Water-free, vegan detergent sheets for eco-friendly laundry

The dissolvable sheets can be used in place of liquid detergents, saving water while reducing plastic pollution

Spotted: Doing the laundry is one of life’s daily rituals. But how we keep our clothes clean matters. Today, liquid detergents remain common. These use up a lot of water and often come in non-recyclable plastic packaging. Now, clothing care startup Frey has developed a solution that addresses both problems.

Frey’s new laundry detergent sheets are completely liquid-free and made from a biodegradable material derived from plants. Just one of these sheets can be used as a direct replacement for a user’s existing detergent. The sheet then dissolves during the wash while providing the same cleaning power as a typical liquid alternative.

Using the detergent sheets saves water, and the packaging they come in is completely plastic-free. Frey has also pledged to plant a tree for each order received. In addition to the environmental benefits, the sheets come in three unique fragrances, which have been developed with leading perfumers.

“Most liquid laundry detergents come in jugs with a 4:1 ratio of water to soap,” explains Frey Co-founder Aidan Porter. “This wastes more than just water – it’s unnecessary plastic, shipping emissions, and money right out of consumers’ pockets.” Fellow co-founder Leif Frey adds, “To combat these issues, we’ve worked with our partners to develop technology to compress materials into a detergent format, completely eliminating the need for water and plastic.”

A Kickstarter campaign for the sheets has raised over $100,000 as of the end of 2021.

Frey is not the only company looking to replace liquid detergent. Canadian startup Tru Earth has also developed zero-waste laundry strips. Further laundry-based innovations spotted by Springwise include a sustainable hybrid laundry bag for hotels.

Written by: Matthew Hempstead