Eco-friendly laundry detergents safe for planet, staff

Many green solutions offer an economic spin—by saving water, energy, etc.—that makes them more appealing. Eco-friendly laundry detergent doesn’t pack those same savings promises, but it can make a more direct impact on the physical world.

For example, Tim Laughlin, VP of new product development for Sunburst Chemicals, said phosphates—often found in non-environmentally friendly detergents—are tremendous cleaners and whiteners but don’t break down in water.

“The phosphates collect on the bottom of lakes and rivers because they don’t biodegrade,” he said.

Julie Fry, CEO of Vaska, said phosphates cause algae blooms and choke fish. However, phosphates are effective agents in detergents because they soften water, which makes cleaning more effective. To solve this problem, Fry said Vaska has developed a green water-softening solution.

The chemicals in non-sustainable detergents not only can have harmful effects on wildlife and water quality, they also can cause problems for humans. Fry said nonyl phenoxy ethoxylate is found in many detergents and is a known carcinogen “that causes cancer in men and women and sex change and mutations in fish.” She said a detergent doesn’t have to be certified green to remove its NPEs.

Laughlin said there are gray areas in the green world. The EPA, for example, will not certify a detergent green if it contains a concentration of hydrogen peroxide higher than 8 percent. But a more concentrated version, at about 34 percent, wouldn’t require as much product each wash or require as many packages to be shipped.

“In my end-use solution, I’m going to need a given percentage [of cleaning product]. If I’m using the 8-percent [detergent] I’ll need four times the [amount] to get that same concentration,” he said.

“The 34-percent arguably is more dangerous to handle, but when you weigh out an environmental program and ask what’s your objective – if it’s lower impact on the environment, maybe it’s the better way to go.”