How Industry and Consumers Are Working together to Make Consumer Patterns More Sustainable

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How Industry and Consumers Are Working together
to Make Consumer Patterns More Sustainable

• Bernd Glassl, IKW
• A.I.S.E. Information Day
• Brussels, 2 December 2009

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Energy consumption in the washing process
incl. manufactu-ring of the ingredients,
packaging, formulating, transport to the
retailers, and disposal
Laundry Detergent
Fabric Softener
Washing
Drying
Ironing
Total energy consumption per washload in
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How expensive is energy for one washload?
Mean washload 4 kg laundry Mean energy
price 0,20 /kWh (Germany)
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FORUM WASCHEN Whats that?
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• FORUM WASHING
• The dialogue platform in Germany on washing,
  dishwashing and cleaning in private households
• Start in 2001, as a result of a sustainability
  initiative of the German Cosmetics and Detergents
  Industry Association (IKW)

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Members in FORUM WASCHEN

• German public authorities (e.g. Federal
  Environment Agency - UBA)
• Consumer Associations
• Environmental NGOs
• Association of allergy and asthma sufferers
• Science (German Chemists Society/Section
  Detergents University of Bonn)
• Churches
• Labour Unions
• Industry Associations
• Household appliances
• Detergents and maintenance products

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FORUM WASCHEN Starting points

• How can consumers and industry do more for
  sustainability?
• Environment
• Economy
• Social
• To explain the rather abstract term of
  sustainability with concrete examples of daily
  life
• To bring ideas to consumers
• www.forum-waschen.de

Sustainability
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FORUM WASCHEN Organisation

• One Stakeholder Workshop per year being the
  steering committee
• Representatives of all stakeholders
• Describing the agenda for the coming 12 months
• Realisation in Project Teams and Groups

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FORUM WASCHEN Project teams and groups

• Consumer communication/Action day
• Cleanliness in the household
• Drying / Ironing / Fabric Softeners
• Fragrance
• Dosage
• Schools
• Sustainability Report (German detergents and
  maintenance products industry )
• Dishwashing

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FORUM WASCHENGolden Rules for Drying and Ironing

• Spin-dry laundry at the highest possible rotation
  speed, because the less water the laundry
  contains the less energy and time are needed for
  drying.
• For many easy-to-clean laundry items it is
  sufficient to spin-dry them and to then put them
  on a hanger for further drying.
• Whenever possible, dry laundry outdoors in fresh
  air.
• Otherwise, dry laundry in an unheated room or in
  a tumble dryer, because in heated rooms more
  energy is consumed for drying than in driers.
• Dry laundry only to the desired residual
  humidity do not "overdry".
• If possible, use a humidity-controlled tumble
  drier of energy efficiency class A or better

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Action Day Sustainable (Dish-)Washing

• Since 2004 May, 10th
• Chairpersons
• 2004 Jürgen Trittin, Federal Minister for the
  Environment
• 2005 Renate Künast, Federal Minister for
  Consumer Protection
• 2006 Prof. Andreas Troge, President of the
  Federal Environment Agency (UBA)
• 2007 Dr. Christian Grugel, President of the
  Federal Agency for Consumer Protection and Food
  Safety (BVL)
• 2008 Gerd Billen, Director General of the
  Federal Consumer Association
• 2009 Maria Böhmer, Minister in the Chancellery
• More than 100 actions per year in Germany

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Action Day on Sustainable Cleaning

• Activities in town market places, shopping
  centres, companies, schools, universities, ...

www.aktionstag-nachhaltiges-waschen.de
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Action Day on Sustainable CleaningSome examples
for actions

• Home economics students
• Day to Wash Cuddly Toys in kindergardens
• Housewives' association
• The Chemistry of Washing at secondary schools
• Crash course in ironing for students in a
  shopping centre
• Actions in urban districts with many immigrants
  from abroad Improving their knowledge of the
  German language on the example of ironing and
  with information about sustainability

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• Rural Womens' Association
• Washing like 100 years ago / as compared with
  washing today
• Dish Washing competition in kindergardens

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What has FORUM WASCHEN achieved so far?

• An open and trusting dialogue about controversial
  issues
• Avoiding of unproductive public disputes
• Constructive atmosphere for the exchange between
  experts
• Pursuit of common positions
• ?A model for sustainability initiatives of other
  industries!

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• Thank you for yourattention!
• Any questions?

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