Color-coded carbon: Unilever unveils cleaning products featuring captured carbon emissions

15 Dec 2021 --- Recycled carbon is set to be the new catchphrase in the detergent sector as Unilever introduces carbon-negative products and inches closer to eliminating virgin petrochemicals from its cleaning and laundry formulations.

Unilever replaces non-renewable virgin fossil fuels, also known as “black carbon,” with renewable and recycled carbon sources. These include “purple” carbon captured from the air or industrial emissions, “blue” carbon from sources in the ocean, “gray” carbon from waste materials and “green” carbon from plants and biomass.

“It’s a market in which we see high consumer sentiment for more sustainable solutions, and so we’re delighted to have launched this as a first step in our journey to a Clean Future,” says Andreea Sapunaru, global marketing director fabric and cleaning. 

As part of the Clean Future strategy, Unilever developed the “Carbon Rainbow” to illustrate the shift to renewable and recycled sources.

Earlier this year, Unilever unveiled a paper-based laundry detergent bottle used in hair care bottles. The material is made from pulp and is recycled in conventional waste streams.

Capturing and reusing carbon
In partnership with LanzaTech and India Glycols, Unilever will recycle carbon by trapping industrial emissions from a steel plant before they enter the atmosphere. 

The captured gasses are added to various bacterial cultures to convert them into ethanol. This is then used to produce surfactants – a key cleaning ingredient that creates foam and breaks down oil, grease and soil. 

Surfactants are typically made from fossil fuels, making them one of the most greenhouse gas (GHG) intensive ingredients in cleaning products.The chemical industry is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels.

“Our journey to a clean future is well underway and how we bring this to life for consumers in our products and on-pack is key to helping them make more informed purchasing choices that are better for them and the planet,” says Jon Hague, VP for science and technology and Clean Future program lead.

Recyclable cleaning products
The chemical industry is the backbone of modern manufacturing, but it is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, which provide 85% of the feedstock or raw fuel it uses.

Dishwashing detergent producer, Sunlight in South Africa launched a hand dishwashing liquid made from recycled carbon and, in Germany, a laundry liquid in which the key cleaning ingredient is made with recycled carbon. In April, Unilever launched a laundry capsule using captured carbon emissions. 

 The limited-edition Coral Optimal Color+ features an on-pack label promoting recycled carbon and a QR code that helps consumers discover more about recycled carbon. The product is packaged in recyclable bottles made of 70% recycled plastic.

“We undertook a full product development for the launch in Germany – not only in changing the formulation, but the packaging too,” says Sapunaru.

In 2020, Persil relaunched its liquid detergent packaging in a fully recyclable bottle from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic.

Edited by Inga de Jong