Fairy dishwasher tablets end phosphate use

This change will apply to retail brands globally, going beyond current legislation. Additionally, P&G will also remove phosphates from all professional dishwasher tablets globally, an area currently unregulated. By removing 14,000 tons annually – enough to cover 270,000 soccer pitches – Fairy is doing its part to care for the environment.

P&G’s breakthrough innovation has allowed it to overcome a key technical challenge of improving performance without using phosphates. Consumers will have a product with a reduced environmental footprint and with improved cleaning performance, meaning there is no need to pre-rinse dishes. This has the potential to save 21 billion litres of water annually, the equivalent of nearly 9,000 Olympic sized swimming pools.

George Tsourapas, global home care president, said: “For us, actions speak louder than words in the area of sustainability. This is why we have gone beyond regulation in our removal of phosphates, and that innovative action is just the start. Our consumers can join us on the journey; by packing more cleaning power into Fairy’s dishwasher tablets there is no need to pre-rinse. I’m proud we have been able to make it easier for everyone to conserve precious resources without compromising on Fairy’s cleaning ability.” 

P&G has been gradually reducing the consumption of phosphates since 2005 and has been working for many years to develop new ingredients as replacements for phosphates to improve product performance across all water types. To date, P&G has replaced phosphates in over 95% of its cleaning products already. 

Removing phosphates from Fairy dishwasher tablets is only the latest action to further reduce Fairy’s environmental footprint. Fairy offers sustainable dish care in both auto dishwashing and hand dishwashing. Fairy is the most concentrated handwashing liquid; through compaction in the markets where it is sold, Fairy hand washing liquid is said to save almost 24,000 tons of packaging per year, in the top 10 markets for sales alone.