The European Parliament voted last week on a new Detergents Regulation to clean up chemicals in the everyday detergents we use to clean our clothes, kitchens and dishes.
The new EU rules will make those products less harmful, more biodiverse and copper fasten the ban on live animal testing for any detergents coming into EU markets.
Ní Mhurchú welcomed the new laws as being practical, easy to implement and protecting families from harmful chemicals in the everyday detergents they use to clean their homes and clothes.
Detergents from countries outside of the EU, like China, will now have to meet enhanced safety standards to import their products into EU markets.
Overall, Ní Mhurchú said the new EU laws make our detergents less toxic and kinder to the environment,
“We are hoping to see detergents that are more biodegradable, using less harmful substances, safer and greener, without piling on red tape. The new rules also encourage the sale of refill detergents by changing packaging rules meaning you can buy smaller refill bottles of your household detergents or refill your existing bottles at refill stations. That reduces plastics packaging cutting demand for new single-use plastics and lowering resource use, emissions, and costs for manufacturers.”
The EU Commission has introduced a framework to reduce Phosphorus content limits in our cleaning products over time.
Our cleaning detergents used Phosphorus because they are excellent at softening hard water, which boosts cleaning power by allowing soap to lather and preventing soap scum, and they help break down grease, lift dirt, and keep particles suspended, leading to cleaner clothes and dishes, especially in hard water areas.
The new laws introduce biodegradability measures for the plastic films used in washing detergent capsules, such as those used in detergent pods, which have been linked to microplastic pollution. The rules aim to reduce the polymers within such films, giving manufacturers of detergents a timeline to make their products more biodegradable so they can easily breakdown when they enter our bin or sewage system.
The new laws reiterate and strengthen the general ban on animal testing only allowing the EU Commission to authorise such testing in exceptional cases, reaffirming provisions already in place.
The new laws will take effect in 42 months, to give manufacturers time to adapt to the new proposed changes.
ENDS
