The IGA supermarkets business is removing phosphate from its private label, Black & Gold and IGA Signature, laundry and dishwashing products.

Louise Rhodes, sustainability manager at Metcash, the umbrella group which includes the IGA chain, said “We are delighted to be taking the lead in the supermarket industry to make Australian home laundries and kitchens phosphate-free. It is just another step we are taking to make the IGA network of close to 1,400 supermarkets across Australia the most environmentally friendly of any in Australia”.

Metcash closely monitors the use of phosphate and other chemicals in the products it distributes to IGA supermarkets, as part of its push to maintain the highest possible environmental standards across its product range.

The US introduced a voluntary ban on phosphates in the 1990s and the European Union is phasing out their use in products.

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