On average, washing in cold vs hot water can reduce your energy use in every wash by up to 90%. Consider the 30 billion loads of laundry we do every year in the U.S., and that adds up to big impact on our planet. In fact, a Tide lifecycle assessment showed that roughly 70% of laundry emissions come from the consumer phase, largely from heating water.
With this in mind, in 2021, Tide set a goal to turn 75% of laundry loads in the U.S. and Canada to cold water by 2030. Tide is meaningfully moving the needle, having formed an impressive “Cold Coalition” – including clothing brands, washing machine manufacturers, retailers, environmental nonprofits and other influential groups and voices – to champion the benefits of cold water washing:
In 2024, Tide welcomed its newest member of its growing Cold Coalition - America’s largest retailer and savings giant, Walmart – to help spread the word and drive trial of cold-water washing. Launched during Earth Month and timed to Tide’s formula upgrade hitting shelves, the Walmart x Tide “Cold Collab” encouraged consumers to try Tide in cold to save money on energy bills and keep clothes looking newer, longer. The multichannel campaign leveraged in-store signage, product sampling and demos, digital advertising, influencer/social content and more.
Throughout the duration of #TurnToCold, Tide has been steadily tracking progress through its “Connected Home” program, which collates data from regular consumer diary studies reporting the frequency of loads done in various temperatures. As of 2023, the percentage of North American laundry loads washed in cold water increased to 57 percent (from 48 percent in 2020), helping avoid nearly 4 million tons of carbon emissions in the same timeframe.
And, signals point to an even larger conversion. Early data indicates that Tide’s 2024 Cold Collab efforts, Walmart principle among them, has led to increased adoption of cold water washing. If verified, this momentum would put Tide on track to meet its goal by or before 2030.
