Many laundry and dish pods are wrapped in a thin film called PVA. Here's what it is, what researchers and regulators have said about it, and where Nellie's products fit in.
PVA (polyvinyl alcohol, sometimes written PVOH) is a synthetic polymer made into a film that dissolves in water. It's the clear wrapper on many laundry and dishwasher pods and some detergent sheets. Whether that film fully breaks down after it goes down the drain is debated. Nellie's says its Laundry Cubes have "No PVA plastic wrapping."
A 2021 study by Arizona State University researchers (Rolsky and Kelkar, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health) estimated that as much as 75% of PVA from pods may pass through U.S. wastewater treatment without fully breaking down. The study was partly funded by Plastic Oceans International and a cleaning-products company that sells pod alternatives.
The American Cleaning Institute, the industry's trade group, says the PVA films used in detergent packets are designed to dissolve completely, meet international test methods for biodegradation, and do not contribute to plastic or microplastic pollution. It called the 2021 study flawed. An expert panel organized by SciPinion later reviewed the study and concluded the PVA used in laundry products is readily biodegradable.
In 2023, a group of environmental organizations and a cleaning-products company petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require more testing of PVA and to change its status in the EPA's Safer Choice program. The EPA denied the petition in April 2023, saying the petition did not show that existing information was insufficient or that the PVA allowed in Safer Choice products fails its criteria.
Researchers, advocacy groups and the industry disagree, and the science is still being discussed. If you'd rather skip the question, choosing products without a PVA film is a simple option.
Nellie's cleaners come as concentrated powders, cubes and solid soaps in reusable tins, ceramic and resealable pouches. Nellie's says its Laundry Cubes are "completely free" of PVA.