By Greentech
Lead Team: Procter & Gamble announced a strategic partnership with the
Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit organization that promotes energy
efficiency worldwide through research, education and advocacy, to educate
public on the environmental and energy savings benefits of washing laundry in
cold water.
The Alliance
will work with P&G’s natural resource education initiative, Future
Friendly, to provide consumers with the information they need to convert from
hot/warm water washing habits to cold water washing.
P&G Future Friendly will work with the Alliance as part of an Earth Day-focused campaign
that encourages consumers to change their laundry habits for the better.
Featuring a Facebook sweepstakes, pop-up events and media activities, the
campaign will utilize Alliance-provided data and consumer-friendly language to
illustrate the environmental benefits of cold water washing and drive consumer
action.
“Energy
efficiency doesn’t always require huge investments or new equipment, but it
often requires education. If we can overcome consumer barriers to cold water
washing, consumers would find it easy to be more energy efficient and to reduce
their home energy bills. With just the switch of a dial, cold water washing is
one of the simplest ways to save energy and money and benefit the environment,”
said Kateri Callahan, Alliance to Save Energy president.
When doing
laundry, heating water can account for up to 80 percent of the energy used per
wash load in the U.S. By moving to cold water washing, Americans could reduce
CO2 emissions by up to 11 million metric tons annually.
P&G’s Tide Coldwater
detergent, which is specially formulated to perform optimally in cold water,
will be showcased as part of P&G’s ongoing efforts to convert consumers to
cold water washing.
At the 2011
Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting, P&G and its Tide brand committed
to reaching 100 million U.S. households by Earth Day 2013 with educational
information highlighting the energy savings and CO2 reduction
benefits of cold water washing.
“We look
forward to working with the Alliance to Save Energy to showcase how little acts
like switching to cold water washing can create enormous benefits for the
environment. Convincing consumers of the benefits of these habit changes is key
because there is a tremendous power in the collective actions of these
households,” said Len Sauers, P&G VP of Global Sustainability.