India: Surf Excel relaunched to reduce rinsing & conserve water
Hindustan Lever, a Unilever company in India, is helping to dispel the myth that more soap lather means cleaner clothes. More lather means more rinsing, which uses scarce water resources unnecessarily.
Less lather, less water
We have developed a new formulation of our Surf Excel detergent that produces less lather, helping to conserve water.
This makes a big difference in the dry Southern states of India where many people spend more money on the water needed for washing than they do on detergents. Washing clothes accounts for almost a quarter of all water use in the states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Product relaunch
In May 2004, Surf Excel was relaunched in these two states, promising to save people two buckets of water a day without compromising on stain removal. Independent research by the C.P. Ramaswami Trust, an NGO that works on water conservation, has verified this claim.
Advertisements endorsed by the Indian film celebrity, Revathi, promoted the message that you can have cleaner clothes without more lather. Sales of Surf Excel have increased by over 50% in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh since its relaunch.
