APAC consumers shift to eco-friendly laundry detergents

80% of APAC consumers value sustainable features.

As environmental awareness rises across Asia-Pacific, consumers are driving a strong shift toward eco-friendly laundry detergents, according to a GlobalData report.

The report said shoppers are now increasingly rejecting traditional chemical-based detergents due to their negative impact on ecosystems and marine life, opting instead for biodegradable products in sustainable packaging.

“Eco-friendly detergent formulations with ingredients such as plant extracts, essential oils, enzymes, and natural preservatives are becoming increasingly popular,” said Naveed Khan, a consumer analyst at GlobalData. “These ingredients are perceived by consumers to have low to no environmental impact, throughout the product lifecycle from production till disposal.”

GlobalData’s Q3 2024 Consumer Survey found that 80% of Asia-Pacific consumers value sustainable features, and 79% prioritise recyclable packaging in their purchases.

In response, detergent brands are introducing eco-friendly options. For example, Malaysia’s Ouji Seiyaku launched Fab Zero, a biodegradable detergent made from corn-based ingredients, whilst Singapore’s Watson’s Personal Care Stores released Orita detergent, containing 97% biodegradable components, including coconut oil.

“Consumers seek environmentally friendly packaging as concerns about increasing packaging wastes, which end up in landfills and oceans, polluting the region’s land, water, and air, mounts,” Deepak Nautiyal, consumer and retail commercial director, APAC and ME at GlobalData, added.

As a result, brands are introducing zero-plastic, recyclable, and biodegradable packaging. Examples include The Laundry Pods in Malaysia, with bio-enzyme pods in plastic-free packs, and Singapore’s Bio-Home, which won the WorldStar Award for its fully dissolvable detergent sheets in a paperboard box.

Khan noted that rising demand for sustainable options will open new growth avenues for detergent manufacturers, though balancing the costs of eco-friendly ingredients and production processes with competitive pricing remains a key challenge.