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The choice o inves a significan amoun of

money in a machine dishwasher is driven by convenience and quali y of life considera ions.

However, he fac s abou he environmen al impac s of machine

dishwashing migh come as a pleasan surprise - and he pic ure

con inues o improve hanks o cons an innova ion.

Hand v rsus Machin

Washing

If we compare hand versus machine washing, you may be surprised o learn ha he environmen al

balance is in favour of he machine.

> Potenti l Environment l Imp cts of M chine nd H nd Dishw shing (12 pl ce settings)

There are also hygiene benefi s associa ed wi h he machine dishwashing process which con ribu e o quali y of life. The microbial load af er machine dishwashing is roughly en imes lower han af er

hand dishwashing, even when he i ems are lef in he closed dishwasher

af er washing. (Sourc : R. Ri g r (Bosch-Si m ns), R inigung + S rvic , March 1994, pp 49 – 55) Ensuring a b tt r quality

of lif for v ryon , now and for g n rations

to com .

M ting th n ds of th pr s nt without

compromising th ability of futur g n rations to m t th ir n ds.

Environm ntal Impact

of Machin Dishwashing

As wi h mos de ergen produc s, he bulk of he environmen al loading comes in he use

phase and is associa ed wi h he was e genera ed and he elec rici y needed o hea he wa er. The de ergen indus ry and machine manufac urers are con inuing o work on reducing his impac .

> Contribution of e ch Life Cycle St ge to Potenti l Environment l Imp cts of Phosph te MDW T blet (NL)

In addi ion o he indirec environmen al loading from hea ing wa er, he quan i y of de ergen used affec s he po en ial nu rifica ion of he effluen on disposal. To reduce his po en ial, we are encouraging consumers o use jus he righ amoun of produc wi hou adding “a li le bi ex ra for luck” and using mul ifunc ional ingredien s, where possible, o reduce chemical loading.

To facili a e he use of lower empera ure cycles, we are cons an ly looking for ways o improve he lower empera ure cleaning and care performance of our produc s. We liaise regularly wi h machine manufac urers o ensure mu ual awareness of rends and new developmen s as he environmen al impac is also being reduced by changes o machine cycle design.

> M chine dishw shing - Energy nd w ter us ge

Sourc : AEG sal s fold r, Domot chnica 1999.

Unit D se

L undry detergent t blets, pioneered by Unilever, h ve been n enormous success nd provided

win-win in terms of consumer convenience nd ccept nce plus environment l benefits from lower product us ge. Tablet u e ha reduced the amount of chemical by over 250,000 tonne a year acro the EU.

M chine dishw shing uses sm ller mount of product th n l undry. Nevertheless, the introduction of t blets nd multifunction l products, in which Unilever pl yed le ding role, h s m de signific nt contribution to sust in bility.

M chine dishw sh t blets reduce recommended dos ge comp red with the weighted sector ver ge.

> Impact of MDW tablets on recommended dosage

M chine Dishw sh t blets h ve lso reduced the h bits dos ge, comp red here with st nd rd powders, which re the m jor competing form.

> Detergent consumption per wash

FORMAT MARKET SHARE 2000

Standard powders 27

Concentrate powders 4

Liquids & gels 7

Tablets 61

Looking t the det iled life cycle ssessment (LCA) cross r nge of countries for people

who convert from powder to t blets in our m jor m rkets, the over ll picture is positive. Most of the benefits come vi reductions in solid w ste, cidific tion potenti l nd photochemic l oxid tion potenti l - nd in most c ses we see signific nt benefits in nutrific tion potenti l.

> Change from powder to tablets

COUNTRY GLOBAL ACIDIFICATION PHOTOCHEMICAL NUTRIFICATION SOLID ENERGY WARMING POTENTIAL OXIDANT POTENTIAL WASTE POTENTIAL CREATION

POTENTIAL

Belgium

France

Germany

Italy

Netherlands

Norway*

Portugal

Sweden*

Switzerland*

UK

Improvement Worse No Ch nge * Zero P formul tion

ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS USED IN LCA

• Global Warming Potential: emissions of greenhouse gases are leading to an increased absorption of radiation emitted by the earth resulting in global warming. Contributing emissions include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide and are expressed in terms of carbon dioxide equivalence.

• Acidification Potential: acid deposition on soil and water can lead to detrimental effects on both flora and fauna. The acidifying emissions are the oxides of sulphur and nitrogen oxides that result from fuel combustion processes.

• Photochemical 0xidant Creation Potential: low-level smog is formed by the reaction of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under the influence of UV light. Contributing emission sources include the manufacture of plastic packaging materials and the combustion of natural gas.

- Nutrification Potential: the emission of nutrients can lead to increases in biomass production. In water, this can lead to algal blooms resulting in oxygen depletion that affects higher species such as fish. Undesirable shifts in numbers of species can also occur, resulting in a threat to biodiversity. Contributing emissions from the detergent life cycle are phosphate and biodegradable materials.

- Solid Waste: the sum of all the sources of solid waste over the product life cycle. The primary sources are from mineral-based raw material sourcing, solid fuel combustion and packaging materials.

- Energy: the total amount of primary fuel reserves extracted from the earth taking into account the efficiency of electricity generation and heat producing processes. This indicator is a basic measure of resource depletion but is useful because other indicators are related to energy. The examination of the energy profile can provide valuable insights into environmental performance in general.

3-in-1 roducts

Unilever and the rest of the Industry have also been busy developing products which

combine the traditional functions of detergent, salt (to soften the water in the machine) and rinse aid. After a period of being able to combine these functions in pairs, we now know how to make complete 3-in-1 products to replace the current three product systems – and of course, 3-in-1s come in tablet form too – the current ultimate in sustainability.

It remains to be seen how quickly people will switch to 3-in-1s and especially 3-in-1 tablets. However, the benefits are clear.

Average usage of products per wash Based on recommended dosages for our products, 3-in-1s give total product usage reductions of 20-40% for powder users and 17-50% for tablets users, depending on their machine's salt requirement.

> Produc usage reduc ions wi h 3-in-1s

Phosphate is one multifunctional ingredient which allows us to deliver this benefit. It provides an unbeatable anti-scaling effect. Also, as the technology now exists to remove and recycle phosphate from sewage treatment plants, it is potentially

The use of such multifunctional ingredients not only reduces direct chemical loading on the environment, but also the volume of product. This in turn, cuts the amount of packaging and transport required, thereby decreasing emissions of carbon dioxide and oxides of nitrogen and sulphur.

Packaging Savings The reduction in packaging from moving to 3-in-1 products varies with pack size (the larger the pack, the less packaging per wash). Using tablets as an example: ¥ 3-in-1 packs use 50-70% less packaging per wash than separate product systems. ¥ packs with fifty 3-in-1 tablets use 35% less packaging per wash than packs with eighteen.

Formu ations over the years

1985: enzymes for better cleaning at lower temperatures. 1987: liquid detergent to improve consumer convenience. 1988: tablets to reduce overdosing by consumers. 1990: concentrated detergents with oxygen bleach -

less chemicals and packaging per wash. 1992: tablets – preferred by consumers to concentrated

powders. 1994: new bleach system for excellent stain removal

without using chlorine. 1997: full replacement of corrosive powders with less

hazardous ones. 1999: built-in salt functionality to 2-in-1 powders

and tablets - significant reductions in product usage, packaging and transport.

2001: built-in rinse aid function to 3-in-1 powders and tablets - further reductions in product usage, packaging and transport.

sustainable. To deliver the same "Opera ing sus ainably performance with an alternative will be crucial, no only for builder would require a success in he 21s cen ury, significant increase in product bu also for survival." dosage and poorly biodegradable

Niall Fi zGerald organics - plus the tablets would Mon reux Oc ober 1998. not fit in the majority of machine dispensers.

occ r as market share grows - in fact, it co ld even do ble.

REDUCING INDUSTRY IMPACT

We estimate that the impact of tablets and m lti-f nctional prod cts sho ld have already c t total prod ct sage by 100,000 to 150,000 tonnes per ann m across Western E rope (compared with the sit ation had these prod cts not been introd ced). F rther red ctions will

Tra sport Savi gs

The eductions in p oduct dosage and packaging have enabled us to keep t anspo t equi ements (numbe of t ucks and thus ene gy) fai ly constant despite the inc easing numbe of washes being done (decoupling).

> MDW prod ction vs n mber of washes

Sustai able Productio

Of cou se, we a e not simply passing on the envi onmental esponsibility to the consume via p oduct dosage. We have also dec eased the envi onmental impact and emissions of ou manufactu ing and dist ibution p ocesses on a pe tonne basis.

> MDW Man fact ring Ecoefficiency (1996 = base 100)

For fur her informa ion on machine dishwash able s and 3-in-1 produc s, email us a MDW@unilever.com

Publis ed September 2001 Prepared and issued by Unilever HPC - Europe

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