The voluntary code for household laundry detergents has been developed by the trade association, the International Association of the Soap, Detergent and Maintenance Products Industry (AISE) for the European soap and detergent industry. The code commits AISE member companies to continuous environmental innovation and calls for the use of the best available environmental science in decision-making. It sets out "ecological targets" for detergents to be reached by the year 2002. Compared to 1996, the 2002 targets reduce the total amount of energy used per wash cycle by 5%; per capita consumption of detergents and their packaging by 10%; and the amount of poorly biodegradable ingredients by 10%. The industry will publicly report its progress at least once every two years.
The UK Soap and Detergent Industry Association is planning the launch of a new environmental code for household laundry detergents as part of a wider European initiative. The aim is to encourage consumers to adopt more energy efficient use of powder and electricity in washing machines, and to cut back on the consumption of packaging for washing detergents. The industry has set itself targets for 2001 such as 10% less product consumption and 10% less packaging as well as aiming to make energy savings in wash cycles.