Today, the Environment Committee in the European Parliament voted on the reform of detergents and cleaning products (Detergents Regulation). The report was adopted by an overwhelming majority of 68 votes to 1.

The chief negotiator responsible for the report is MEP Manuela Ripa (ÖDP - The Nature Conservation Party), who was very pleased with the result after the vote:

"We have succeeded in significantly improving the Commission's proposal and extending the scope of the law. This is a triple win, both for water and water pollution control and for consumer rights and animal welfare. My report clearly calls for the biodegradability of detergents and cleaning products, significantly reduced threshold values for phosphate and phosphorus content not only for consumer products but also for the industrial use of detergents, easily understandable and legible labeling directly on the packaging and a ban on animal testing."

While the Commission focused almost exclusively on the inclusion of microorganisms in the scope and better labeling of ingredients, the Environment Committee succeeded in extending the scope of the proposal to include the following:

Water and water protection
More ambitious threshold values for reduced phosphate and phosphorus levels in detergents have been set, which also apply to industrial detergents for the first time. Phosphates are a major contributor to the widespread problem of nutrient enrichment in water bodies and the associated harmful growth of algae (eutrophication) throughout Europe. There are already examples of manufacturers who phased out phosphates in consumer and industrial products a long time ago. To further encourage innovation in the industry, lowered thresholds for total phosphorus content in detergents and cleaning products should apply.

Biodegradability of detergents
To protect health and nature, detergents must be more biodegradable in future, i.e. they must no longer contain persistent substances that remain in the environment. This will benefit both the aquatic environment and our health. This is because persistent substances can accumulate in the environment and contaminate drinking water resources.
The Commission proposal had completely neglected this fundamental aspect of environmental protection, although some European manufacturers had already committed to it. Now a level playing field is being created and manufacturers have concrete incentives to follow suit.

Consumer protection
Consumers should not only be provided with important information about the product digitally, but also directly on the packaging. The report stipulates that laundry detergents and cleaning products must have clear and easy-to-understand labels. The same applies to refill products. The proposal ensures that consumers are informed about all ingredients, especially allergenic substances, in physical form. If necessary, digital labels will provide additional information.
In order to avoid overdosing, which in turn can lead to higher environmental pollution and allergies, there will be more visible measuring scales on the caps and measuring cups of the products. All in all, important steps towards more consumer information.

Animal protection
The report prohibits animal testing in connection with the testing of detergents and cleaning agents or certain ingredients. It thus fulfills the demands of the successful European citizens' initiative "Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics - For a Europe without animal testing", which advocates a general ban on animal testing of cosmetic ingredients. Instead, alternative test methods that already exist and are better suited to ruling out safety concerns should be used. The report also proposes the first vegan label in the EU for detergents and cleaning products.

Now it is time to defend the committee's result in plenary. The vote on the Detergents Regulation is scheduled for the end of February.