分担责任：与水社区一起发起洗衣运动

Launching the Laundry Movementwith theWater Community WHY LAUNDRY?AN UNTAPPEDOPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE DID YOU KNOW? Laundry is the simple yet necessary act of washing clothes, a chore so mundanethat it is often overlooked. However, as unassuming as it can be, laundry hasfar-reaching impacts. About 4 billionpeople worldwidewash their clothesby hand, whichis nearly 50%of the planet’spopulation.1 For many people around the world, primarily women and girls, laundry is still doneby hand. Despite progress with the kinds of washing machines available and agrowing laundry care industry (valued globally at $177.85 billion in 2024),2therehas been hardly any widespread change in the way clothes are cleaned for years. In countless households, especially in rural and urban poor communities in Asiaand the Pacific, women can spend up to 20% of their active hours solely on manuallaundry—and this is even higher for areas where access to water is limited. Thisforgotten burden usually requires carrying hefty bundles of clothes to distant watersources (or conversely, fetching heavy containers of water in slippery paths), inaddition to the constant scrubbing, rinsing, lifting, bending, drying, and folding. Thisarduous process can lead to chronic pain, mental pressure, and increased exposureto health and safety risks. Moreover, it comes at the expense of time potentiallyspent for more valuable pursuits and better well-being. Machine washing, on the other hand, also has its own challenges relating toaccessibility, affordability, water consumption, and energy use and resultingcarbon emissions. The time is ripe for a global conversation. The world has to clean up its act now,from addressing the gaps in research and policies to introducing more initiativesthat prioritize innovation and multisector solutions. Could laundry be the next breakthroughfor people, planet, and progress in Asiaand the Pacific? WELL-BEING ENVIRONMENT THE CRISIS OF CLEANINGOUR CLOTHES Due to societal norms, laundry is oftenseen as “women’s work,” with womenspending up to 15 hours per week onthis task6—time that could otherwise bedevoted to childcare, income-generatingactivities, or rest. The physical demandsof carrying heavy, wet laundry andwashing in uncomfortable positions canbe strenuous. Additionally, women fromlow-income households may face healthrisks from exposure to harsh chemicalsin detergents and bleach. Detergents with synthetic surfactantsand phosphates contribute to theeutrophication of water bodies. Ifunmitigated, this can lead to “deadzones” where aquatic ecosystemscannot survive. Another growing threatis the amount of microplastics in theoceans. Plastic microfibers are releasedwhen clothes with synthetic fabricsare washed. These microplastics havepermeated the food chain, affectingmarine life and humans. HOUSEHOLDECONOMY ENERGY There is more energy used in machinewashing, unless water is heated formanual washing. Washing machinestypically consume 0.5–2.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per cycle, though high-efficiency models using cold water andcompatible detergents7can go as low as0.3 kWh. Drying consumes even more—around 3 kWh per load.8These energydemands translate directly into carbonemissions: a 2-kWh wash cycle can emitapproximately 1 kg of carbon dioxide,while a 3-kWh drying cycle may produceup to 1.5 kg. The quantity and type of clothing ina household significantly influencelaundry practices. Frequent washing,high water temperatures, and harshdetergents accelerate wear and tear.For low-income homes, replacing wornclothing can be costly—especially whenlimited wardrobes require more frequentlaundering. Additionally, delicate orspecial garments often demand extracare, time, and effort, shaping howlaundry is managed. EMPLOYMENT INNOVATIONS HEALTH WATER In many urban areas, women fromlow-income households earn a living aslaundry workers, offering laundry andironing services. Despite the physicaldemands of the work, they oftenreceive minimal compensation and faceprecarious working conditions, includingunreliable water supply, limited access todetergents, and a lack of job security. Innovations in laundry soaps anddetergents have contributed tobetter cleaning, although mostly formachine washing. These includebetter water and energy efficiency,enhanced hygiene through disinfectionfeatures, and reduced physical laborthrough automation and smarttechnologies. Technological progresshas also improved textiles—such as thedevelopment of stain-resistant fabrics—and water supply systems. Laundry and water are deeplyintertwined, from water availabilityand quality to sanitation and hygiene.Manual washing needs about 20 litersper wash,3which can be reduced withproper tools and detergents, whilemachine washing requires about75 liters per load.4A 2010 journal articleestimated that about 20 trillion litersof water are used globally for domesticwashing machines.5 Soiled clothes, contaminated water,and shared laundry spaces can increasethe spread