Further "surfing" lead me to the attached document.

Who knew ... this product line has been around for quite some time (never heard of it before today).

"Also in the case of the liquid laundry detergents from Terra Activ, introduced in April 2009, the essential appeal lies in the optimum balance offered, with high environmental compatibility combining with good performance.

Over 60 percent of the surfactants - i.e. the wash-active substances - used in Terra Activ laundry detergents are likewise based on renewable raw materials. At the same time, these products generate high levels of laundry power to give the wash a sparkling cleanliness - achieved at just 20 degrees Celsius. âÂÂOnly if the laundry is clean after the washing process can there be any payoff from an environmentally aware approach," explains Thomas Tönnesmann, Marketing Manager for HenkelâÂÂs laundry and home care products in Germany.

Through these developments, the company is able to satisfy key consumer demands while making a valuable contribution to sustainable development. That is why Henkel received not only the âÂÂEcologically Committed Companyâ accolade but also a special award for its new Terra Activ laundry detergents."

I would be curious if anyone on the forum has tried any of the products.

Here is a link that might be useful: Henkel Recognized for Ecological Commitment

I haven't tried those products, but I can tell you that Proctor & Gamble has just as much "ecological commitment" as Henkel, if not more.

PG is also pouring a lot of research into developing more effective surfactants from plant-based feedstocks. And PG has put a lot of research into surfactants and cleaners that work at lower wash temperatures to reduce energy needed to heat the water. These low-temp surfactants are already in Tide Coldwater formulations. Europe is starting to move in this direction, but less aggressively than PG. Europeans are more in love with hot water for cleaning (and rightly so IMO).

There is a consortium of companies and government agencies that research and publish about the environmental impacts of detergent ingredients (as well as health impacts), and I can tell you that of that list of maybe 30 companies, PG published like 75% of the research.

PG is also investing heavily in "nano" research requiring cluster computing using thousands of computer processors to model the reactions that take place in cleaning, with the aim of developing better-performing cleaners from plants, with low manufacturing energy requirements, that are safe for humans and the environment.

PG has also quietly changed its formulations over the years to be more "sustainable" or environmentally-friendly. Some products, like Tide and Gain HE powders, contain sodium percarbonate, which OTHER companies heavily market as environmentally-friendly. It's interesting to me that PG doesn't market Tide/Gain etc with any environmental claims. The reason is that they have carefully built the Tide brand to represent the best cleaning, and they know that consumers associate eco-friendly products with poor cleaning. Even as they slowly change the product to be more "sustainable," they don't tell the Tide consumer about it.

Henkel likewise has developed Persil as the premium-cleaning brand in Germany. Creating a new brand name for "eco" detergent tells me that Henkel knows it doesn't clean as well as Persil. Henkel does not want to hurt Persil's brand.

I've extensively compared Persil and Tide powder formulations. While they are extremely similar, the small differences make TIDE the more eco-friendly choice of the two. Persil includes sodium chloride, which can have negative environmental impacts, and a small amount of phosphates to counter the corrosive effect of the sodium chloride, and perhaps some longer-chained surfactants, which do not biodegrade as well.

I read somewhere that Europe will completely ban phosphates in the near future, so Persil's formulations will change, and I'm sure the brands will tout their environmental friendliness (not trying to sound cynical here, this is just the way it is).

"Henkel likewise has developed Persil as the premium-cleaning brand in Germany. Creating a new brand name for "eco" detergent tells me that Henkel knows it doesn't clean as well as Persil. Henkel does not want to hurt Persil's brand."

I'm pretty sure you cannot say "what" exactly Henkel's reasons are.

It may have something to do with the fact that the name, Persil, is derived from two of its original ingredients, perborate and silicate (the name is deemed unsuitable as an international brand, as it is hard to pronounce in some languages).

I certainly didn't post this information to start a debate on whose more environmental. Most of these big companies will become "environmental" when their bottom line requires them to (as they see money starting to divert into the âÂÂgreenâ market).

Tide and Gain are hardly environmental (IMO). One of the biggest things is becoming less dependant on fossil fuel. I don't believe any of their laundry products fall into that category.

I also don't think just comparing two lists of ingredients makes anyone an expert on the formulations. I can tell you, from years spend in the health and beauty segment, formulations are more than just the raw ingredients. There are other factors (as in ... what reacts with what to cause what).

I'm not promoting Seventh Generation but I thought this video illustrates how we can reduce our use of fossil fuel by choosing more "environmental" products.

I used their liquid once and found it too sudsy for my FL machine. I gave it to my mom who still has a TL.

I am temted to try their powder as I read recently that Cosumer Reports ranked it high among green options.

"Our tests also include more detergents that claim plant-based, hypoallergenic formulas. Kirkland Signature Free & Clear Ultra 2X (Costco) and Seventh Generation Natural Powdered HE are two "greener" detergents that cleaned reasonably well. But products by Biokleen, Ecos, Method, and, yes, Martha Stewart delivered spottier results."

Here is a link that might be useful: Seventh Generation - Saving Oil

Bi-O-Kleen Premium powder (not tested by Consumer Reports) cleans extremely well. I would put it on the same playing field as Tide. I've used it and seen how well it cleans. Almost all the reviews on Amazon are positive - it's very highly rated. Personally I don't like that it lacks ingredients to protect your washer from corrosion, but I don't remember seeing a "green" product with those ingredients anyway. Maybe they aren't necessary?

@sshrivastava, what are anti corrosion ingredients (I'm not familiar with their chemical names)?

I pulled this list for Tide HE from their website. Nothing is specifically labelled as anti corrosion. Do you know what ingredient it is?

Original Scent
Tide HE Compact Detergent
Bleach Activator
⢠Nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate
Builders
⢠Diethylenetriamine Pentaacetate (Sodium Salt)
Dispersant
⢠Sodium Polyacrylate
Enzyme
⢠Protease
Fragrance
⢠Fragrance
Fragrance Carrier
⢠Modified Starch
Optical Brightener
⢠Disodium Diaminostilbene Disulfonate
Oxygen Bleach
⢠Sodium Percarbonate
pH Adjustment
⢠Sodium Carbonate
Process Aid
⢠Palmitic Acid
⢠Polyethylene Glycol 4000
⢠Sodium Sulfate
⢠Water
Removes Water Hardness
⢠Sodium Aluminosilicate
Suds Suppressor
⢠Silicone
Surfactant
⢠Alkyl Sulfate
⢠Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate

I also pulled this list for Seventh Generation Powder. It lists something as an anti redeposition ingredient. I would assume that applies to clothes and washer parts.

Laundry Powder, White Flower & Bergamot Citrus
Sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, sodium silicate and zeolites (water softeners and alkalinity builders), fatty alcohol ethoxylate and polyglucose (coconut and corn-derived cleaning agents), magnesium sulfate, sodium sulfate and sodium chloride (performance enhancers), sodium percarbonate (non-chlorine bleach), carboxymethyl inulin and carboxymethyl cellulose (antiredeposition agents), protease and cellulase (non-animal derived enzymes), oleic acid (plant-derived anti-foaming agents), essential oils and botanical extracts* (citrus aurantium amara (petitgrain bigarade sur fleurs), citrus aurantium dulcis (blood orange), citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot), myristica fragrans (nutmeg)). *D-limonene is a naturally occurring component of these ingredients.

I have BioKleen Premium and I like it. I have never tried SG powder although I think it is no longer available in Canada so I would have to order on line (I order BioKleen on line too as it's not available here either).

I gave Persil Megaperls another shot tonight with 4 rinses and I still cannot tolerate the scent so I'm on the hunt for a good cleaning powder for my FL that does not contain OBs. Sigh ....

I believe the anti-corrosion ingredients go by the name of sodium silicate, sodium metasilicate or sodium disilicate. According to Wikipedia it's also known as "liquid glass" or "water glass".

Here are the ingredients in Henkel's Terra-Activ brand:

Terra Activ Wash:

• AQUA (WATER)
• C12-18 FATTY ALCOHOL 7 EO
• SODIUM SOAP C12-18
• SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE
• GLYCERIN
• LAURYL GLUCOSIDE
• ALCOHOL
• SODIUM CITRATE
• SODIUM METABORATE
• PERFUME
• PROPYLENE GLYCOL
• HEPTASODIUM DTPMP
• SORBITOL
• ACRYLPOLYMER MIT C16-18-ALKYLETHER
• LINALOOL
• OPTICAL BRIGHTNER
• HEXYL CINNAMAL
• PROTEASE
• AMYLASE
• CELLULASE
• MANNANASE
• COLORANT

Terra Activ Bunt (Color) Wash:

• AQUA (WATER)
• C12-18 FATTY ALCOHOL 7 EO
• SODIUM SOAP C12-18
• SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE
• GLYCERIN
• LAURYL GLUCOSIDE
• ALCOHOL
• SODIUM CITRATE
• SODIUM METABORATE
• PERFUME
• PROPYLENE GLYCOL
• HEPTASODIUM DTPMP
• SORBITOL
• ACRYLPOLYMER MIT C16-18-ALKYLETHER
• LINALOOL
• HEXYL CINNAMAL
• PROTEASE
• AMYLASE
• CELLULASE
• COLORANT
• MANNANASE

The place I buy Persil from sent me a small trial bottle of the TerraActiv months ago. The one they sent was a universal liquid detergent (for whites?) Anyhow, it paled in comparison. Persil removes the scuff marks on the bottoms of white socks completely. TerraActiv not so much. I also didn't love the fragrance. Obviously, it's just my experience.