They’re liquidless detergents that come in the form of a dissolvable sheet. Because they’re made without water they’re much smaller than a bulky liquid laundry detergent, leaving a far lighter environmental footprint.
Sounds pretty good, right? Perhaps you’ve been wondering: are laundry detergent sheets as eco- friendly as they’re touted as being?
Let’s take a closer look.
There are two major advantages of laundry detergent strips.
First, they’re helping to eliminate huge amounts of plastic waste.
It’s estimated that only 30% of the 900 million plastic laundry jugs discarded every year are recycled. In other words, liquid laundry detergent is responsible for sending mountains of plastic waste to landfill.
Secondly, they save on carbon emissions. The largest ingredient in liquid laundry detergent is water. By removing the water, you eliminate the need to transport heavy plastic jugs full of liquid detergent.
According to Tru Earth, switching to strips saves a colossal 94% of transportation emissions so they’re a great way to lower your carbon footprint.
That’s the good news. There is, however, one catch: PVA. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA, PVOH, PVAL) is the dissolvable resin or “binding agent” that holds a concentrated laundry sheet together.
Although it is generally deemed a biodegradable polymer, it is unfortunately a type of plastic. While dissolvable (read: not the same as biodegradable), it needs very specific conditions, enzymes, and microorganisms to fully break down.
One study estimated that up to 75% of PVA doesn’t degrade in US wastewater treatment plants and is released into the environment contaminating water and soil. Whilst the impact of this is not yet fully understood, possible environmental consequences include a contaminated food chain, decreased crop yields, groundwater pollution, and heavy metal sequestration.
It’s clear that further studies are needed.
In the meantime, PVA is still a better alternative to the giant plastic jugs that laundry detergent is usually found in. And while they’re not strictly speaking a zero waste laundry detergent, there are other benefits to using them.
In addition to their smaller size, plastic-free packaging and lower transport emissions, the non toxic, plant-based formulas are another good reason to make the switch. Not only do the options on this list use naturally derived, non-toxic ingredients that are better for our skin but they’re miles better for the environment too.
Conventional laundry detergents contain several harsh chemicals that impact natural ecosystems.
Phosphates, for example, have a fertilizing effect when they enter natural bodies of water. This leads to eutrophication, AKA the creation of huge algae blooms that use up all of the oxygen suffocating fish and other wildlife.
Switching to alternatives that safely (apart from the PVA, which is the lesser or two evils) biodegrades avoids these environmental issues. Plus, they’re safe for all kinds of septic systems.
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