumer, more choice than ever before.
But what exactly are the environmental benefits of using compact detergents? In order to find out, we compared regular detergents to compacts and super compacts, using the methods of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Risk Assessment.
Results:
Cut Environmental Impact by Half
When we compared compact and super compact detergents to regular powders, the difference was clear:
Cut Environmental Impact by Half
- Between regular powders and super compacts (use phase excluded), there was a 50% decrease in environmental impact. If the use phase is included, improvement ranges from 20-30%.
- More efficient chemistry in super compacts means you use less detergent per wash and you can do laundry at a lower temperature.
- Compacts and super compacts use less energy, and that means less CO2 and a reduction in solid waste.
- Compact and super compacts emit fewer chemicals into the environment.
Following Washing Instructions Provides Maximum Benefits
Key to the study's findings is how we use the detergent. We found that 80% of energy used in the life cycle of detergents from manufacture to disposal was used when we do the washing. Factors like the amount of detergent per wash load, the temperature of the wash and rinse, and the type of wash cycle impact energy consumption. What does this mean? That we need to provide you with easy-to-follow usage instructions to get the maximum environmental benefit from our compact detergents. We will also continue to develop detergent formulations that will allow washing with less detergent at lower temperatures. Download and read the full story as PDF-document or put them into your File Basket (What is this?)
Read the peer review scientific article from which the PDF documents were created:
Saouter, E., van Hoof, G., Feijtel, T.C.J. and J.W. Owens (2001). The Effect of Compact Formulations on the Environmental Profile of Northern European Granular Laundry Detergents.
Saouter, E., van Hoof, G., Pittinger, C.A., and Feijtel, T.C.J. (2001). The Effect of Compact Formulations on the Environmental Profile of Northern European Granular Laundry Detergents.
