Summary: Lowering the temperature and having short cycles drastically reduce pollution and the release of microfibers from clothing into the ocean

Modern washing machines are much more energy efficient, while laundry detergents like Ariel use enzymatic technology to work effectively even at lower temperatures.
In any given week, around 840 million washing machines wash, dry and spin billions of garments and textiles in homes and businesses around the world.
According to renowned data analyst Hans Rosling, since their first entry into homes in the 1950s, washing machines have become more or less ubiquitous for two billion human beings.
Washing machines have made the hard work of weekly laundry days a thing of the past, at least for those who can afford them.
However, like so many of the innovations that make our lives easier, there is a cost to the environment.
In addition to using around 19 billion cubic meters of water per year, washing machines emit around 62 million tons of greenhouse gases and CO2 every year.
But not just a question of washing machines for, in recent years modern washing machines have made great strides both in terms of water and energy efficiency.
Of course, the impact of laundry is not limited to families or companies: we must also take into account the detergent we use in our washing machines, how this gets to us and what happens after using it.
This type of comprehensive data on the impacts of products and services is often generated through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
Working with the Energy Saving Trust, a social enterprise focused on energy sustainability, Dash has done extensive research into the impact of its detergents to understand how to minimize the environmental impact of washing garments and textiles without compromising performance.
Even though washing machines have transformed our lives, each cycle leaves a carbon footprint.
The laundry LCA consists of six phases: substances, production, packaging, transport, use phase and end of cycle.
At each stage there is a measurable expenditure of energy and greenhouse gas emissions.
For example, the substances phase analyzes the energy consumed in the procurement of chemical ingredients, while the end-of-cycle phase includes wastewater disposal and treatment.
This is a comprehensive analysis that aims to identify the phases that require the most energy.
According to the LCA, the greatest energy expenditure by far is due to a simple action: the temperature of the water we select for our washing machines.
In Europe, on average, up to 60 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions from the laundry we do come from heating the water in our washing machines, rather than from packaging or substances.
The fact is that modern detergents like Dash are effective in colder water, using the latest technological advances to eliminate the need for continuous washing at temperatures close to the boiling point.
While many consumers still believe it is best to wash clothes at 40 degrees or higher, user perceptions are gradually changing.
Sometimes, taking action in favor of the environment is really simple: reducing the temperature of our washing machines by just 10 degrees drastically reduces greenhouse gas emissions, a small change that can have a big impact.
The way we buy clothes and care for them also has a significant environmental impact, both in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and the direct environmental impact resulting from the dispersion of microfibers.
The rise of fast fashion over the past few decades has popularized cheap, disposable apparel with a short shelf life, low durability construction, and a mix of materials that make them difficult to recycle.
Washing at higher temperatures releases tons of microfibers into the ocean.
The solution may actually be simple: it would be enough to lower the temperature during washing.
But buying fewer garments and insisting on better quality and durability have a significant impact on both microfiber dispersion and greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the Waste & Resource Action Program (WRAP), extending the shelf life of our clothing by just nine months equates to an average 20-30 percent reduction in waste, water and carbon emissions.
At the same time, Northumbria University researchers collaborating with Dash found that washing clothes in shorter, cooler cycles reduced microfiber leakage by up to 30 percent.
This means that nearly 4,000 fewer tonnes of microfibers enter European marine ecosystems every year.
Though eclipsed by things like fossil fuels and agriculture, cumulatively, laundry still has a hugely significant impact on the global environment - in the United States alone, it accounts for 8 percent of household greenhouse gas emissions.
Research indicates that consumers can drastically reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by making very small changes to their daily habits - in the case of laundry, a temperature change on the thermostat of washing machines.

From Nationalgeographic