Increased awareness of climate change and the call for action is changing consumer perceptions. End-consumers now recognise that to significantly reduce the damage to the environment and save electricity costs, we all need to reconsider daily activities and the utilities we use. This has resulted in a growing demand from consumers for laundry detergents that minimise energy and water consumption, and reduce the damage to the environment caused by carbon emissions. Examples of such enzymes are Stainzyme ®, Liquanase ® and Polarzyme ®.
Maximising brand value
Adding enzymes to a detergent can support five powerful brand claims for manufacturers:
§ Lower wash temperatures
§ Shorter wash cycles
§ Reduced water consumption
§ Reduced energy consumption
§ Fewer chemical ingredients
For manufacturers, the interesting aspect is that adding enzymes can substantially improve performance without necessarily leading to an increase in production costs.
Savings
A washing machine accounts for approximately 22% of total water consumption in the average household. The average washing machine consumes between 45 and 49 litres (12 and 13 gallons) of water for each wash cycle. Shorter cycles could save 5 to 10 litres (1.3 to 2.5 gallons) of water per wash
Approximately 80% of the energy consumption of a washing machine comes from heating up the water. If every European household washed their laundry at 30°C/86°F instead of 40°C, electricity bills would be reduced by 30%.
A minimal amount of energy is required to produce enzymes, and when this is compared to the amount of energy saved by washing at 30°C/86°F, carbon emissions are reduced by approximately 100 g per wash.
Environmental impact of detergents (BOX/LINK)
Novozymes has been conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) which compare the environmental impact of an existing practice with an alternative practice that provides the same user benefits. The results from LCAs have shown that for every kilo of enzyme, there is a net downstream reduction of 100 kilos of carbon emissions. With 130,000 tons of Novozymes enzymes reaching the market each year, this results in an annual total net reduction of 13 million tons of carbon equalising Denmark’s obligation to fulfil the requirements of the Kyoto agreement.