Partnership to Promote Energy Savings and CO₂ Reductions from Change in Laundry Habits

The Procter & Gamble Company today announced a strategic partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy to publicize the environmental and energy savings benefits of washing laundry in cold water.

Through this agreement, 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.

Save with the 'Switch of a Dial'

"Energy efficiency doesn't always require huge investments or new equipment, but it often requires education," said Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan. "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.” 

The heating of water is a major use of energy in a typical American household.  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, Americans could reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 11 million metric tons annually.  However, a major barrier to adopting cold water washing habits in the United States is the consumer worry that washing in cold will not clean as effectively as warm/hot water. To combat this notion, 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.

Future Friendly, Earth Day & Facebook

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.

“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," said Len Sauers, P&G VP of Global Sustainability. "Convincing consumers of the benefits of these habit changes is key because there is a tremendous power in the collective actions of these households.”

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.  This effort will help P&G realize its stated sustainability goal of converting 70% of the world’s wash loads from warm/hot water washing to cold by 2020.  Learn more about P&G’s environmental vision and commitment to sustainability.

Media Contacts 

Alliance to Save Energy:

• Ronnie Kweller, Director, Media Relations; 1-202-530-2203

 P&G:

• Glenn Williams, P&G External Relations; 1-513-983-1920
• Maggie Habib, Citizen Paine for P&G; 1-213-996-3770

Organization Information

Alliance to Save Energy

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, the economy and national security. 

Procter & Gamble

P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands.  The Company's leadership brands include Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, and AmbiPur®.  With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit https://www.pg.com for the latest news and information.