Dirty Laundry - Part 1: Phosphates Summarized

Introductions and memories are great and all. But that’s not really why I set this up. Instead I figured it would be more useful to share some of the points that we’ve picked up along the way, most of which are rooted to our ingredient commitment.

Oh sure, there’s lots of stuff that is bothering me right now and I could absolutely talk about that. But maybe let’s go into something a bit more useful: Laundry Detergents. They’re a fishy bunch. Most commercial brands don’t list at all what is contained while many “natural” brands list vague terms at best (see “coconut derived surfactant”). While also using a variety of toxic cleaners, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and fragrances, a big concern in laundry detergents has long been phosphates. These are effectively “laundry boosters”. They increase the lifting power of detergents and help keep dirt from resettling back into the clothes. They are also water softeners. Their notoriety comes back to how they mess with ecosystems. I could talk more about the detergents themselves but right now I’m drawn to the phosphates. These synthetic phosphates break down in the water well enough, and believe it or not the stuff it breaks down into is effectively natural nutrients that certain aquatic biota (i.e., algae), absolutely LOVE.

But therein lies the problem: by adding all these extra phosphates into our waters, aquatic algae grow like crazy, cause dramatic decreases in oxygen levels in the water, and choke & kill the fish and invertebrates.

Here in Canada there’s a lot of water. And despite our “best efforts” at overfishing, deforestation, and more, we have a lot of fish. Now, since they’ve developed such a bad name, phosphates are thankfully not quite as abundant as they were 20 years ago. During the mid 1990’s and early part of the 21st century, commercial soap makers started cutting back on the amount of phosphates used and/or swapping them out with other ingredients. Unfortunately, many of the “new formulations” were far more toxic. Even still, this was another case of the industry regulating itself. Although Europe, Japan, and even a large part of the US starting imposing regulations on phosphates, here in Canada we’d been dragging our feet. The provinces of Manitoba and Quebec both imposed their own limitations on phosphates and in 2008, then-Federal Environment Minister John Baird announced Canada’s proposed limitations on them (less than 0.05% by weight) in household detergents (including laundry and dishwashing). However, as is often the case, there were holes in the limitations – notably, little regulation on industrial use detergents. And talk about timing! Those regulations are set to take effect July 2010.

So apparently it’s mostly up to us (as consumers) to be vigilant in choosing the right laundry cleaners. Where do we go with that? Start by looking for the words "Phosphate free". That's a good start but by no means the end! You could also look for biodegradable laundry detergents. These days, "environmentally friendly" is a selling point so if a protect is so much as slightly better for the environment the manufacturer will stamp it all over the product. My advice though: Don't buy laundry detergent. Buy laundry soaps. Yes, there is a difference. Detergents replaced soaps years ago because they weren't as limited with hard water. But they're far more harsh. Laundry soaps on the other hand, be they solid or liquid, break down readily in the environment and don't break down your clothes as quickly as detergents. You may need the help of a spot remover with a bit of elbow grease, but the fish will thank you.