DuPont, Procter & Gamble team up on Tide ingredient

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PGDuPont and Procter & Gamble announced a collaboration to use cellulosic ethanol in North American-made Tide laundry detergent.

Tide Cold Water will be the first brand in the world to blend cellulosic ethanol in commercial quantities. The deal also shows that DuPont is not depending on the renewable fuels market for the new technology. There are uncertanities about tax breaks for ethanol, which is added to gasoline.

The companies noted that ethanol has long been a key ingredient in the Tide formulation, allowing for stability of the detergent formula and better washing performance. The substitution of the current corn based ethanol with cellulosic is the latest innovation in the companies’ 30-year partnership, making it easier for consumers to make sustainable choices in their everyday lives, according to a release from DuPont.

DuPont will produce this renewable, cellulosic ethanol at the company’s new biorefinery, currently under construction in Nevada, Iowa. Once completed, the plant will be the world’s largest bioethanol refinery, producing 30 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year.

The plant uses corn stover or stalks and other material left over after corn cobs are harvested.

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Procter & Gamble noted that consumers, now more than ever, are focusing on how their personal behavior and the goods they buy impact the environment. However, as research shows, while about 70 percent of shoppers want to be sustainable, they can’t or won’t make tradeoffs on performance.*

Tide Cold Water will re-purpose more than 7, 000 tons of agricultural waste a year. This will be equivalent to the power needed to do all the washing in homes across California.

We believe that actions speak louder than words in the area of sustainability and this partnership with DuPont demonstrates we are doing just that” said Gianni Ciserani, Procter & Gamble Group president of Global Fabric and Home Care.  “As one of the world’s largest laundry manufacturers, we have a responsibility to lead renewable sourcing in products. We do this by ensuring consumers still get the great Tide laundry performance they want, while further reducing the impact on the environment.  In January, we committed to removing phosphates in our laundry products. This partnership on renewables is one more step in our journey.”

It was a natural decision for us to take this next step forward with Procter & Gamble in an area which is so critical for each of our companies – sustainable technologies for processes and products,” said James Collins, senior vice president, DuPont. “With this collaboration, DuPont is also taking the first step to diversify its markets for cellulosic ethanol beyond fuels. As we build on our integrated science capabilities, we will continue to seek out new opportunities and new collaborations to transform value chains with  more sustainable solutions.”

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