Impact of Laundry Detergent
Explore the hidden environmental cost of clean clothes and what you can do about it.
This workshop explores the environmental consequences of everyday laundry habits, from detergent ingredients to water pollution. Using a structured “Solution Canvas,” participants work in intergenerational groups to analyse problems and propose sustainable solutions.
How to use this workshop
The workshop is structured into thematic sections, each containing one core activity. Teachers can adjust the overall length and focus by selecting specific sections, combining them, or adapting the depth of the activities to suit their class’s needs, age group, and available time. This allows for a personalised and engaging learning experience that fits different teaching contexts and schedules.
Workshop Overview
Learning Objectives
Understand the environmental impact of conventional laundry detergents, including their effects on water pollution, ecosystems, and human health.
Analyse different detergent ingredients and their sustainability using a citizen science research approach.
Engage in intergenerational learning through the Green Gamble game, having discussions on past and present sustainable practices.
Explore alternative solutions by identifying and evaluating eco-friendly and biodegradable detergent options.
Develop hands-on skills by making their own DIY natural laundry detergent using safe, non-toxic ingredients.
- Reflect on personal habits and commit to small yet impactful changes in their daily routines to reduce their environmental footprint.
Duration
Flexible, 120 minutes for full workshop
Materials
- Posters, papers, post-its, Watercolours, pens, markers
- Solution canvas
- Dices
- Ingredients for making liquid detergent and fabric softener:
- 1 bar of bio vegan hard soap
- Baking soda
- Hot water
- Essential oil (optional)
- Salt
- Distilled water
- Alcoholic vinegar
- 2 jars
All relevant materials can be downloaded below or found in the Tools & Materials section.
Ever wondered what happens to your laundry detergent once it disappears down the drain?
This workshop brings together students and teachers in a dynamic learning experience about the environmental footprint of laundry detergents. Through intergenerational learning, citizen science, and hands-on activities, participants will:
- Discover how traditional detergents affect water, soil, and ecosystems.
- Play the Green Gamble game to explore sustainability through an interactive learning approach.
- Engage in citizen science research to compare brands and identify eco-friendlier options.
- Get creative by making DIY natural laundry detergent with simple, safe ingredients.
- Reflect & share insights in an evaluation session.
Within each section, you will find a core activity. Select and combine the sections that best match your class’s needs, age group, and available time. This approach allows you to plan and deliver a tailored learning experience while staying within your intended timeframe
| Activity description | Duration | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Environmental Impact of Laundry Detergent & Activity 1st Step: Short introduction to the topic of the environmental impact of laundry detergents, highlight issues like water pollution, aquatic toxicity, and soil degradation (an interactive quiz that guides you through the introductory topic). 2nd Step: Participants will create two posters using watercolours (participants can use internet for more information):
3rd Step: poster display, presentations of posters (each group) and discussions on negative environmental impacts. | 45 minutes | Quiz Posters Watercolours Markers |
| Activity description | Duration | Materials |
|---|---|---|
Green Gamble Game Setup: Write a list of words that we learned by making posters, related to the topic (e.g., pollution, phosphate, biodegradable). Write blanks on a board for the letters of a selected word (e.g., POLLUTION _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _). Gameplay:
| 25 minutes | Dices Papers (or board) |
| Activity description | Duration | Materials |
|---|---|---|
Citizen Science Research and Alternative Solutions Objective: Participants conduct a mini-research session to explore:
Activity: Create a Solution Canvas with sections like:
Each team presents their canvas to the group. | 20 minutes | Solution Canvas Papers Pens Posters Markers Internet |
| Activity description | Duration | Materials |
|---|---|---|
DIY Laundry Detergent Objective: Demonstrate how to make an eco-friendly detergent using basic, sustainable ingredients. Activity: | 15 minutes | Ingredients Instructions |
At the end of the workshop, guide students in reflecting on what they learned using the following questions.
- What changes would you like to make moving forward?
- What surprised you the most?
- How can you apply this to your daily life?
- What changes can we make as a class/school?
Assign a small project or activity for students to do at home.
Activity:
Implement one small change at home that can contribute to the circular economy.
- Start with questions that could encourage critical thinking in students, e.g. Have you ever thought about what happens to the detergent after it washes away?” or “Is eco-friendly laundry really better?”
- Indirectly encourage intergenerational learning by highlighting how laundry was done in the past and how it is done today. Encourage them to ask their grandparents how they lived in the past.
- Briefly discuss how baking soda and soap clean clothes naturally.
- Help students understand how to read detergent labels and spot misleading greenwashing.
→ See also the tool collection for other materials.
Looping – Sort, recycle, smile (App)
A useful app that helps people identify how to properly recycle or dispose of various household items.
Upcycle That
An online platform providing creative ideas for upcycling and repurposing everyday items.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation
An educational platform with free resources, including courses, videos, and reports to learn more about circular economy principles.
Within each section, you will find a core activity. Select and combine the sections that best match your class’s needs, age group, and available time. This approach allows you to plan and deliver a tailored learning experience while staying within your intended timeframe
| Activity description | Duration | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Environmental Impact of Laundry Detergent & Activity 1st Step: Short introduction to the topic of the environmental impact of laundry detergents, highlight issues like water pollution, aquatic toxicity, and soil degradation (an interactive quiz that guides you through the introductory topic). 2nd Step: Participants will create two posters using watercolours (participants can use internet for more information):
3rd Step: poster display, presentations of posters (each group) and discussions on negative environmental impacts. | 45 minutes | Quiz Posters Watercolours Markers |
| Activity description | Duration | Materials |
|---|---|---|
Green Gamble Game Setup: Write a list of words that we learned by making posters, related to the topic (e.g., pollution, phosphate, biodegradable). Write blanks on a board for the letters of a selected word (e.g., POLLUTION _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _). Gameplay:
| 25 minutes | Dices Papers (or board) |
| Activity description | Duration | Materials |
|---|---|---|
Citizen Science Research and Alternative Solutions Objective: Participants conduct a mini-research session to explore:
Activity: Create a Solution Canvas with sections like:
Each team presents their canvas to the group. | 20 minutes | Solution Canvas Papers Pens Posters Markers Internet |
| Activity description | Duration | Materials |
|---|---|---|
DIY Laundry Detergent Objective: Demonstrate how to make an eco-friendly detergent using basic, sustainable ingredients. Activity: | 15 minutes | Ingredients Instructions |