sainsbury's Tu label

Sainsbury’s is introducing a new label on its Tu clothing range this season to help its customers prolong the life of their clothes by washing them at a lower temperature.

The ‘I Prefer 30’ label highlights that washing clothes at lower temperatures will mean they retain their colour for longer.

The label is part of the supermarket’s wider efforts to help customers own clothes for longer. A typical garment’s life with its original buyer is three years.

The new labels are part of the industry-wide I Prefer 30 campaign, which is co-ordinated by the UK Cleaning Products Industry Association and supported by Procter & Gamble and Unilever. It aims to help change European laundry habits and cut energy use.

Sainsbury’s has also been working with Oxfam to encourage shoppers to recycle their clothes and is the second-largest contributor to Oxfam clothing recycling in the country.

“It makes sense on every level,” said Paul Crewe, Sainsbury’s head of sustainability. “Clothes washed at lower temperatures stay brighter for longer and washing at 30 helps the environment too.”