With move almost wholly over to liquid detergents it was only a matter of time before pods or some other individual dosing container came along.
Liquid or gel format laundry detergents can be messy to dispense. Depending upon concentration of product in question liquid detergents may contain quite a lot of water. Pods allow for greater concentration plus ease in dosing, storage, and so forth.
From previously posted German consumer testing bit.
MIKROPLASTIK IN DER WÄSCHE
Im Hamburger Klärwerk landet täglich das Abwasser von 1,8 Millionen Menschen, auch das aus den Waschmaschinen. Viele Waschmittel stellen hier ein Problem dar. Denn sie enthalten oft flüssiges Plastik und können nicht vollständig abgebaut werden. Die sogenannten Polymere geben ihnen oft erst die gelartige Konsistenz. Keine Kläranlage der Welt schafft es, diese Waschmittel restlos abzubauen, sagt der Experte. Je mehr wir davon verwenden, desto mehr Rückstände landen also in unseren Gewässern.
MICROPLASTICS IN LAUNDRY
The wastewater from 1.8 million people ends up in the Hamburg sewage treatment plant every day, including that from washing machines. Many detergents pose a problem here because they often contain liquid plastic and cannot be completely broken down. The so-called polymers often give them their gel-like consistency. No sewage treatment plant in the world manages to completely break down these detergents, says the expert. The more we use it, the more residue ends up in our waters.
Clearly PODS are in some people's crosshairs, and P&G is wise to get out front with a suitable replacement.