Ecover is phosphate-free of its own accord
Ecover brought a phosphate-free detergent onto the market long before alarming reports about high concentrations of phosphates in our water appeared in the news. As often happens, the situation had been well known in scientific circles for a long time. In contrast to other manufacturers, Ecover did not want to wait until regulations limited the use of phosphates, as this would take too long. By taking direct action and launching our own phosphate free product, Ecover ensured that fewer tones of phosphate would end up in the environment.
The effects and harmful side-effects of phosphates
Phosphates are added to detergents as a water softener. They free the water of calcium and magnesium, which makes washing easier. A side effect of this however is that phosphates lead to massive plant growth in the environment which chokes water life. This is why Ecover uses zeolite, citrate and soda among other things to replace phosphates. These are natural substances that still make washing easy. However, the major difference is that they can be broken down easily and completely by natural processes and are not toxic.
A lot still needs to be improved
A large proportion of the phosphates that end up in the water environment still derive from detergents and cleaning products. This is because legislation and public pressure has concentrated on washing powders, which have consequently become largely phosphate-free. However, dishwashing tablets and washing up liquids have been overlooked in the legislation and much less stringent rules apply to them. Although all manufacturers now understand that phosphates are harmful to the environment, they usually allow them in their laundry tablets and dishwasher products (up to 45%!). Shocking proof of the fact the environment still does not play any role in their corporate ethics and responsibility.
What are phosphates exactly and where do they come from?
The phosphate problem is very related to oxygen shortages
An example ...
What are phosphates exactly and where do they come from?
Phosphate (PO4) is a natural component in living organisms and is made up of phosphorus (P) and oxygen (O). Just like nitrate, phosphate is a nutrient for plants and is found in human waste as well as detergents and cleaning products. Phosphates ultimately end up in the water due to drainage. They are also found in fertilisers used in agriculture and in (vegetable) gardens. In this instance they end up in the ground water and surface water when the soil is irrigated and can then have harmful effects on the environment in high concentrations. Most phosphates come from households, industrial activities and agriculture.
The phosphate problem is very related to oxygen shortages
Just like nitrate, phosphate is a nutrient for plants. Water plants and algae will grow strongly if there is a high concentration of phosphates in the water environment. During the day, these water plants produce oxygen with the help of daylight. However, a problem is created at night because they consume oxygen instead of producing it. Too much oxygen is then taken out of the water which means that plants, fish and other organisms are killed.
An example…
A high concentration of phosphates (0.2 mg/l or more) in the water causes a surplus of phytoplankton combined with plants with floating leaves or thick duckweed. In other words, the water becomes murky and many fish and other organisms die through a lack of oxygen. This is referred to as complete eutrophycation.
A family uses an average of 40 kg washing powder and 10 kg of dishwashing powder per year. Assuming that both products contain 30% of phosphates on average, this means the family discharges 15 kg of phosphates into the water annually.
On combining this data, we come to the frightening conclusion that our family can completely choke a lake with an average depth of 1.5 metres and a surface of 6 hectares each year!