1. Washing products

In 1907, Germany's Fritz Henkel and his sons launched Persil, the first "self-active" detergent, which put an end to centuries of washboard chores. This flagship product, which became synonymous with detergent in Germany, marked the start of a race to innovate, as shown in Box 1. These innovations are the result of a concern not only to improve the washing performance of products or their practicality of use, but also to develop them in such a way as to reduce their impact on the environment. In this area, the four major milestones for laundry manufacturers are ..: