Liquid Detergent Capsules
This overview summarises the various activities that A.I.S.E. and its network have undertaken proactively since 2012 in three various domains so as to secure the safe use of liquid detergents capsules.
Do not hesitate to contact the A.I.S.E. Secretariat for further details on any of those.
Voluntary industry commitment via the Product Stewardship Programme
As early as end 2012, the detergents industry introduced the voluntary A.I.S.E. Product Stewardship Programme (PSP) for liquid laundry detergent capsules. In 2015, commitments were extended to cover all liquid detergent capsules, and the initiative was further reviewed in 2017 and 2019. Since March 2020, all earlier versions of the PSP have been consolidated into a single version that applies to all signatories.
A.I.S.E produced an updated consolidated Project description in 2021 ("the 2021 PSP") which aims to provide further transparency and clarity to existing and potential signatories and replaces all existing previous versions of the Project. In particular, the limited changes introduced by the 2021 PSP mainly concern the mandatory safety message (e.g. further precisions concerning social media channels) and the design of the safe use patches.
In short, the Product Stewardship Programme has introduced the following requirements (some of which were later also included in the CLP regulation, see below):
- move from transparent to opaque or obscure packaging;
- reinforced closures to limit access by children (quantitatively validated by means of performance testing);
- prominent extra labelling on the outer package (including a photographic image to convey the message "keep away from children”; and emphasising the need to always re-close the pack);
- compliance with an advertising code of conduct;
- consumer education efforts to point consumers to the need for safe storage and handling and to always keep the products away from children via a mandatory safety message on all advertising.
Download:
For further information about the PSP, please contact A.I.S.E.
Current signatories of the PSP are the following companies:
- Henkel (2012)
- Procter & Gamble (2013)
- McBride (2013)
- Persan (2013)
- Reckitt(2013)
- SmellWell (2019)
- Unilever (2013)
Background information:
History of the various A.I.S.E. Product Stewardship Programmes available
here.
Collaboration with Poison Control Centres
In conjunction with several poison control centres across Europe, the occurrence of accidents is monitored on an ongoing basis and is regularly assessed and reported.
In 2014, a large scale prospective research study was performed by A.I.S.E., in collaboration with five poison control centres, to help better understand accident circumstances and thus to confirm that the most appropriate measures are taken to address the safety concern. Note that in 2015/16 the observations of this research were confirmed in a similar study by the European Commission. The findings led to the subsequent PSP review in 2017.
To access the various reports produced by A.I.S.E. since this collaboration with PCC, click here.
Keep Caps From Kids Campaign
Please also visit the Keep Caps From Kids section to view details on the pan-European consumer engagement measures undertaken by industry, in partnership with various stakeholders.