Zero-carbon laundry? Unilever and Oxford University tackle emissions of everyday cleaning

21 Sep 2023 --- Unilever has allied with the University of Oxford to target laundry and home care products’ carbon emissions. Their report suggests that switching to renewable sources for the ingredients used in detergents for clothes and dishwasher use could eliminate these emissions while maintaining the same performance for consumers.

Unilever highlights that renewable detergents in the industry is still “emerging,” so the supply of more sustainable ingredients needs to increase, and costs must come down before it can become adopted at scale.

Bio-based clean products are currently estimated to be between 1.2 and 4.2 times more expensive than fossil-based ones, according to Oxford University.

The carbon used to make detergents comes from surfactants, which comprise up to 80% of the carbon and are derived mainly from the petrochemical industry. 

Surfactants are chemicals that create foam to break down grease, oil and soil.

Policy action for renewable sources
The report urges governments to act on climate change by promoting sustainable carbon sources for chemicals and plastics. According to Unilever, bio-based chemicals will remain more expensive and less competitive than fossil-based ones without governmental support, and the industry will have no incentive to change.

“Policy intervention may also be needed to protect vulnerable consumers from price increases,” highlights the report. 

Unilever and Evonik are working on rhamnolipids, biosurfactant alternatives for lifting dirt and grease.It warns that the current reliance on fossil fuels for these products is incompatible with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C established in the Paris Agreement in 2016.

Chemicals and plastics are essential for many everyday products, from detergents and packaging to cosmetics and clothing. However, they are mainly derived from fossil fuels.

Unilever proposes a shift to bio-based chemicals from renewable or recycled sources, such as virgin vegetable oils, other plants, algae or waste. This would reduce the carbon footprint of these products – between 39% and 86% – and help achieve net zero emissions by 2039, as Unilever has committed to do.

The report recommends that policymakers work with stakeholders from industry, civil society, finance, research and consumers to create national strategies for increasing the use of sustainable carbon as feedstock for chemicals and plastics. It also highlights some initiatives that Unilever is already undertaking to reduce its emissions, such as piloting near-zero emissions of synthetic soda ash in India, a “key” ingredient in laundry powder.

“We are fully committed to achieving net zero, which means we need to continue to address our scope 3 emissions,” says Rebecca Marmot, chief sustainability officer at Unilever.

“Addressing scope 3, or supply-chain GHG emissions, is a challenge the entire industry faces. But by working together, we can accelerate progress and find solutions that benefit consumers and industry, yet still deliver the needed GHG emission reduction.”

Developing alternatives
Unilever is pursuing different avenues to reduce carbon emissions in laundry and dishwashers, such as using bio-based ingredients, developing low-temperature detergents and partnering with innovative suppliers.

“We have been working with world-leading chemical specialists Evonik for several years now, looking to develop the use of rhamnolipids – a high-performance biosurfactant made using sugar as its main raw material. The biosurfactant has great potential to help reduce the cleaning industry’s carbon impact as it’s fully biodegradable with a low-impact life-cycle,” the business explains.Bio-based clean products are estimated to be between 1.2 and 4.2 times more expensive than fossil-based ones.

Rhamnolipids are biosurfactants that can be used instead of petrochemical ingredients to lift dirt and grease. 

“When we started using this revolutionary sustainable foaming agent in our Quix hand dishwashing liquid in 2019, it was a world-first.”

Spotlighting innovations
Last year, Evonik invested in the world’s first production plant of bio-based rhamnolipids in Slovakia. 

Moreover, Unilever and Genomatica, a biotech and sustainability company, teamed up to create palm oil-free and fossil fuel-free ingredients for cleaning and personal care products. The venture aims to meet the growing demand for sustainable palm oil alternatives that produce foam and remove dirt. The innovation is expected to be cost-competitive and scalable.

Unilever is also bolstering its Sunlight liquid soap brand’s cleaning power with a tech-led, bio-enzyme-fuelled formula touted to deliver on performance, purpose and sustainability. 

According to the company, the formulation is three times more renewable and 99% biodegradable, using 100% plant-derived ingredients.

By Marc Cervera