The European Association for the Detergents and Maintenance Products Industry (A.I.S.E.) has welcomed the European Parliament’s landmark plenary vote on the revision of the Detergents Regulation.

It says the vote is an essential milestone in the ongoing journey to update the Detergents Regulation. It aims not only to achieve its environmental objectives but also to ensure the Regulation is implementable in practice and fosters industry innovation.

“The European Parliament’s vote is a significant step in defining the revision of the Detergents Regulation and MEPs have recognised the potential that digital labelling has in promoting the safe and sustainable use of detergents and the additional administrative burden brought about by the introduction of CE marking,” said Alexis Van Maercke, director general of A.I.S.E.

“However, challenges remain, particularly around unrealistic phosphorus limits for industrial and professional uses, additional requirements that hamper innovative technology, and the need to develop suitable biodegradability testing methods. A.I.S.E. is committed to addressing these issues head-on, ensuring that our path forward is both innovative and sustainable.”

The European Parliament report:

• Introduces provisions that facilitate the use of digital labelling to promote the safe and sustainable use of detergents.
• Removes CE Marking which would be an additional administrative burden, especially for SMEs, with no additional benefit in our highly regulated sector.
• Links the Digital Product Passport (DPP) to detergent models rather than to batches of production, simplifying the practical implementation.
• While there are some welcome improvements to the Commission proposal, A.I.S.E. says challenges remain. The report:
• Limits the phosphorus content in other kinds of consumer, industrial and professional products, which will impact the efficacy and performance of products with knock-on effects on sustainability.
• Hampers innovation by increasing the rules related to the use of micro-organisms in detergents.
• Introduces new provisions related to the packaging of detergents that will make recycling harder and is counter to industry sustainability efforts and the ambitions of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).