Report from the Commission on the results reached for the period 1996-2000 by the implementation of Commission Recommendation 98/480/EC of 22 July 1998, concerning good environmental practice for household laundry detergents
Date: 2002-06-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: application of EU law, code of conduct, energy consumption, environmental protection, organic chemical, packaging, polishing and scouring preparations, report

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 10.06.2002
COM(2002) 287 final

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION

on the results reached for the period 1996-2000 by the implementation
of Commission Recommendation 98/480/EC of 22 July 1998,
concerning good environmental practice for household laundry detergents

.

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION

on the results reached for the period 1996-2000 by the implementation
of Commission Recommendation 98/480/EC of 22 July 1998,
concerning good environmental practice for household laundry detergents

1.

1.1.

1.2.

1.3.

1.4.

INTRODUCTION

Since the early 1970s the Community has operated a policy in the detergent sector
aimed at solving the problems caused by surfactant foam in water systems. All
existing Community legislation 1
is therefore intended principally to reduce
environmental problems such as foaming in rivers and is based on biodegradability
tests.

The existing detergent legislation has provided a stable foundation for the Single
Market and it has ensured a relatively high degree of environmental protection.
Surfactants classified as “primary biodegradable” lose their surface-active properties
relatively quickly. They are generally less toxic than other surface-active chemicals.
Regulatory requirements for the primary biodegradability of surfactants have not
only solved the foaming problem, but have also provided a comprehensive
mechanism for banning non-biodegradable surface-active chemicals.

However, since the 1970s detergent and surfactant manufacturing technology has
changed significantly. The old detergent production technology was based on spray
tower technology which subjected the product to severe conditions that restricted the
range of surfactants that could be used. New detergent manufacturing technologies
allow a more concentrated product and the use of a wider range of chemicals. Some
of these new surfactant chemicals cannot be adequately tested using the test methods
laid down by the existing detergent Directives.

Furthermore, the detergent legislation has been supplemented by voluntary measures
such as the Commission Recommendation on the labelling of detergents and cleaning
products 2, and the Commission Recommendation concerning good environmental
practice for household laundry detergents 3.

1

2

3

Council Directive 73/404/EEC, OJ L 347, 17.12.1973, p. 51.
Council Directive 73/405/EEC, OJ L 347, 17.12.1973, p. 53.
Council Directive 82/242/EEC, OJ L 109, 22.4.1982, p. 1.
Council Directive 82/243/EEC, OJ L 109, 22.4.1982, p. 18.
Council Directive 86/94/EEC, OJ L 80, 25.3.1986, p. 51.
Commission Recommendation 89/542/EEC, OJ L 291, 10.10.1989.
Commission Recommendation 98/480/EC, OJ L 215, 1.8.1998.

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2.

2.1.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 98/480/EC OF
22 JULY 1998

Commission Recommendation 98/480/EC of 22 July 1998, concerning good
environmental practice for household laundry detergents, recommended for the first
time at Community level “Environmental Agreements” as a tool for industry to
implement the actions envisaged in the Recommendation. It takes into account the
Council and European Parliament resolutions of 17 July 1997 and of 7 October 1997
on Environmental Agreements, which recognise that voluntary agreements may be a
valuable instrument to make optimum use of industry’s own responsibilities 4.

2.2.

The Recommendation established five targets, relative to the situation existing in the
fifteen EU Member States in 1996, to be achieved by the end of 2001:

–

–

–

–

–

5 % reduction in energy consumed per wash cycle for the product group
(kWh/wash); base: 1,04 kWh;

10 % reduction in weight of household laundry detergents consumed per capita
(kg/head); base: 9,94 kg;

10 % reduction in weight of the primary and secondary packaging of the
product group consumed per capita (kg/head); base: 0,71 kg;

10 % reduction in weight of “poorly-biodegradable organic ingredients” (PBO)
consumed per capita (kg/head); base: 0,32 kg;

provide information to the consumers on how to use detergents in a better way.

AISE 5 committed itself to undertake initiatives in order to achieve these targets. For
this purpose AISE developed a Code of Good Environmental Practice for the
Household Laundry Detergents (hereafter “the Code”)
implementation in
eighteen countries 6:
the fifteen EU Member States plus Iceland, Norway and
Switzerland.

for

Implementation of the Code started in Denmark and Sweden in autumn 1997 as a
pilot project. Following the positive results obtained in this pilot project, and the
endorsement by the European Commission in the form of a Recommendation in
July 1998,
implementation in the other participating countries started in mid-
1998/early 1999 and has continued since.

Council and European Parliament resolution of 17 July 1997, OJ C 286, 22.9.1997, p. 254.
Council and European Parliament resolution of 7 October 1997, OJ C 321, 22.10.1997, p. 6.
AISE (Association internationale de la savonnerie, de la détergence et des produits d’entretien) is the
official body that represents the soap, detergent and maintenance products industry within Europe and
towards other international organisations. AISE’s members and its National Associations are present in
twenty-eight countries (in Europe essentially); their members are companies locally placing products of
the above categories on the market. AISE represents over 90 % of the detergent and cleaning product
industries in the Community.
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal,
Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, United Kingdom belonging to the European Union, and Iceland,
Norway and Switzerland.

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2.3.

2.4.

4

5

6

2.5.

Commitments and targets in the AISE Code are based on risk assessment and life
cycle analysis. Under the Code, manufacturers agree to provide consumers with
relevant usage instructions to guide them on how to do their
laundry in an
environmentally responsible manner.

AISE and some non-AISE members that sell, market or produce household laundry
detergents within the European Community and the European Economic Area
therefore committed themselves to ensure compliance with this Recommendation, in
co-operation with National Associations, and to report progress towards the targets
for consumption, packaging and PBOs at least every two years, and to report on the
energy consumption at
to report 2001 data for
comparison with the 1996 baseline.

the end five-year period,

i.e.

2.6.

It should be noted that Member States agreed to contribute to the implementation of
this Commission Recommendation and that all stakeholders showed interest in the
achievement of the targets set in the above Recommendation, and particularly:

–

–

–

the use of lower washing temperatures to decrease energy consumption and
thus decrease CO2 emissions;

a decrease of the consumption of detergents and their packaging to lower the
general environmental impact of detergents;

a decrease of the poorly biodegradable ingredients in detergents (PBO’s), to
reduce the effects of detergents on the environment.

3.

3.1.

3.2.

3.3.

7

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INTERMEDIATE RESULTS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATION
98/480/EC

As stipulated in Article 7 of the Recommendation, AISE has provided for an
independent organisation to collect and process statistics. PricewaterhouseCoopers
(PwC) was selected to monitor progress towards targets for consumption, packaging
and PBOs every two years, and in addition to report on the energy consumption in
the final report in 2002. The 1996-1998 figures for the three targets mentioned
above, at both European and National levels, were presented in a first intermediate
report 7 by PwC with a summary of the main trends from 1996 to 1998

PwC has now prepared a second report covering the period 1999-2000. Both reports
are similar in structure and describe the methods of data collection, audit procedures,
planning and management. Energy data, reported in the baseline report and to be
reported again in 2002, are to be gathered through a market survey conducted by a
specialist company, Taylor Nelson AGB.

AISE provided a complementary report 8 to the first PwC progress report. This
complementary report focused mainly on actions undertaken by AISE’s National
Associations since the adoption of the Recommendation and its official launch in all
Member States for the whole of the Code project, in particular on actions concerning

AISE Code of Good Environmental, Progress report to the European Commission 1997-1998.
Implementation of the AISE Code in Europe, Complementary report from AISE to the PwC 1997-1998
progress report.

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3.4.

3.5.

3.6.

3.7.

the provision of information designed to encourage the correct use of household
laundry detergents. AISE has provided a similar complementary report to accompany
the second PwC progress report.

After the submission of the PwC and AISE reports in October 2000, the Commission
organised a Working Group Meeting with the Member States in order to provide
information on the progress achieved for the years 1997-1998. Consultation with
other stakeholders such as BEUC (European Consumers’ Organisation) and EEB
(European Environment Bureau) were also organised and comments were provided
by them. The reports were also submitted to the Consumer Committee for an opinion
on the state of implementation of the Recommendation.

The main conclusions of these Organisations for the reporting period 1996-1998
were that for the four targets which were to be considered in the intermediate
evaluation, two of them were fully achieved: the reduction of the PBOs and the
information to consumers, but that the 1996-1998 data suggested that much remained
to be done to reduce consumption of detergents and of packaging.

PwC report that for the period 1999-2000 the number of companies committed to the
code has increased from 154 to 179, despite a number of mergers in the industry.
Data on the consumption of detergents, packaging and PBOs is presented and
compared with the data for the period 1996-1998.

The AISE report presents the same data as the PwC report and also comments on the
consumption trends.
In addition the AISE report presents the media actions
undertaken by AISE in the 1999-2000 reporting period to promote sustainable
consumption. These actions are mainly those associated with the “Washright”
campaign, launched on 5 June 2000, with the objective of reducing consumption of
energy and detergents through correct usage. The actions comprise television
advertising campaigns, a dedicated website, and reminder panels on packaging.

4.

PROGRESS TOWARDS THE TARGET CRITERIA OVER THE PERIOD 1996 TO 2000

Progress in the fifteen EU Member States towards the targets described under
heading 2.2 can be quantified as:

1996-1998

1999-2000

TARGET FOR 2001

Detergent consumption

Packaging consumption

PBO consumption

+ 2,2 %

– 6,8 %

– 13,1 %

– 4,6 %

– 5,9 %

– 14,5 %

– 10,0 %

– 10,0 %

– 10,0 %

Appropriate information to the consumer is now printed on the packaging of the
detergent. The target for PBO’s was already met at the end of the 1996-1998
reporting period, and the trend has continued further downward. The data in the table
above suggest that although the previous upward trend in detergent consumption has
turned, and has become a significantly downward trend, consumption is still less than
half way towards the target. Packaging consumption showed no further progress
towards the target during the reporting period. Data on energy consumption will be
reported in autumn 2002.

5

Progress towards the targets for 1996-2000

Detergent consumption
(kg per capita per annum)

Baseline consumption

Target consumption
(– 10 %)

10,6

10,4

10,2

10,0

9,8

9,6

9,4

9,2

9,0

8,8

8,6

8,4

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

Packaging consumption
(kg per capita per annum)

0,74

0,72

0,7

0,68

0,66

0,64

0,62

Baseline consumption

Target consumption
(– 10 %)

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

6

Poorly biodegradable organics (PBO) consumption
(kg per capita per annum)

Baseline consumption

Target consumption
(– 10 %)

0,34

0,32

0,30

0,28

0,26

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

5.

AISE PLANS FOR ACHIEVING THE RECOMMENDATION’S TARGETS

AISE and the detergent industry remains committed to achieving the targets set out
in the Recommendation. The trends from 1996-2000 show that
this task is a
challenging one. Companies committed to the Code will continue their efforts in the
development and marketing of product formulations, product forms, and packaging
that contribute to these targets. Furthermore, they will pursue the efforts already
undertaken at consumer communication level
to promote a more sustainable
consumption of these products. The “Washright” media campaign in mid-2000
throughout Europe aimed to encourage the use of lower wash temperatures to help
contribute towards the energy consumption target. AISE is developing a closer
partnership with CECED, the electrical appliance industry association of Europe, on
activities concerning washing machine use.

6.

FINAL REPORT

With this report the Commission provides the information on the intermediate results
achieved by the implementation of this Recommendation 98/480/EC, as required by
article 9. The Commission will make a final report on the state of implementation of
this Recommendation 98/480/EC at the end of 2002 after receiving the final PwC
report in autumn 2002, and after consultation with the Member States, AISE and the
Consumer Committee.

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References

All documents mentioned in this report and some others used for its preparation can be
consulted on the Commission Web site:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/chemicals/detergents/index.htm.

These documents include the following:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

AISE Code of Good Environmental Practice: Progress report
Commission, 1997-1998, by PricewaterhouseCoopers, 1999;

to the European

Implementation of the AISE Code in Europe: complementary report from AISE to the
PwCs 1997-1998 Progress Report, by AISE, 1999;

AISE Code of Good Environmental Practice: Progress report
Commission, 1999-2000, by PricewaterhouseCoopers, October 2001;

to the European

Implementation of the AISE Code of Good Environmental Practice for household
laundry detergents in Europe: AISE 1999-2000 Progress Report, by AISE,
November 2001;

Summary note on the launch mid-2000 of the European washright TV campaign for
the optimal use of laundry detergents, prepared by AISE;

EEB (European Environment Bureau) questions on the AISE Code of Good Practice;

AISE response to EEB questions on the AISE Code of Good Practice.

Furthermore, the content of the following reports and comments have been taken into account
for the preparation of the report:

–

–

–

–

Changes
Naturskyddsföreningen (Swedish Association for the protection of Environment);

detergents,

household

prepared

Report

by

in

Svenska

What effect has the eco-labelling of household detergents had on sewage treatment
plants?, Report by Svenska Naturskyddsföreningen;

Laundry detergents and sewage treatment, Report by PolskiKlub Ekologiczny on the
Polish situation, as well as some possible solutions concerning textile detergents and
the waste water from washing;

Comments of Svenska Naturskyddsföreningen on the AISE Code.

8