Environmental Impact of Ariel FAQs
Our focus is to decarbonise laundry at every step of the value chain and to reach net zero GHG emissions across our operations and supply chain by 2040, while continuing to normalize low carbon laundry cycles in use.
We remain committed to continued investment and research to ensure we are delivering superior products to our consumers and customers alike. Each leading Fabric Care brand has set its own purpose-driven Brand 2030 Ambition, to change the status quo for laundry over the next decade and drive a positive impact – ultimately building towards our Net Zero 2040 vision.
All our products are designed to be safe for the consumer and the environment when used as intended. The wastewater from the washing machine can contain all sorts of materials, from the dirt removed on your clothes, ingredients from your detergent and actives from the fabric enhancers. After washing, the used water (including dissolved product and dirt from clothes) enters the sewage system and is treated with other household wastewater in a dedicated treatment facility, where dirt is removed, biodegradable ingredients are broken down, and the water is cleaned to help protect aquatic environments before it is released.
All Ariel and Lenor laundry detergents placed on the market comply with all applicable legislation and are safe for the consumer and the environment when used as intended. The vast majority of ingredients in our laundry detergents, such as surfactants and enzymes, are biodegradable according to applicable OECD and EU regulatory standards. Under the EU Detergents Regulation, all surfactants used in laundry detergents must meet strict biodegradability requirements under aerobic conditions, which reflect how modern wastewater treatment systems operate. Scientific studies show that common detergent surfactants are biodegraded rapidly during wastewater treatment, typically within hours.
By 2030, we’re aiming to have 100% recyclable or reusable packaging. Almost 90% of all packaging in our Fabric Care portfolio is already recyclable, including all regular Ariel white bottles across Europe.
We’ve also introduced cardboard packs across Europe. Ariel’s cardboard SECURECLIC® box is FSC certified (made from well-managed FSC certified forest and other recycled materials) and saves up to 6,500 tons of plastic a year in Europe.
Finally, we’re making our Ariel packs smaller due to advances in detergent formulas, meaning you now need much less product per wash to get the same (or better) cleaning results. By reformulating with more efficient ingredients, Ariel can deliver the same number of washes in more compact packs, which saves space at home and helps reduce overall detergent, packaging use and associated CO₂ emissions, without compromising on cleaning performance.
In addition, Ariel’s ‘The Big One’ provides an easy and convenient way to use the appropriate dose for larger loads, giving consumers outstanding cleaning and stain removal efficiency in one wash. In doing so, we help consumers adopt more sustainable laundry habits, including washing at lower temperatures and avoiding rewash.
We know that the single greatest impact of laundry products is in their in-use phase. Studies¹ have shown up to 60% of a laundry detergent's footprint across Europe is in the consumer use phase, mostly related to the energy used to heat the water.
Our detergents are specifically formulated to deliver outstanding performance even at lower temperature cycles, meaning consumers save energy while also protecting their clothes and saving energy.
¹https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/tsd-2025-2682/html
