Article written by ECOX
Wash the dishes, wash the clothes, wash the floor, wash objects, clean the windows… Oh, and the car! Have you ever stopped to think what day or days you don't use at least one detergent? It's true, practically every day we use cleaning products and they are present in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the sunroom or even in the car.
If, in a normal situation, cleaning products already have a high use in our routine, the current pandemic moment in which we live has meant that there is even greater care in cleaning and, therefore, there is an increase in the use of detergents. But do you know what happens to the residue of these products after you use them?
Conventional detergents have a major negative impact on the environment as they pollute water and soil. But why? What is the composition of these products? What is the environmental impact of detergents? And are there any solutions or alternatives? Find out everything in this article.
Knows the composition and environmental impact of detergents
Chemical substances that are part of the “DNA” of conventional detergents are responsible for the environmental impact of these products on our planet. We explain why:
1. Synthetic surfactants: detergents have synthetic surfactants that come from petroleum, a non-renewable and highly polluting raw material;
2. Sequestering agents: most are made up of phosphates that, despite increasing cleaning efficiency, cause eutrophication of water (high growth of aquatic plants) and affect the photosynthesis of living beings. It should be noted that they create a layer of foam that prevents the entry of oxygen into the aquatic environment and that also removes the oily layer that coats the birds' feathers and allows them to float in the water;
3. Fragrances, dyes and thickeners: detergents may also contain small amounts of fragrances, dyes and thickeners that can cause problems for human health, such as allergies or skin irritations, and in the environment as they change the chemical composition of water;
4. Preservatives: responsible for increasing the durability of cleaning products, they are also an “if not” for the fauna.
All this chemical composition of conventional detergents means that they are not 100% biodegradable in a short time and have negative consequences for the environment. Do you often see several products with the word biodegradable on the label? As a rule, all these products are biodegradable, but what is at issue is the decomposition time of their components: complete degradation in hours or days is different from partial degradation in months or years.
The environmental impact caused by conventional detergents starts from the extraction of raw materials to your home.
And are there already alternatives for this problem?
After knowing the significant consequences that a simple cleaning with a non-biodegradable detergent can have on the health of the environment, it's time to learn that there are sustainable alternatives that help you reduce your ecological footprint.
You already have at your disposal ecological detergents that can enter your home, take care of it and when they leave, they also do not harm the environment or the future of the planet. And do you know that you can combine the useful with the pleasant and, in addition to reducing the environmental impact of conventional detergents, you can give new life to used cooking oil? We explain! In a year, about 35 thousand tons of used cooking oil go to the sewer in Portugal and the ETARS spend about 300 million euros to remove it from the waters. This is a residue that has several impacts on our homes, public network, aquatic environment, soils and climate.For this reason and to reduce these negative points, EcoX has developed a special formula that makes it possible to transform used cooking oils into ecological detergents This is an innovative concept of circular economy in the area of detergents that values a waste that is harmful to the environment and difficult to dispose of .
It is now possible to reduce the environmental impact of conventional detergents while breathing new life into used cooking oil.
The EcoX production model, unlike the production model of conventional detergents, reduces the waste of virgin active material by about 50% and also avoids the extraction of raw materials and their separation as well as storage and distribution (and the transport costs that all these processes have).
We are the power of cleaning and comfort in your life, with innovative and sustainable solutions through the valorization of waste: we are world pioneers in the production of ecological detergents made from waste (used cooking oil), using a technology that is based on the circular economy. They are 100% Portuguese products and are produced in certified companies that transform waste from our partner entities into biodegradable detergents.
As they are produced from raw materials of plant origin, which makes them highly natural and biodegradable. Its degradation occurs in two stages: 60% occurs in less than 24h00 due to the absence of complex carbonated chains, the remaining 40% decomposes within a few days after use. Another advantage is that they do not contain ingredients of animal origin or are not tested on animals.
Through the circular economy, EcoX is moving towards a more sustainable future by reusing ingredients and packaging and reducing the use of primary resources. This means that you can have your ecological detergents in bulk by reusing your packaging with the amount you need and avoiding the use of single-use plastic packaging and therefore waste. Do you know that with the availability of detergents in bulk we avoided the disposal of around 15 thousand packages in 2019?
The fact that they are more concentrated also reduces the amount of detergents you use in each cleaning and, therefore, you end up saving more and using less product. Thinking of you and your friends, EcoX also has a surprise where you can earn points and exchange them for prizes! Become EcoXpert taking care of the future.
After knowing all these differences, the question “conventional detergents or ecological detergents?” is it still on your table?