Cleaning up cleaning: policy and stakeholder interventions to put household formulations on a pathway to net zero

Abstract:

This report presents a portfolio of policy interventions to address the end-of-life emissions of chemicals used in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), to put the sector on a pathway to net zero and align with the Paris Agreement. It focuses on the fossil-based carbon found in everyday cleaning products such as laundry powder, fabric detergent, and dishwashing detergent and soaps. The carbon in the chemical formulations (‘surfactants’) used in these products is currently largely derived from the petrochemical industry, using feedstocks produced from oil and gas. If this vital sector is to move to net zero, these will either need to be replaced by sustainable carbon from bio-based feedstocks, or the petrochemical-based carbon captured at end of use and permanently removed from the atmosphere.