Seventh Generation Asks Bloggers to Lay It on the Line

Aiming to shore up its green credentials, Seventh Generation has issued a 30-day challenge to bloggers to wash their clothes with cold water and then line dry them.The brand, known for eco-friendly household cleaners, dishwashing soap and diapers, among other items, calls the initiative its “Project Laundry Line Challenge.” The effort builds on a previous cold-water washing program called “Get out of hot water," which didn’t promote line drying. Maureen Wolpert, Seventh Generation’s brand marketing director, called the movement “a simple thing to do that benefits generations.”Seventh Generation partnered with Project Laundry List—a nonprofit organization that educates consumers on the benefits of cold-water washing and line drying—for the effort. Last month, it mailed out test kits containing clothes pins, a portable clothes drying rack, laundry hamper, flip cam and a bottle of natural cleaning detergent to bloggers. It then asked recipients to document their experiences via videos and online posts. (These consumers were also instructed to disclose their acceptance of the kit due to federal blogging guidelines.) A microsite, dubbed Laundry Revolution, kicks off this week and asks consumers to join the grassroots effort. Coyne Public Relations handled media and blogger outreach.In a video posted to her site, one such consumer, Gem, a mother of two who writes the blog “Sage and Savvy,” said that line drying has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it saves energy. But there are some qualms, like concerns about bacteria, stiff clothes and the length of time it takes to air dry. “I’m a bit of a germophobe, so the thought of not being able to use the dryer and its heat to kill whatever germs that may still be lingering on the clothes after cold-water washing does bother me a bit,” she says in the video.Though some housing associations ban line drying for aesthetic reasons, the practice may be catching on. A survey by Seventh Generation showed 28 percent of people “line dry wet laundry items to save money.” Seventh Generation isn’t the first brand to tout the benefits of cold-water washing. In the ‘60s, Procter & Gamble hyped its Cheer detergent as “All-Temperature Cheer,” but the selling point was versatility—different clothes needed to be washed at different temperatures, so a detergent that could be used for hot, warm and cold was a differentiating factor. Recently, Procter & Gamble introduced a cold-water version of Tide in 2005 that was touted as an energy saver. Unlike Seventh Generation’s, P&G’s detergent, however, is not made of “natural” ingredients. “Just because a detergent is ‘natural’ doesn’t mean it’s necessarily better for the environment,” said P&G rep Lauren Thaman, adding that the two are not “synonymous.”Joel Makower, exec editor of Greener World Media, said Seventh Generation’s challenge is modest enough to work: “It’s a small change that customers can do, without compromise, and saves money, too. People are looking for small changes, not large ones, so this fits.”Robson Grieve, president of Creature, a Seattle-based agency, also lauded the approach. “It’s not [about] who is going to get the stain out, but how the stain fits into your lifestyle,” he said, adding that the effort “melds social responsibility with doing [your] laundry,” which makes it “a lot stronger.” Long term though, the initiative’s success rests on whether or not Seventh Generation can get consumers to change their clothes washing—and drying—habits, to the point where consumers naturally line dry their clothes not because “it’s the right thing to do,” but because it’s become a normal part of the laundry process, he said.

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Seventh Generation Asks Bloggers to Lay It on the Line

Elaine Wong

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