March 25, 2024

Tide laundry detergent has announced its partnership with Electrolux, GE Appliances and Samsung to help drive eco-behavior change in the laundry room at the most impactful moment – the washing machine. This partnership enables these manufacturers’ machines to become Tide Cold Certified, which means they have a feature on them that Tide scientists have tested to deliver a better clean in cold with Tide. Washing with cold water reduces energy use, saves money and extends the life of clothing, but despite this, 43% of home laundry loads in North America are still being washed in hot or warm water.

Switching from hot to cold water washing uses up to 90 percent less energy in the wash cycle on average and saves money on yearly energy bills. Switching one load of laundry from hot to cold water washing also saves enough electricity to power the average American home for over an hour.

Tide detergent is uniquely formulated to deliver an exceptional clean in cold water, and its partnership with Electrolux, GE Appliances and Samsung advances the organizations’ shared mission to encourage adoption of and confidence in cold water washing. The Tide Cold Certified program was established to help people easily identify washing machines and features that are optimized for cold water washing, backed by Tide’s extensive testing and knowledge of the science of cold water washing and eco-behavior change.

“This is the first time Tide has partnered with appliance manufacturers to test washing machines with features that deliver an enhanced clean on cold because people deserve a simple but effective way to do laundry more sustainably,” said Todd Cline, Senior Director, Head of Sustainability, Procter & Gamble, North America Fabric Care. “Addressing the climate change crisis takes collaboration on a large scale, and we are incredibly thankful to GE Appliances, Electrolux and Samsung for joining us in the journey to turn more loads to cold water washing, which means less energy wasted and less impact on the environment with every wash, and also benefits people’s wallets and clothing.”

Photo credit: Tide

Experts from Tide worked together with counterparts at Electrolux, GE Appliances and Samsung to identify washing machine features that make the choice to wash in cold easy when laundry is most top-of-mind: at the washing machine. The resulting Tide Cold Certified washing machines have at least one of the three following options that enhance the machine’s ability to wash in cold:

• Cold water feature: A physical component that strengthens the machine’s ability to wash in cold water with Tide.
• Custom cold cycle: A new wash cycle developed to provide great wash performance when using cold water in combination with Tide.
• Cold water wash setting: A button or other setting that defaults most cycles to using cold water, so the consumer doesn’t have to remember to turn the setting to cold.

Comments from the appliance manufacturers reflect the shared concerns for the environment and washer performance.

“At Electrolux Group, we are proud to be part of the collective effort to raise awareness of the many benefits of washing in cold with Tide, such as reduced energy costs, fewer carbon emissions and increased clothing longevity, all while effectively eliminating those hard-to-remove stains,” said CEO of Electrolux Group North America Ricardo Cons. “The powerful combination of our highly efficient front load washing machines, coupled with being Tide Cold Certified, affirms we are providing innovative technology that not only delivers an exceptional consumer experience but ensures all have the opportunity to make sustainable, impactful and cost-effective choices in their
home.”

“We are passionate about joining Tide on its mission to empower consumers to turn to cold water washing, as we believe that adopting this simple eco-habit can have a major impact on both the consumer and our environment,” said Peter Pepe, VP of Clothes Care for GE Appliances. “That’s why we continue to deliver leading innovation designed to optimize wash performance in cold water, so it’s easier than ever for consumers. We are proud to recognize these products as Tide Cold Certified, from our new top load washer line-up engineered to wash in cold water to dedicated cold wash cycles on our front load washers.”

“Sustainability is a key area of focus at Samsung. We are excited to partner with industry leaders like P&G to develop new technologies that can provide real benefits for our consumers,” said Moohyung Lee, EVP and Head of the Customer Experience Team for the Digital Appliances (DA) Business at Samsung Electronics. “The Tide Cold Certified feature that combines key elements of Samsung’s hardware and software technology together with Tide’s unique formulation will provide our consumers with a great cold wash experience on select Samsung washers.”

To be Tide Cold Certified, Tide scientists must also validate that the cold feature on the machine improves the cold wash performance with Tide compared to washing in cold without Tide. This initiative can further advance Tide’s ambition of turning three out of four loads of laundry to cold water washing in the U.S. and Canada by 2030.

Tide evo: A New Cold-Water Compatible Laundry Product

Concurrent with this partnership is the introduction of Tide evo, an environmentally conscious laundry product that takes the form of a ready-to-recycle, FSC-certified paperboard tile. Previewed in an activation at SXSW (top photo), it eliminates traditional plastic bottles and is designed for cold-water washing. The tile can be placed in the washing machine drawer or directly into the washing machine drum.

Speaking exclusively to KBB, Jennifer Ahoni, Tide Principal Scientist, explains the development of the Tide evo product with regard to home washing machines.

“Washing machines have evolved over the past several years with an increase in the number of high efficiency (HE) machines in consumers’ homes. HE washers feature technology that helps reduce the amount of water and energy needed to do a load of laundry. They also are up to 40% larger than traditional, top-loading washing machines and can accommodate much larger loads.

“Tide evo was designed with these evolving laundry trends in mind and is suitable for use in all types of washing machines, including traditional top-loaders and high-efficiency front-loaders. Tide evo is also designed for cold water washing, enabling consumers to save up to 90 percent energy compared to washing in hot water cycles.”

—By Leslie Clagett, KBB managing editor

Photo credit: Tide