Council Directive 73/404/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to detergents

Member States are hereby required to prohibit the placing on the market as well as the use of detergents where the average level of biodegradability of the surfactants contained therein is less than 90 percent for each of the categories referred to in article 2. On the other side, the use of surfactants with an average level of biodegradability of not less than 90 percent must not be harmful to human or animal health. Article 7 specifies the information that must appear in legible, visible and indelible characters on the packaging of detergents for sale to the consumer.