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Message from the New Chairman
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JSDA News recently asked Mr. Takuya Goto (President, Kao Corporation), who was appointed as the new JSDA chairman in May 2001, for his views on future industry activity. Here is an outline of his response.
The Japanese economy and the soap and detergent industry are in the midst of very difficult circumstances. I would like to make a clear distinction between the efforts required of each individual enterprise and the measures that should be taken by the Japan Soap and Detergent Association as a whole. In particular, I believe environmental issues present the most important questions that we need to address as an association. The emergence of new distribution methods, for example BtoB, ECR, GCI, etc. also raises issues that we need to address at the industry level.
For the future, we need to re-examine exactly where the value of our association lies, and to consider how the organization can best respond to the changing times.
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Automatic Washing Machines and Recent Developments in Laundering
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In May 2000, the Special Committee on Laundry Science conducted a survey on current trends in laundering. The 300 survey respondents were homemakers aged 20 to 59 who had purchased an automatic washing machine in the past five years.
■Recent Trends in Washing Machine Technology
The trends of recent years toward larger capacity and more functions are continuing. More than 60 percent of respondents to this survey owned large-size washing machines with a capacity of six kilograms wash-load or more. Compared to the previous survey conducted in 1991, the average capacity had risen from 4.2 kilograms to 6.0 kilograms. Notable advances in technology included the introduction of computer control, a greater variety of washing cycles, and new washing methods.
■Effect of Larger Washing Machines on Laundry Habits
Larger-capacity washing machines have made it possible to "batch wash," i.e. collect several days' laundry and wash it in one occasion. However, examination of washing machine size and washing frequency reveals that there is no trend towards a drop in the number of wash days (the number of days per week washing is done). Even people who have washing machines with a capacity of more than five kilograms or more dislike allowing laundry to collect, so use their washing machines almost every day. The reasons for this probably lie in users' strong resistance to allowing laundry to collect, and the fact that they do not have the space to hang out a large batch of washing.
Comparing the weekly volume of laundry with the results of the previous survey, in spite of the number of family members and washing days being almost the same, the volume of washing per occasion had increased to around 1.3 times the volume of the previous survey. Larger washing machine capacities seem to have had little effect on the frequency of washes, but they have increased the volume of washing done. It appears that the Japanese liking for cleanliness and the excess capacity in the washing machine lead people to do "incidental washing," i.e. to include laundry that is not particularly dirty.
In comparison with the previous survey results, there was an increase in the percentage of respondents who washed large items such as blankets and delicate clothing like sweaters in the home. This is also a reflection of improvements in washing machine functionality.
■Water/wash load ratio and the Amount of Detergent Used
In recent years, water/wash load ratio (liters of water required to wash one kilogram of clothing) specified for automatic washing machines has continued to fall. The water/wash load ratio listed in the catalogs of washing machines covered by this survey were quite low, averaging 8.9:1. If the water/wash load ratio is too low, washing effectiveness tends to drop. This trend is known to be especially noticeable if the ratio is lower than 10:1. The most recent survey showed that even when using large-capacity washing machines, many people actually use only around 50 percent of the machine's capacity, and select a medium or low water-level setting. As a result, the actual
average water/wash load ratio was 16.8:1 Compared to the previous survey's average (19.8:1), it is clear that the water/wash load ratio is continuing to drop.
Until recently the amount of detergent to be used was selected on the basis of "number of grams per volume of water." However, as the tendency toward lower water/wash load ratio has strengthened, it has become necessary to take into account the amount of laundry when deciding how much detergent to use, in order to ensure effective washing.
Many recent-model washing machines have a panel showing the ideal amount of detergent to be used for each type of wash. When deciding the volume of detergent, many users refer to these charts rather than the charts included on the detergent packaging. (Graph 2)
■Appropriate Detergent Volumes: Views and Issues
The results of this survey showed that the actual amount of detergent used (per volume of water) was, on average, 1.24 times the standard concentration recommended. This is a significant increase over the average of 1.01 shown in the previous survey. However, the amount of detergent used per volume of laundry remained largely unchanged, at 1.04 times the standard concentration. It appears that as washing effectiveness drops along with the decrease in water/wash load ratio, users are responding by increasing the amount of detergent.
As water/wash load ratio for washing machines continue to decrease, absorption of surfactants to the items washed and the concentration of soil to be suspended in the water increase. This affects the standard amounts of detergent that have hitherto been recommended. We will need to pay even more attention to research on suitable usage of detergents.
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1991
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19.8 |
1.01 |
1.00 |
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2000
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16.8 |
1.24 |
1.04 |
I Water/wash load ratio (L/kg)
II Amount of Detergent (Compared to Standard Volume)
III Change in Amount of Detergent per Volume of Laundry
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The 43rd Clean Survey on
"Hygiene Awareness and Behavior"
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Recently products featuring antibacterial properties have gained popularity in Japan. It would appear that awareness of hygiene issues is on the rise, but what is the actual situation? The above survey asked 100 homemakers and single women about household hygiene. The previous survey mentioned below was conducted in 1997, which was the year that outbreaks of O157 food poisoning occurred throughout Japan.
■Lower Awareness of Need to Wash Hands
The ratio of respondents who said they used soap to wash their hands on occasions such as "returning home" and "after house-cleaning" was relatively high, at 30 to 58 percent.
However, the ratio of respondents who said they washed their hands with soap "before meals" dropped from around 50 percent in the previous survey to 20 percent in this survey. In the previous survey about 10 percent of respondents said they washed their hands with water only, but in this survey the figure rose to over 50 percent.
■Usage of Antibacterial Products
When buying cleaning products, 72 percent of homemakers and 68 percent of single women said they "choose anti-bacterial products." As their reasons for choosing such products, many said "for the same price, the antibacterial product seems better" (83 percent of homemakers and 71 percent of single women). However, 15 percent of respondents said "I just buy them without really thinking about it," which indicates that the word "anti-bacterial" seems to have a strong attraction. A large proportion of respondents actually use antibacterial products: 86 percent of homemakers and 76 percent of single women. Chart 1 shows the types of products they use.
■Lower Awareness of Measures to Prevent Food Poisoning
Chart 2 shows awareness of measures to prevent food poisoning. Compared to the previous survey, awareness among homemakers dropped by a wide margin of 20 points. At the time of the last survey, daily media reports on the incidence of O157 food poisoning had raised awareness. However, awareness levels fell once the fuss died down. (Chart 2)
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Introducing JSDA's Committees
"Environmental Committee"
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This article is the first in a series featuring the activities of the major Japan Soap and Detergent Association committees. The report below is based on an interview with Mr. Yasuo Idemitsu, chairman of the Environmental Committee.
◆Tackling Environmental Issues since the 1970s
This association has been dealing with environmental issues since the 1970s. In the initial stages, we became involved with environmental issues because of the phosphates contained in the detergents of the time, which were being discharged in waste water. Safeguarding the quality of water became our first environmental goal. To attain that goal, the industry joined together to promote the use of non-phosphorus materials. As part of that process, the Environmental Committee launched a survey of water quality and presented the results each year in the "Annual Water Quality Report."
While our association was pushing forward with its efforts to safeguard water quality, environmental issues were also beginning to attract attention on a worldwide scale, and they were discussed more and more widely. The 1992 Earth Summit prompted Japan to look more closely at resource issues and measures to deal with waste. The Environmental Committee promptly began to tackle these issues, and from 1994 the "Annual Water Quality Report" was renewed as the "Annual Environmental Report," which is still published today.
◆Water Quality Survey Continues to Protect the Water Environment
Building on its past track record, the water quality survey continues to carry out fixed measurements to check that the water environment is being correctly conserved. The surfactants now contained in detergents are highly biodegradable and have been carefully developed to have no effect on the environment. The water quality surveys have been carried out over many years and the results have been published. The water samples collected for the survey are monitored for LAS (anionic surfactant) and DADMAC (cationic surfactant). Advances in methods of chemical analysis mean that we can now test for new chemical substances. In recent years we have made new efforts to assess ecological risk by adopting the latest analytical methods, and have now included nonionic surfactant monitoring in the survey.
◆Special Committee Addresses Container and Packaging Waste Issues
The association was quick to begin addressing container and packaging waste issues, and set up a working group to examine packaging problems more than ten years ago. In the 1990s we launched a survey on the volumes of various materials used in containers and packaging, and in 1993 we set up the Special Committee for Containers and Packaging Waste.
As far as possible, we have proactively addressed problems arising from the regulations contained in the Package Recycling Law, as well as investigating the industry's response to those regulations. As a result of various efforts to reduce the amount of materials used in containers and packaging, the industry as a whole has achieved -as just one example- a 16 percent reduction in plastics usage over the past five years.
◆ Responding to a New Era of Environmental Interest
Results of the activities outlined above are published each year in the "Annual Environmental Report." However, this report is produced largely for specialists, so we need to think about ways of sharing information that will publicize our activities to a wider range of people in the future.
To keep in step with the times as we respond to environmental issues, we also need to assess how we intend to deal with a range of new issues. For example, measures to address global warming will require us to determine new approaches to the whole issue of LCA, from raw materials to waste.
From now on we will need to respond to all environmental issues from the viewpoint of the global environment.
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Editor: Koichi Takashima, International Activity Committee
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