- New data reveals 109 million* plastic laundry packs sold each year- deemed the industry’s dirty secret
- Likes of P&G and Unilever relying on pledges which only halve use of virgin plastic, leaving 50% in the system
- Co-founder of eco-effective cleaning brand, smol, says the industry’s pledges are ‘putting profit before people’, with more needing to be done to take responsibility away from the consumer
Plastic packaging is being hailed as the UK laundry industry’s dirtiest secret as new research has found annual production has hit approximately 10,791 tonnes per year- despite environmental pledges by the UK’s biggest brands to cut back.
The findings, from eco-effective cleaning brand, smol, reveal that approximately 109 million* plastic laundry packs were sold in 2021, despite plastic’s urgent environmental threat- leading to claims of greenwashing from laundry’s biggest brands, which are relying on ineffective recycling to tackle the issue.
With an annual average of 270** household washes, this puts pressure on consumers to tackle the issue when they dispose of the packaging at home. Yet, recent data from Greenpeace revealed that just 12% of plastic is actually recycled in the UK, most of which can only be recycled once before degrading; ‘recyclable’ plastic is not effectively tackling plastic’s environmental threat.
Whilst the UK’s leading laundry brands have committed to reduce the use of virgin plastics, their pledges fall short of a complete overhaul- with the majority only making moves to switch to post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics, despite the availability of sustainable alternatives; reliance on recycling.
As a result of the findings, smol is calling on the industry to help turn the tide on plastic and commit to cardboard packaging alternatives.
Nick Green, co-founder of smol, says, “The pledges of laundry brands do not go far enough to tackle the UK’s plastic problem. With sustainable packaging alternatives in the form of cardboard available now, this is a case of putting profit before people. Both P&G and Unilever have pledged to halve use of virgin plastic materials, however, this still means 50% virgin plastics entering the system and, PCR or not, still means a 100% plastic pack left for customers to recycle.
“The industry continues to place the onus on the customer by relying too heavily on household recycling, but we know that the majority of plastic packaging is still not being recycled, with only 12% recycled in the UK, and only a 9% recycle rate worldwide. In stark contrast, paper and card have rates of over 80% in the UK and take 70% less energy to recycle paper than to make from raw materials. The solution in such a key household category demands greater innovation than simply being more recyclable – laundry packaging going plastic-free can only be good news for customers and the planet.”
In a bid to help other brands bring their customers sustainable packaging solutions, smol is extending an olive branch to the competition by offering its own team’s expertise in creating cardboard alternatives, free of charge.
Nick Green continued: “My email is open to any laundry CEO who wants to discuss how we have managed to create an alternative to plastic packaging for capsules and tablets. We’re happy to share how we overcame technical challenges.”
In 2020 smol created a world first: 100% plastic-free packaging for laundry capsules, made from FSC-sourced cardboard. By swapping to smol for laundry and dishwasher tablets, refillable sprays and reusable bottles, the average household can save the equivalent to over 80 plastic bottles in a year and, since launching in 2018, smol customers have helped to save over 850 tonnes of plastic.