Could dissolving tabs banish plastic bottles from our cupboards?
A SMALL tab the size of a teabag which could spell the end of the shampoo bottle has been created by a leading cosmetics firm.
The squares could ‘end the plastic crisis forever’, according to Procter & Gamble, the giant behind brands such as Ariel and Pantene. The new concept, DS3, allows consumers to select a little white ‘swatch’ which then, as if by magic, transforms into a detergent when water is added.
To wash your hair with one of the products, you take one of the square pieces of material and lather it up with water instead of relying on a plastic bottle of shampoo or conditioner. The pads are mostly single use and dissolve when added to water.
They have been created using a manufacturing process patented by P&G, which has spent a decade dreaming up the innovative idea with experts.
Different types of detergent carry pictures to show their intended use. For example, shampoo has a picture of a person’s hair and laundry detergent shows a drawing of a shirt, while toilet cleaner depicts a lavatory.
The idea behind the concept is to vastly reduce plastic waste and lessen the impact of cleaning products on the environment.
Samples of the products have already been shipped to a small number of buyers in the US. For a box of 120 tabs for personal care – a selection of shampoo, conditioner, face wash and shower gel – the test price was $29 (€25.50).
Other cleaning and grooming products in the range include hand wash, lavatory cleaner, laundry detergent, surface cleaner and shower gel. For the surface cleaner, one pod mixed into a bottle of water should last for weeks.
They come in a variety of scents, from pineapple to sandalwood. Because the swatches contain no water, their production removes 80% of weight generated by traditional cleaning products and 75% of emissions, according to Kathy Fish, chief research, development and innovation officer at P&G.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Ms Fish said: ‘This technology could transform many product categories. One liquid-free swatch works better than water-based cleaning products.’ She added that in the US, ‘wide use of this technology could help reduce one million plastic bottles a year’.
‘It could also cut 12million pounds of carbon dioxide from over 100,000 trucks and the 800million gallons of water required to make, ship and use everyday household and personal
‘It really is a breakthrough’
care products,’ she said.
The pods are lighter and cheaper to ship than normal household cleaning products, and they are made of all-natural ingredients, are preservative free, and come in bamboo boxes. ‘From a resource scarcity point of view, it is really a breakthrough,’ said Ms Fish.
So far, the line has been sold to just over 400 US customers on Indiegogo, a website which tests new products through crowdfunding before a wider launch.