Voluntary Industry Initiatives

Keep out of reach of children

There have been some unexpected household incidents involving gel capsules and small children, and we regret the concerns caused to the children and their families. The safety and the wellbeing of consumers is the overriding priority for the industry.

As with any other household cleaning product, parents have a vital role in ensuring that gel capsules are kept away from children, both when they are in use and when storing the pack.

To help increase awareness of the safe use of these products, companies are taking extra steps to highlight procedures for safe use, in particular specific information provided on pack.

We are also working closely with the authorities to better understand how these incidents can be prevented (currently 1 incident per 1 million capsules sold) and to ensure that the correct safeguards are in place. These include additional closure devices, safe use icons and in some cases opaque packaging.

They offer important sustainability benefits - with smaller packs and important savings in terms of transport and CO2 emissions. They also provide a practical solution for consumers, who can be sure to use the correct amount of detergent, without waste. Consumer safety is of paramount importance to the industry and we are working closely with the authorities to ensure safeguards are in place.