On October 8–14, 2012 UNENGO «МАМА-86» held the first «Green Consumer Week – 2012» in Ukraine supported by Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, and on the model of «Green Week», for many years carried out by SSNC in Sweden. The main goal of this informational and educational campaign is to promote environmentally friendly consumption.

The first «Green Week» in Ukraine was dedicated to problem of detergents and was held under the motto «Eco-friendly laundry to Ukrainians!»

Lack of necessary legal regulation of the problem of phosphorus detergents in Ukraine caused uncontrolled development of detergents market, which since the 1990-s was flooded with cheap and environmentally dangerous detergents, mainly imported or produced in Ukraine by big international companies. About 98% detergents distributed in Ukraine, contain large amounts of phosphates, surfactants and other substances, dangerous for human health and environment.

For the last 10 years Ukrainian water utilities have revealed significant increasing of phosphates amounts in wastewaters and faced the problem to treat such wastewaters. Getting with discharged wastewaters into water bodies, phosphates cause eutrophication (water “blooming”), particularly of the cascade of the Dnipro reservoirs, which are the main source of drinking water for 70% of population in Ukraine.

The aim of the “Green Consumer Week” in Ukraine was to catalyze the decreasing of use the detergents with large amounts of phosphates and surfactants. The partners of UNENGO “MAMA-86” to carry out this campaign became: UN Global Instrument, Kyiv joint stock company “Kyivvodocanal” (Kyiv Water utility), Ministry of education, science, youth and sport of Ukraine, the Union of chemists of Ukraine, the Club of Organic Agriculture, network of boutiques GLOSSARY, Association of green business of Ukraine, “Apogei” gymnasium and other NGOs and business organizations.

In the framework of the “Green Consumer Week” a number of activities was held: press-conferences and meetings with journalists, receptions for “eco-friends”, expert round tables and multi-stakeholder dialogues, lessons in schools, meetings with consumers in supermarkets and on the streets, surveys, creation of video films, drawing contests and online activities. Creation of the interactive map with places of production, sales and consumption of eco-safe detergents in Kyiv region was initiated, which may eventually cover all territory of Ukraine.

During this week over 60 activities (round tables, press-conferences, street actions, TV interviews, and public meetings) were held and over 1000 online appeals to public activists and representatives of business companies were sent and 14 news digests were disseminated. In 13 cities of Ukraine over 15 000 printed information materials were distributed (leaflets, flyers, posters and stickers), including 2000 information materials were distributed during two-hour action on Khreschatyk — the main street of Kyiv. The members of the UNENGO “MAMA-86” network and volunteers took an active part in these actions.

The guidelines for “Safe eco-laundry in Ukraine” lessons were distributed in about 20 000 schools with the help of the Ministry of education, science, youth and sport of Ukraine.

Photo gallery of the campaign: http://mama86.io.ua/album

More information about «Green Consumer Week — 2012» :

www.greenweek.in.ua

http://mama-86.org.ua/index.php/en/chemsec/chemsec-news/411-intersectoral-dialog.html

http://mama-86.org.ua/index.php/en/chemsec/chemsec-news/409-action.html