According to a recent UAE survey commissioned by Ariel, one of the world’s premium laundry care brands, 83 per cent of the surveyed were aware of their environmental footprint and the impact their purchasing choices have on the planet, with 80 per cent actively trying to influence friends and family to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.
One simple way UAE consumers can do that is by changing the way they do laundry: The newly launched Ariel Nano Pods help them reduce their carbon footprint without compromising on the quality of washing.
Ariel’s high-performing innovation comprises single unit-dose sachets of soluble film containing concentrated fine powder detergent with active ingredients, less chemicals (versus powder), zero solvents and no phosphates.
“As the UAE moves towards a greener future, we decided to launch Ariel Nano Pods here to help residents embrace sustainability without compromising on product performance,” says Ramy Tarshouby, Vice President of Fabric Care at P&G Middle East.
“Sustainability is a dynamic need for consumers, so we aim to create products that meet this demand,” explains Tarshouby. “The two key climate impact areas we focus on are water and energy savings.”
With the UAE survey of just over 1,000 respondents showing that almost 25 per cent of people wash their clothes at least once a day, the amount of water used is significant.
Converting to Ariel Nano Pods helps save precious water resources as the product requires around 55 per cent less water to manufacture versus powder detergents, which translates to up to 2,187 tons of water a year if all UAE households move from powder to Nano Pods.
Eliminating rewash
“Most consumers are also not actually using the right amount of detergent based on their laundry loads, which often leaves garments with excess residues or stubborn stains, even after washing, causing consumers to rewash some of the clothes, using even more water and energy,” he adds.
With the launch of Ariel Nano Pods, the leading laundry brand is essentially tackling the need to rewash clothes. “The Ariel Nano Pods formula is highly concentrated with active ingredients to deliver up to 100 per cent stain removal with zero powder residues,” he explains. “They’re also pre-dosed to ensure the perfect amount of detergent is used every time. With these benefits, consumers can achieve the best results in one wash, reducing the need to rewash clothes and consequently achieving greater water and energy savings.”
Sustainability is a dynamic need for consumers, so we aim to create products that meet this demand. The two key climate impact areas we focus on are water and energy savings.
The innovative Nano Pods work in any wash temperature – since they instantly dissolve in water – enabling consumers to turn down the temperature and opt for colder wash cycles, ultimately leading to further energy savings.
Sustainable consumption
“If you consider everything from the manufacturing process to the packaging used for detergents, the most significant impact laundry has on the environment is the energy used to heat water in washing machines,” says Tarshouby.
“At P&G, our fabric care brands assess the environmental impact of products through a research method called the Life Cycle Assessment, which revealed that the biggest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions for fabric care brands can be traced back to a single action – the water temperature we choose on our washing machines.”
In fact, the research reveals that 90 per cent of the energy consumed in a laundry load comes from heating water for the wash. In places like Europe, where consumers live in colder climates, the data shows that consumers tend to increase water temperatures for washing.
“Washing at 30 degrees Celsius rather than 40 degrees Celsius reduces energy consumption by up to 57 per cent per cycle,” he explains. “If consumers in Europe lowered washing temperatures from 40 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius, they could prevent almost 3.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, which is roughly equivalent to taking two million cars off the road.”
Ariel Middle East’s research, conducted by Censuswide, threw up some interesting insights into laundry practices in the UAE too. Many UAE consumers wash garments, especially whites, in high temperatures hoping to achieve greater stain removal and cleaning power. “However, this leads to increased energy consumption, sometimes without achieving the desired level of cleanliness,” says Tarshouby. “By delivering solutions that perform brilliantly, even in cold water, Ariel is enabling consumers in the region to reduce the amount of energy used by their washing machines, helping to decrease their overall carbon footprint.”
With global brands across sectors increasingly responding to consumer demands for more sustainable products, Ariel is leading the way in the laundry industry with a product based on data-driven insight and ground-breaking research and development. “Our goal is to enable consumers to integrate more sustainable habits into their daily lives by making eco-friendly products accessible,” explains Tarshouby.
“The goal with a product like Ariel Nano Pods is to drive change in consumer behaviour. As a totally new laundry form, consumers can experience an unprecedented level of cleanliness and embrace a new level of sustainability in their homes.”
With wash temperature as its main environmental impact area, Ariel continues efforts across its key markets to decrease average wash temperature.
