How long do your t-shirts last? A year? Two? If it’s anything more than 24 months you are bucking the trend.[a]
Today’s fast-fashion shopping tendencies have become a major contributor to climate change. According to the BBC Smart Guide to Climate Change, “the fashion industry accounts for about 10% of global carbon emissions, and nearly 20% of wastewater. And while the environmental impact of flying is now well known, fashion sucks up more energy than both aviation and shipping combined.”[b]
Keeping clothes looking good for longer and in turn reducing the amount of new clothes we buy can dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of our wardrobes. So how can we slow down the wear and tear of clothes that leads to colour fading, shapelessness and ultimately the discard pile?
How fabric conditioners are the key to long-lasting clothes
Fabric conditioners have long been used to keep clothes fragrant and soft. But now Comfort’s new Ultimate Care range can also keep clothes looking good for longer by smoothing and protecting clothing fibres and reducing friction during the wash process, while preventing colour-fading and ensuring long-lasting fragrance.
Ultimate Care is Comfort’s most advanced range yet, with new industry-leading technology, borrowed from the hair care sector, where it more often features in shampoos and conditioners, and used for the first time in one of our laundry brands.
Pro-fibre technology that keeps clothes looking good for longer
The pro-fibre technology – created from wheat protein – reduces the friction that occurs during washing that can lead to colour and shape loss. But that is just the beginning. The new technology also protects clothes from bobbling and pilling, print cracking and textural damage.
With new pro-fibre polymers that are 60 times larger than the softeners used in regular fabric conditioners, Comfort’s Ultimate Care formulations help maintain the strength and elasticity of garments as well as providing great feel on clothes.
“There are many similarities between hair fibres and fabric fibres. Just as conditioner protects hair, fabric conditioner helps to keep clothes vibrant and strong, which in turn enhances their longevity,” says Marina Risi, Global Brand Vice President, Comfort.
“By helping our consumers keep their clothes looking newer for longer, we are reducing the need to buy more. In other words, we are helping to lower our consumers’ environmental footprint by extending the lives of their clothes.”
Working toward a Clean Future
Comfort’s Ultimate Care range is kinder not only on clothes but also on the planet thanks to its new biodegradable pro-fibre technology. The range also has more power in every drop, covering a bigger area per molecule and requiring less product per wash load.
With 100% recycle-ready bottles with ultra-concentrated formulas that require less plastic per product and fewer trucks for transport, the range is also supporting Unilever’s Clean Future commitments. In the UK, for example, the ultra-concentrated 15ml dose has 36% less plastic than the regular concentrated version at 35ml a dose.
Reinforcing Comfort’s position as a clothes care expert, the new range will be supported by advertising campaigns highlighting the difference fabric conditioner can make on how long clothes last, which is great news for the planet, and for all those irreplaceable favourite clothes we want to wear forever.