If you’ve made your way to this blog post, then you’re probably ready for a deep dive into the ingredients in our products… so hold onto your hats - this is about to get sciencey.
Our laundry sheets are made of detergent formula, thickening agents and PVOH… and it’s PVOH that usually gets a bad rep. So, what’s the concern?
PVOH stands for Polyvinyl Alcohol – it’s a synthetic polymer (a type of plastic) that can be stretched very thinly to wrap around powders and gels to form, for example, laundry pods and dishwasher tabs. It’s also an ingredient in some pharmaceuticals, like pills + eye drops, as well as some food products. Whilst all sources agree that it does dissolve in water – there has been some debate over whether or not it breaks down completely to be 100% biodegradable (or whether some microplastics could be left behind).
Generally speaking, PVOH is considered to be biodegradable - as it passes the OECD 301B test. The OECD 301B test is a standardised method that was developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (the OECD) that can show how much a material breaks down. It does this by measuring the amount of CO2 released over time, when a material is left to biodegrade. That being said, natural aquatic environments are hard to recreate in the lab, and the rate of biodegradation can vary depending on factors like temperature, pH, and moisture content
For now, PVOH is the best solution available – even though it might not be perfect. We’re always talking to key researchers in the field about alternative materials. There are a few exciting developments on the horizon, like Notpla seaweed coating, but at the moment they’re either only available in small batches, not compatible with the tech we use during the manufacturing process, or would create a product that would be way way too expensive for our customers. We’ll keep you in the loop on any exciting developments - as and when they happen!
If you want to do some extra reading on it, here are some of the sources on both sides of the debate:
Biodegradable:
- Some Characteristics of Pseudomonas 0-3 which Utilizes Polyvinyl Alcohol, T. Suzuki, Y. Ichihara, M. Yamada, and K. Tonomura
- Raw Materials Supplier and Detergent Manufacturer Cooperate in Environmental Safety Assessment of a New Detergent Raw Material – A Case Study, F. Meier, N. Stetler, D.M. Lee, N. Zeese, J. Tolls, SOFW Journal, 139, March 2013
- Chiellini, E., Corti, A., D'Antone, S., Solaro, R., Progress in Polymer Science, 2003, 28, 963-1014.
Not biodegradable:
- Su, Chunyan, et al. "Structural, physical and degradation characteristics of polyvinyl alcohol/esterified mung bean starch/gliadin ternary composite plastic." Industrial Crops and Products 176, 2022
- Rolsky, Charles, and Varun Kelkar. "Degradation of polyvinyl alcohol in US wastewater treatment plants and subsequent nationwide emission estimate." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18.11 (2021): 6027.
- https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-living/what-is-pva/