detergent industry bans phosphates
For more than 40 years clean water advocates have called for the elimination of phosphates from American products. While phosphates could have been banned years ago when the 1972 Clean Water Act was first made law, lobbyists fought hard to keep the chemical out of the regulations insisting phosphates were an essential ingredient. But, as of July 1, we’ll have one less phosphate-laden product on the shelves. The American Cleaning Institute (formerly the Soap and Detergent Association), a manufacturer’s trade group representing most detergent companies, announced they will voluntarily no longer include phosphates in their dishwasher detergents.
“Industry’s announcement on phosphates in dishwasher detergents is welcome news, indeed, if somewhat overdue,” said Jonathan Scott, a spokesman for Clean Water Action, founded in the early 1970′s to fight for clean, safe water. “Even small amounts of phosphates can wreak havoc when they get into our water,” Scott says, “so it’s the last thing you want as an ingredient in detergents, which are specifically designed to end up in the water by way of household appliances and drain pipes.”
We think Scott sums up the situation best:
Good news is all too scarce these days, when it comes to our water. Between the BP Gulf oil disaster, and a host of other problems, it is clear that the nation’s commitment to clean and safe water has faltered.
There are other reasons to be encouraged by this new development, too. First is the immediate benefit to water consumers and ratepayers. It costs money to remove phosphates from water in the treatment process, and now, finally, a significant source of phosphates is being eliminated.
Second, while a mandatory ban–enacted decades earlier–would have been even better, this kind of approach holds great promise for the future. With so many water problems out there, we should do everything possible to stop pollution from entering the water in the first place. Besides detergents, how many other “designed for the drain” consumer products are out there with ingredients that can pollute our water?
Meanwhile, this small change could mean that more attention can now be paid to some of the bigger remaining problems, starting with phosphates and other nutrient pollution from industrial-intensive agriculture, over-fertilization of lawns and gardens, and outdated water systems that flush the pollution from farms and communities into our waterways.
why did it take so long?
Pollution from phosphates, an essential nutrient in minute quantities, can easily overwhelm waterways, causing algae blooms that decay and leave the water without oxygen and unable to sustain life.
Many people might have thought that phosphate use was banned already in dishwasher detergents. But that’s not the case. In fact, phosphates may constitute as much as 24 percent of a product’s formula. Dishwasher detergents contain levels of phosphorus as high as 8 percent, which translates to a phosphate level of 24 percent.
While industry lobbyists were able to fight federal-level regulations, state and local governments have been banning phosphate use. The cleaning products industry did bend to the local bans growing consumer pressure by voluntarily eliminating phosphates in laundry detergents in the 1990s. But the industry claimed that our dishes wouldn’t come clean with out phosphates.
Of course, companies such as Seventh Generation, Earth Friendly Products and scores of other eco-friendly cleaning brands successfully brought phosphate-free detergents to the American consumer. The big detergent companies could no longer insist that phosphates were essential to their products.
As clean water advocates ourselves, we’re pleased that another industry is taking steps to improve their impact on the water supply. Of course, this voluntary ban doesn’t mean that another company won’t continue to add phosphates to their detergents. Not to mention the many other sources of phosphates that still need to be addressed. In fact, we wish everyone would follow the motto of Martin Wolf, Seventh Generation’s Scienceman and a leading authority on the environmental impact of household cleaning products:
If a negative environmental impact can be lessened or avoided, both industry and consumers have a responsibility to do so.
photo credit: Dublin City University
I can’t believe this took so long…
Environmentalists should be encouraging this kind of voluntary behavior.
Using the fist of the State is crude and creates a ‘business vs environmentalist’ mentality. We’re all effected when the environment is damaged, so lets find solutions together. Without coercion.
@Citizen
I’m all for encouraging voluntary behavior, but I’m not willing to wait 40 years for an industry to come around.
Sometimes, regulations are needed. Business will adapt – the health of our environment, and therefore us, will not.