On December 14, 2011, the European Parliament adopted the legislative recommendation of the European Commission to ban the presence of phosphorus in laundry detergents intended for consumer use, and to restrict the content of other phosphorus-containing compounds, effective June 30, 2013. From January 1, 2017, similar restrictions were imposed on detergents for automatic dishwashers intended for consumer use.
If conditions permit, EU member states may implement the above restrictions earlier, and the European Commission must review the situation by December 31, 2014. The new regulations aim to reduce phosphorus content in wastewater and improve water quality. The regulations do not affect professional detergents because there are currently no technically and economically viable alternatives in the EU.
Some member states have already set limits on the phosphorus content of detergents, but the limits vary, while others rely on detergent manufacturers to regulate themselves. The new regulations can harmonize measures across the entire European Union.
The European Commission will closely monitor the industry’s progress in developing phosphorus-based alternatives to detergents for automatic dishwashers to determine whether it can meet the requirements for implementing the restrictions from January 1, 2017.
The European Commission proposed the above-mentioned bill because phosphorus-containing wastewater has led to nutrient overload and algal blooms in European waters, harming other aquatic life.
Some phosphorus substitutes also contain phosphorus, and high concentrations may also cause environmental problems. Therefore, the new regulations set an upper limit on total phosphorus content.
The European Commission claims that cost-effective alternatives to phosphorus in laundry detergents are now available. Therefore, the new regulations will set a new limit on phosphorus content in consumer laundry detergents, limiting it to 0.5 grams of phosphorus per standard laundry volume, calculated based on hard water hardness, effective June 30, 2013. Companies that have not yet developed phosphate-free laundry detergents will have 18 months to revise their product formulations.
As for dishwasher detergents for consumers, each standard dose can only contain 0.3 grams of phosphorus, a limit that has been in effect since January 1, 2017.
The new regulations must be formally approved by the Council of the European Union to take effect. Given that the Council and the European Parliament have reached an informal agreement on the text, the new regulations should be able to pass smoothly.
For detailed information about the detergent, please visit the following website:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/chemicals/documents/specific-chemicals/detergents/index_en.htm
Source: Taiwan Trade Development Council (TCT) website (December 14, 2011)
