Unilever unveils its most sustainable laundry capsules yet

Unilever has on Thursday announced the global launch of its most sustainable laundry capsule yet.

The consumer goods major, whose laundry brands include Persil, Skip, Surf Excel and OMO, has introduced the newly designed capsule to help decarbonise the laundry process whilst delivering top cleaning performance.

The specially designed formula contains biodegradable active ingredients that are 65 per cent derived from plant sources and has been optimised to deliver top cleaning performance in cold and short cycles. The re-engineered capsule membrane is fully biodegradable and the fastest dissolving on the market, designed to leave no residue on laundry.

The new capsule sees its carbon footprint reduced by 16 per cent (vs. current capsules), and when used in cold, short cycles, consumers can save up to 60 per cent energy per use.

For the first time ever, the laundry capsules will be packaged in a ground-breaking plastic-free cardboard box, a move set to prevent over 6,000 tonnes of plastic entering the waste stream every year, the equivalent in weight to 500 double-decker buses.

Unilever said the box, conceived in partnership with Graphic Packaging International, is easier to open and close, child-proof and fully recyclable, with 50 per cent of the cardboard coming from recycled sources and the rest from FSC-certified forests.

“Through our Clean Future programme, our ambition is to make sustainable cleaning the compelling choice for every consumer by bringing real innovation to established mass market products,” Dr Keith Rutherford, Head of Global Innovation, Unilever Home Care R&D said.

“The research, development, and manufacturing skill that is required shouldn’t be underestimated. The new proprietary formulation and child-proof cardboard packaging is the work of so many people. This is our best and most sustainable laundry capsule yet – it is truly industry leading.”

The new product will launch first in France before rolling out to other markets.