• The New York Times, Tuesday, September 4, 2007 11:30 AM

Rickitt Benckiser of Britain--which owns brands like Lysol and Woolite--is trying to make the environmental appeal of its automatic dishwasher detergent brands drive purchase intent in Europe. New advertising for brands like Calgonit carry a message of environmental responsibility to the consumer, claiming the product is "not only good for your dishes but for our future, too."

The ad may be used in other European markets, like Britain, where Reckitt sells the Finish brand, and the U.S., where it markets Electrasol, says Rob de Groot, a Reckitt executive. Different ads with a similar message have appeared in markets including Southern and Eastern Europe and South Africa.

The company cites research conducted at the University of Bonn that compares the water and energy consumption of people from several European countries who wash dishes by hand with the quantities used in modern dishwashers. It says the machines win, hands down. But the South African Advertising Standards Authority recently rejected advertisements for Finish that claimed automatic dishwashers used 50% of the energy and one-tenth the water.

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