The A.I.S.E. product portfolio includes detergents, maintenance products and biocidal products such as disinfectants and home insecticides. Detergents play a crucial role in our daily lives, primarily for cleaning and maintenance, making them an essential part of the modern household and industrial cleaning processes.  

In the home, detergents include all products commonly used for doing the laundry (all formats of laundry detergents, additives, fabric enhancers), cleaning surfaces and washing the dishes.

In industrial settings, detergents include many specialty products that have niche applications. Detergents are essential in food processing for a safe food chain, in industrial kitchens to ensure hygienic food preparation, in the healthcare section to avoid the spread of infection, for the maintenance of public buildings and transport, and for industrial laundering of hotel and hospital linens.

Detergents keep our surroundings clean and comfortable 

In general terms, detergents have benefits that are part of our everyday lives in our homes and in the public spaces we circulate in.  

• They are versatile, formulated for specific cleaning purposes, such as laundry, dishwashing, floor cleaning, or all-purpose cleaners for everyday use. In industrial cleaning, niche products are developed for many specific applications.  
• Effective at stain removal: Detergents are highly effective at removing dirt, grease and stains from a wide range of surfaces, including dishes, clothing, floors and countertops. The enzymes in detergents can break down and disperse these substances in water, making it easier to wash them away. Different enzymes target different stains such as wine, grease, ink, and blood stains.
  Read more about enzymes. 
• Have disinfecting properties: Many detergents contain disinfectant properties that can help eliminate harmful microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses. This is particularly important in maintaining hygiene and preventing the spread of diseases.
  Read more about disinfectants.
• Soften and condition fabric: Some detergents, especially those used for laundry, contain fabric softeners and conditioners that leave clothes and linens feeling soft and fresh. These additives can reduce static cling, enhance the fragrance and feel of laundry, and extend the life of fabrics.
• Are easily rinsed: Detergents are designed to rinse away easily, leaving surfaces and fabrics clean without leaving behind residues that can attract more dirt or cause skin irritation.
• Have an increasingly lower environmental impact: Modern formulations are vastly more environmentally friendly than the products used in the past. Detergents today contain biodegradable ingredients that are less harmful to ecosystems and human health where low-phosphate and low-nitrogen detergents help reduce water pollution. Compact products such as capsules and gels have a lower carbon footprint as they contain fewer ingredients, optimise water and energy, and transport less water. Concentrated forms of industrial detergents are a key strength of the professional cleaning sector. Read more about the value of compacted products. 
• Have a long shelf life: Detergents have a relatively long shelf life and can be stored for extended periods without losing their cleaning efficacy.

How detergents are regulated in the EU

Detergents are regulated by the Detergents Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 which establishes common rules to enable detergents and surfactants to be sold and used across the EU, while providing a high degree of protection to the environment and human health. The regulation came into effect in 2005, has been updated several times since its introduction and is currently undergoing a major revision. A.I.S.E. members are the only industry to whom this regulation applies, and we therefore have a leading role to play in this revision. 

This Regulation was updated by Regulation (EU) No 259/2012, which harmonises the following rules for placing detergents and surfactants for detergents on the EU market:

• the biodegradability of surfactants in detergents
• restrictions or bans on surfactants on grounds of biodegradability
• the additional labelling of detergents, including fragrance allergens
• the information that manufacturers must hold at the disposal of national authorities and medical personnel
• limitations on the content of phosphates and other phosphorus compounds in consumer laundry detergents and consumer automatic dishwasher detergents.

Detergents mostly end up down the drain after use and are dealt with in water treatment plants. The biodegradability of the product after its use is therefore important and strictly regulated in Europe. The Detergents Regulation stipulates that surfactants used in detergents must be fully biodegradable and regulates how products should be labelled with ingredients and dosage information to protect human health (e.g. from skin allergies) and the environment. 

Alongside the Detergents Regulation, detergent products fall under other legislations such as REACH, CLP or BPR. Compliance with more than one piece of legislation has introduced duplications and overlaps which now need to be addressed in the current revision process.  

Phosphates & phosphorous-based substances

Phosphorous-based substances are essential ingredients for optimal cleaning and hygiene performance. They have unique properties and are used in multiple cleaning, disinfection and hygiene products for very diverse applications both in industrial and consumer products.  Phosphates and phosphonates are multi-functional ingredients: their unique properties include excellent water hardness stabilisation, good chelating properties as well as metal protection. 

Addressing the eutrophication potential of detergents is to pledge for ensuring a good wastewater treatment throughout Europe. That way not only phosphates could be recycled, but other substances like nitrogen compounds could also be removed and would cause less eutrophication in surface water in all parts of Europe.

Promoting the biodegradation of surfactants

Biodegradation is the natural way in which organic materials are broken down by bacteria. Many organic compounds are used in cleaners and detergents – including surfactants, e.g. enzymes and perfume – and the bacteria found in abundance in sewage treatment works, soil and waterways convert them into CO₂, water and nutrients which are safe ingredients that do not pose a risk to the environment.

 There are two common forms of biodegradation: aerobic which occurs in presence of air and anaerobic which occurs in its absence. The breakdown products of aerobic biodegradation are carbon dioxide, water and mineral salts whilst the anaerobic process is less efficient but also less abundant and can result in the generation of methane or other small hydrocarbons. 

In the case of surfactants, the main active ingredients in detergents, we refer mostly to primary biodegradation – the first step in the biodegradation process which results in the loss of the surface-active properties that simultaneously eliminate the toxicity of the wash active.

Favouring biodegradable ingredients enables A.I.S.E. members to reduce the environmental impact of their products. The EU Detergents Regulation makes the proof of ultimate biodegradation obligatory throughout the EU for all groups of surfactants used in domestic detergents. Today, the vast majority of surfactants used in detergents – including cationic and amphoteric surfactants – fulfil even more stringent requirements in their ultimate biodegradation. 

Current revision of the Detergent Regulation

Together with its members, A.I.S.E. is contributed to the EU Commission current revision of the Detergents Regulation and is an active participant in the Commission detergent working group and consultations. In particular we have highlighted the essential uses of phosphorus-based compounds in industrial and institutional cleaning; developed draft guidance on the risk assessment of microbial cleaning products based on user exposure providing an alternative to methods based solely on hazard; and updated our guidance on bulk and refill sales for detergent products – a growing trend that brings environmental and sustainability benefits.

We are advocating for responsible labelling and effective communication that will provide clearer information to users on for example ingredients and safe product use, while also addressing the existing overlaps with other pieces of EU chemicals legislation including the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation, REACH, and the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR).