Full performance even at low temperatures plus improved environmental compatibility count among the demands most voiced by users of branded laundry detergents. April 2008 sees the launch of “Persil – better than ever from 20°C”. Henkel has modified Germany’s most popular laundry detergent, aligning it even more effectively to today’s customer and consumer wishes. Thanks to the high-performance active stain remover, the improved formulation – to be applied right across the Persil range (Megaperls®, powder, gel and tabs) and in all the variants (Universal, Color, Sensitive and “With a Hint of Vernel”) – will offer even better cleanliness results from 20°C, delivering outstanding laundry care properties even at low temperatures. Washing the laundry at low temperatures brings energy savings and environmental benefits. Specifically, reducing the laundry wash temperature from 60°C to 20°C cuts energy consumption by around 70 percent. This means that every individual can make an important daily contribution to protecting our environment and ensuring that our natural resources are sensibly and sparingly used.

Demand for low temperatures
As has been apparent for some time now, the possibility of washing laundry at low temperatures is becoming increasingly attractive to consumers. The reasons for this are many and varied and include, for example, the ongoing trend toward modern fibers and colored textiles which in any case require lower wash temperatures. Consumers faced with increasing energy costs also want greater energy efficiency while at the same time improving the environmental soundness of their laundry wash.

Temperatures compared
Thanks to ever lower washing temperatures, electricity consumption per load has halved since 1970, thanks largely to the advent of new enzymes. Today, laundry is washed at significantly lower temperatures than ever before. The practice of boiling (at temperatures of between 90 and 95 °C) has, in particular, undergone a dramatic decline. While 40 percent of washes were “boiled” in 1973, five years ago this figure had dropped to just 8 percent. Henkel anticipates that in just two more years, the number of households opting for the “boil” setting will have decreased to virtually nil.

Also interesting is a direct comparison of laundry habits related to 20°C: While three years ago less than 5 percent of laundry was washed at 20°C, Henkel’s experts expect the figure to rise to at least 20 percent by the year 2020. If all Persil users in Germany alone were right now to reduce their laundry temperatures for machine washing by a further 10 to 20°C, energy savings of up to 35 percent could be achieved with each wash load. Overall, Persil users would therefore enable reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of around 300,000 metric tons per year. Without the use of high-performance enzymes, however, the excellent results produced by a modern laundry detergent at low temperatures would be unthinkable.

Persil and Henkel – regular pioneers in the sustainability field
For development work to be classed as “responsible”, it needs to take into account not only the economic perspective but also ecological and social aspects. Since the invention of Persil as the first self-acting detergent in the world, the brand has constantly reaffirmed its claim to be the best detergent of its time. In order to ensure that this remains so, Henkel is constantly at work in developing its products to a new level. While in the 1970s, 280 grams of detergent powder were required per wash, by 2008 the figure has dropped to just 67.5 g of Megaperls® - just one quarter the quantity, thanks to the development of a highly concentrated and more environmentally compatible formulation. This progress is based on the skills of our researchers, our ability to constantly innovate on the raw materials side and our capability of developing higher-performing formulations for our products. With new “Persil – better than ever from 20°C”, Henkel has taken this process another step forward.

From the beginning of April 2008, “Persil – better than ever from 20°C” will be available in the variants Persil Universal (Megaperls®, gel, tabs, powder), Persil Color (Megaperls®, gel, tabs, powder), Persil Sensitive (Megaperls®, gel, powder) and Persil with a “Hint of Vernel” (Megaperls®, gel). (Price example: Persil Megaperls® for 20 wash loads: approx. 5.49 euros).