DuPont and Procter & Gamble use agricultural waste in laundry detergent

DuPont and Procter & Gamble (P&G) have teamed up on a new initiative to use renewable agricultural biomass in the production of Tide-branded laundry detergent.

In a technological breakthrough which has been ten years in the making, the two companies will substitute starch ethanol made from corn kernels with a cellulosic ethanol made from harvest by-products on a commercial scale, cutting CO2 emissions and repurposing more than 7,000 tonnes of agricultural waste per year.

P&G president of global fabric and home care Gianni Ciserani said: "As one of the world's largest laundry manufacturers, we have a responsibility to lead renewable sourcing in products. We do this by ensuring consumers still get the great Tide laundry performance they want, while further reducing the impact on the environment. In January, we committed to removing phosphates in our laundry products. This partnership on renewables is one more step in our journey." 

DuPont is currently building a large bio-refinery in Nevada, Iowa. When completed, the plant will produce 30m gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year whilst creating zero net CO2 emissions. 

Last year edie reported on P&G's announcement that 45 of its manufacturing sites worldwide had achieved zero waste to landfill, representing a third of its total production infrastructure. 

This is the latest initiative by the laundry industry after the launch of the 'I prefer 30°' campaign in 2013 to encourage people to reduce their energy usage and conserve water by washing their clothes at lower temperatures.