Small Steps in the Laundry Room Can Help Reduce Your Impact on the Environment.

With new ‘green’ products launching all the time, a recent survey shows that Canadians are facing some confusion about how to make their laundry habits more sustainable.  The Leger survey, sponsored by Tide Canada, revealed that nine in ten Canadians said it’s very important to them to use an environmentally-friendly detergent.  However, when asked to identify what makes a laundry detergent “environmentally friendly”, most respondents (33 %) chose “phosphate-free”.

“What might be surprising to consumers is that most laundry products sold in Canada are phosphate-free and have been for several years,” says Robert Pettifer, product researcher, Procter & Gamble.  

As environmental awareness has increased, consumers have become bombarded with green messaging, some of which is confusing.   In addition to suggesting phosphate-free products, survey respondents also selected biodegradable (26 %) and natural/organic (14%) to round out the top three things that make a laundry detergent more environmentally-friendly.

Consumer confusion may stem from an overuse of the word “green” in product names.  Almost two thirds of Canadians surveyed (64 %) believe that laundry products with ‘green’ in the name are more environmentally-friendly but there are many factors to take into account such as the size of the packaging, if the container is recyclable, how much energy is used in shipping and manufacturing, or if it is compatible with energy-saving appliances.

According to Pettifer, when it comes to laundry behaviour, the ability to make a difference is in the hands of the consumer: “The two best things consumers can do to make a difference in their environmental and energy impact are to wash their clothes in cold water and to use a high-efficiency washing machine,” he says.

Pettifer stresses that these are small changes, like switching to compact fluorescent lightbulbs or using cloth grocery bags:  “The changes are easy to incorporate into our lives because they involve something you would be doing anyway,” he maintains.

Canadians have embraced cold-water washing with 82 per cent agreeing that washing in cold water can be just as effective as washing in warm or hot water.  However, while 30 per cent of the respondents currently use a high-efficiency washing machine, only slightly over half are aware that they need to use a specially-formulated detergent for best results.

Making the switch to cold water can save 50 per cent of the energy in every load and using a high-efficiency machine can deliver even more savings in water.  “Most of the energy used to wash your clothes goes to heating the water,” says Pettifer.

“Switching to cold water washing is an easy way to make a difference while still getting great cleaning results.”