Charter for sustainable washing and cleaning
An initiative of A.I.S.E.
The concept "sustainability" was the focus of the International Conference for Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in the year 1992. Sustainability, as used in the conference, is based on three equal foundations: environment, economy and social well-being. The balance among these three areas guarantees the basis for a society worth living in now and in the future. After all, sustainable behaviour means being aware of the future consequences of present actions, so that the needs of our children and grandchildren as well as the coming generations can be met.
The voluntarily participating companies, which are regularly monitored by independent scientific experts from the fields of medicine, research and economy, pledge to continually improve their performance in the following basic areas:
- Reduction of CO2 emissions, of energy and water consumption in the production process
- Careful selection of raw material and distributors in accordance with standard criteria
- Improvement of packaging materials
- Health and security of employees
- Health and security of consumers and customers
- Standardized symbols on packaging for a safe and environmentally-friendly product use
- Consumer support by telephone
The results are published annually in a European report on sustainability.
The initiators on the European level are the international washing and cleaning association A.I.S.E. (Association Internationale de la Savonnerie, de la Détergence et des Produits d’Entretien) based in Brussels and, for Germany, the Industrieverband Körperpflege und Waschmittel (IKW) with its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main.
The Europe-wide initiative SUSTAINABLE WASHING AND CLEANING A.I.S.E. applies to the 25 countries of the European Union as well as for Norway, Island and Switzerland.
Detailed information about the initiative - including a German version - can be found under the Internet address www.sustainable-cleaning.com