Environmentally Friendly Hand Dishwashing Detergents and Hard Surface Cleaners (DE-UZ 194)

Hand Dishwashing Detergents, All-Purpose Cleaners, Sanitary Cleaners, Glass Cleaners and Descalers

Washing and cleaning agents are used on a daily basis for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene. Approx. 319,000 tonnes of cleaning and care agents (excluding dishwashing detergents) and around 139,000 tonnes of hand dishwashing detergents are sold each year in Germany. All of these products contain ingredients that find their way into the wastewater system and can have a negative effect on the environment and human health. If these ingredients cannot be completely retained or degraded in sewage treatment plants, they will enter into bodies of water and can be ingested there by water organisms and, in some circumstances, enriched. Furthermore, washing and cleaning agents can negatively affect human health when substances hazardous to health such as fragrance allergens and preservatives are used.

In the interests of the environment, climate and nature conservation, cleaning agents certified with the Blue Angel ecolabel should thus be produced in such a way that they have the least possible impact on the environment and human health. These products should also help to reduce any risks to the environment and human health by avoiding the use of hazardous substances, as well as helping to minimise packaging waste. Renewable raw materials that have been cultivated under sustainable conditions or which support sustainable cultivation should also be used in their production.

Conserving resources is also an important focus of this environmental label. Therefore, the packaging should contain information that enables consumers to not only use the product efficiently but also with the least possible impact on the environment.