October 2, 2008

TRSA to Encourage Use of Safer Surfactants

For more than a decade the laundry industry, through it’s trade associations (TRSA and UTSA), has encouraged its members to use environmentally friendly products, including detergents. As a mechanism for doing this—as well as measuring progress—an industrywide initiative called the Laundry Environmental Stewardship Program (LaundryESP®) was launched in 1999. LaundryESP has demonstrated that the industry is reducing water and energy use, even as production has increased. In fact, over the last 10 years water usage has declined by 28%. Additionally, a major element of LaundryESP is the Wash Chemical goal. Under this goal, the industry is reducing its use of numerous chemicals, including surfactants such as nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE) that has traditionally been the main surfactant used.

Now, following a restructuring of the associations into one organization, TRSA will actively encourage the combined membership to voluntarily reduce the use of NPE. Significant reduction of NPE industrywide will take some time. That’s one reason the association is adding a specific NPE element to LaundryESP to encourage voluntary NPE reductions, as well as increased use of alternatives. LaundryESP is an efficient mechanism for pursuing voluntary reductions, encouraging substitution and measuring progress through its data-collection cycle.

The NPE-reduction effort is envisioned as a five-year program. Existing data from 1997-2002 will be used as a baseline to launch the effort in 2009 and ultimately achieve a five-year goal of "virtual elimination" by 2015. Progress will be measured periodically through LaundryESP data-collection surveys and reported to members, EPA and the public. Additionally, TRSA is proud to have joined EPA’s Safer Detergent Stewardship Initiative, which will enhance and strengthen our commitment to protecting the environment.

TRSA and its member companies are committed to this initiative through the use of “green chemistry,” which includes the major goal of reducing and virtually eliminating the use of NPE-based detergents.