Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) in Tide PODS: Water‑Soluble Film, Microplastic Science, and EPA‑Recognized Safety Evidence

Tide PODS are convenient pre-measured detergent pacs that provide effective stain removal and make the laundry task easier to complete. Learn more about how Tide PODS work here. Each Tide PODs laundry pac contains a water-soluble smart film that is expertly engineered to dissolve and unleash Tide’s cleaning power, made possible by polyvinyl alcohol (also known as PVA or PVOH).

What is Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)?

Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) is a versatile polymer that plays a crucial role in numerous industries, including packaging, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. Its unique properties, such as water solubility and film-forming abilities, make it an ideal candidate for various applications. In laundry products, PVA is engineered to dissolve completely during wash cycles, which is crucial for optimal detergent release. This ensures that the active ingredients in the detergent are effectively delivered to the fabrics, enhancing cleaning performance. The encapsulation of detergent pods in PVA film allows for precise dosing, reducing waste and making laundry more convenient for consumers.

  • How PVA is Made: PVA is derived from polyvinyl acetate through hydrolysis, leading to a polymer that is soluble in water. Its molecular structure contributes to its stability and versatility in different formulations.

  • How PVA is Used in Detergent Films: One of the remarkable properties of PVA is its ability to form a thin film that can encapsulate active ingredients, protecting them and ensuring they remain effective until the washing process begins.

What are the benefits of PVA in detergent pods?

  • Complete Dissolution: PVA films are designed to fully dissolve across all wash temperatures, allowing detergent ingredients to be released during the wash cycle. This ensures that the cleaning agents are activated at the right moment, maximizing their effectiveness against stains and dirt.

  • Cold Water Performance: Tide PODS leverage the unique chemistry of PVA to deliver effective cleaning even in cold water, which is increasingly important for energy conservation and fabric care.

  • Energy Efficiency: By enabling effective cleaning in cold water, PVA helps reduce the energy consumption associated with heating water for laundry. This leads to lower carbon footprints and supports sustainability efforts.

Is PVA Safe?

PVA used in detergent pods has been extensively tested and is compliant with safety regulations for consumer products, providing peace of mind for laundry pods users. While you may have heard that PVA used in laundry detergent pods contributes to microplastics, there is zero evidence to back that up. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that Tide PODS film does not create microplastics.

Feature / CharacteristicPolyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Used in Detergent FilmsMost Common Microplastics

Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyamide (PA), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
Water Solubility Detergent-grade PVA has been scientifically confirmed to be:
  • Water-soluble in laundry and dishwashing conditions [1, 2]
  • Designed in a way to maximize the solubility of the PVA [2, 3]
  • Water-soluble [2] at levels 50X higher than you would find in a dishwasher or laundry machine, using the international standard for polymer solubility [4]
Detergent grade PVA is so soluble that it dissolves down to the individual molecules, which do not and cannot reform into particles. This means there is no solid surface for toxic substances in the water to adsorb onto. [5, 6, 7] 		Microplastics are insoluble [32]. Even the smallest possible fragments are collections of multiple molecules which do not dissolve.

This means they can accumulate in bodies of water. This means they have a solid surface to adsorb and transport other toxic chemicals. [8, 9, 10]
Biodegradability Detergent-grade PVA degrades during the normal wastewater treatment process, using universally recognized standard testing methodologies (OECD 301B, 302B). [11, 12, 13]

It breaks down consistently and reproducibly across a range of laboratory sites, geographical locations, and under a variety of testing conditions, even in river water. [14] 		Microplastics are extremely persistent in the environment, with degradation timelines ranging from decades to centuries, depending on conditions [10].
Presence in Water Bodies Zero evidence of detergent-grade PVA has been found in the aquatic environment, including zero presence found in drinking water [15]. Microplastics have been detected in oceans, rivers, lakes, fish, birds, plankton, and remote areas, and in drinking water [10, 15, 16, 17, 18].
Accumulation in Living Species It is not considered a risk, as it does not accumulate. Detergent-grade PVA has never been found in the human body [19, 20, 21, 30, 31]. Microplastics will accumulate due to their solubility in cells’ fat structures and have been found in most parts of the human body [10, 21].
Presence in the Home Environment Detergent-grade PVA has never been found in the home environment, even in dishwasher and washing machine use or homes [1, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26]. Microplastics have been found in numerous household products as solid particles [1, 22, 23, 25, 26].
Toxicity The environmental safety and human safety of detergent-grade PVA has been confirmed by the EPA, FDA, and other agencies around the world – and it is approved for use in things like detergent pods, eye drops, and the coating of medications [19, 20, 21, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31]. Microplastics can be harmful to marine life and pose a physical hazard to animals. They can also absorb pollutants due to their solid surface [7, 8].
Generally Recognized as a Microplastic No, detergent-grade PVA is not generally recognized by the scientific community as a microplastic [10, 32, 33]. Yes, all these materials fit the generally accepted definition and categorization of a microplastic [10, 32].

Safety guides the ingredient choices we made so you can confidently use Tide products. Learn more about Tide’s ingredient safety process here.

For more information on the safe use of PVA used in detergent products, click here.

Reference Links:

  1. Lack of Evidence for Microplastic Contamination from Water-Soluble Detergent Capsules

  2. EPA: Denial of Requested Rulemaking (Section IV, C.1)

  3. Some Properties of PVA and their Possible Applications

  4. OECD: Solution/Extraction Behaviour of Polymers in Water

  5. Defining the Conformation of Water-Soluble Poly(vinyl alcohol) in Solution: A SAXS, DLS, and AFM Study

  6. Bound water governs the single-chain property of Poly(vinyl alcohol) in aqueous environments

  7. Characterization of Partially Hydrolyzed Poly(vinyl alcohol). Effect of Poly(vinyl alcohol) Molecular Architecture on Aqueous Phase Conformation

  8. Microplastics as carriers of toxic pollutants: Source, transport, and toxicological effects

  9. Sorption Behavior and Mechanisms of Organic Contaminants to Nano and Microplastics

  10. Twenty years of microplastic pollution research—what have we learned?

  11. Water soluble polymer biodegradation evaluation using standard and experimental methods

  12. Application of standardized methods to evaluate the environmental safety of polyvinyl alcohol disposed of down the drain

  13. Biodegradability of Polyvinyl Alcohol Based Film Used for Liquid Detergent Capsules

  14. Multi-laboratory evaluation of the reproducibility of polymer biodegradation assessments applying standardized and modified respirometry methods

  15. Analytical methods to measure microplastics in drinking water

  16. Plastic Debris in 29 Great Lakes Tributaries: Relations to Watershed Attributes and Hydrology

  17. Chemical composition of microplastics floating on the surface of the Mediterranean Sea

  18. From the Caribbean to the Arctic, the most abundant microplastic particles in the ocean have escaped detection

  19. Review of the oral toxicity of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)

  20. EFSA: Opinion of the Scientific Panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC) related to the use of polyvinyl alcohol as a coating agent for food supplements

  21. EPA: Denial of Requested Rulemaking (Section V, B.2)

  22. Contribution of household dishwashing to microplastic pollution

  23. A systematic review of microplastics emissions in kitchens: Understanding the links with diseases in daily life

  24. Release of Micro- and Nanosized Particles from Plastic Articles during Mechanical Dishwashing

  25. Release of primary microplastics from consumer products to wastewater in the Netherlands

  26. Human exposure to PM10 microplastics in indoor air

  27. Assessment of Toxicity and Biodegradability of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Based Materials in Marine Water

  28. International Journal of Toxicology: Final Report On the Safety Assessment of Polyvinyl Alcohol

  29. EPA: Denial of Requested Rulemaking (Section V, B.4a and 4b)

  30. MSU CRIS: Trending – Polyvinyl Alcohol

  31. MSU CRIS: In the news – Polyvinyl Alcohol

  32. Are We Speaking the Same Language? Recommendations for a Definition and Categorization Framework for Plastic Debris

  33. EPA: Denial of Requested Rulemaking (Section V, B.2 and Section V, B.3)