Care cellulases for fuzz and pills

Consumers who see signs of aging on their clothes such as fuzz and pills, color fading and surface roughness are likely to discard them even if they’re still in style. Care cellulases in your detergent can save clothes from premature disposal.

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Detergent can help keep clothes new longer

While consumers might be tempted to avoid the build up of fuzz and pills by buying new clothes, replacing clothes frequently isn’t good for the environment – or consumers’ budgets. There’s a worldwide push for consumers to invest in longer lasting clothes, with 66% of consumers willing to pay more for sustainable goods. But quality of detergent may be just as important as quality of clothing in extending a garment’s lifetime.

A detergent with effective care cellulases leaves fabrics smooth and soft, eliminating the fuzz and pills that make bright colors appear dull, dark colors faded and patterns blurry. Which helps garments look and feel new for longer – and keeps clothes out of the trash.

Fuzz and pills annoy consumers

Most consumers are familiar with the confident feeling that comes with wearing new clothes. They also know the feeling of irritation that comes after the first few washes if clothes containing cotton start to look dull and feel rough.

In a study of European consumers by Efficience 3, 71% of consumers reported that they were annoyed by fuzz and pills on their clothes. As they said, fuzz and pills ruin the appearance of the fabric, making it look shabby, old and unappealing and feel less soft. Consumers experience the most significant loss of garment “newness” after the first wash. And repeated washings often lead to a build up of fuzz and pills. So, it’s unsurprising that 54% of consumers polled in the same study said they consider clothes “worn out” after just 20 washes.

That’s why avoiding fuzz and pills is a key way to extend the lifetime of clothing.

What causes fuzz and pills?

Cotton fibers are made up of layers of interlinking tiny threads known as fibrils. As the fibers age, some fibrils become damaged or come loose and protrude from the fibers. The longer ones create fuzz on the surface of the fabric. When they get tangled together, they create fuzzballs, also known as pills.

Why consumers discard clothes

Too many people throw out clothes prematurely because they look worn. Our research shows that after about 20 washes, consumers usually consider a garment “worn out.”

Changing fashions are, in fact, the least likely reason for consumers to stop wearing garments, according to our research. Common reasons include fabric surfaces developing fuzz or pills, and colors changing or fading.

Cellulases at work - see fabric keep its new look

The cellulose molecules in cotton fibers are formed of long glucose chains. It’s thought that care cellulases specifically target and cut the cellulose fibrils with a high proportion of damaged or loose chains.

This helps break them down so they can be removed from the fabric, leaving colors brighter, patterns clearer and clothes smoother.

See our new care Cellulase solution

See our new innovation to fight fuzz and pills

Only Novozymes Carezyme^® Elite lets you fully unlock the care benefits of cellulase in heavy-duty liquid detergents and the cleaning benefits of proteases in light-duty liquid detergents. Carezyme^® Elite is engineered to withstand the stability challenges other cellulases face.

Learn all about Carezyme® Elite

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