Brussels, 14/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - Detergents that are deadly to aquatic life will soon be a thing of the past. The European Parliament has approved by a large majority (631 for, 18 against and 4 abstentions) the agreement sealed with Council on legislation banning the use of phosphates and limiting the content of other phosphate-containing compounds in consumer laundry detergents as of 30 June 2013 (see EUROPE 10497). Similar restrictions will be applied to automatic dishwasher detergents as of 1 January 2017. All that is now missing is confirmation of the agreement by Council so that the future regulation to harmonise measures across the EU is officially adopted.
Bill Newton Dunn (ALDE, UK), the rapporteur, was delighted. He said that, by placing strict limitations on phosphates in domestic detergents for textiles and dishwashers, they are acting for a better environment and guaranteeing greener products for consumers. As of June 2013, the content in phosphate compounds of a normal dose of washing machine power will not exceed 0.5 grams. For phosphate present in dishwasher detergents, the limit value will be 0.3 grams by 1 January 2017 (this being a parliamentary victory as the Commission initially only planned to examine the question).
When excessively discharged into water, phosphates, like nitrates, can raise the amount of nutrients to an unsustainable level, eventually causing algae to grow at the expense of other aquatic life. This phenomenon is known as “eutrophication” or, more commonly, “red tides” or “green tides”.