At the end of 2012, several Member States alerted the Commission and other Member States to the rise of incidents related to a relatively new form of laundry detergent products. These products are liquid laundry detergents packaged in water-soluble film for single use (also called 'liquid laundry detergent capsules' in the following). Accidents rates appeared higher than with conventional forms of laundry detergent products (liquids filled in bottles, powder) and affected, in particular, young children. In addition, the incidents (caused by ingestion and/or eye/skin exposure) appeared to lead to more severe symptoms than those caused by traditional products.

The objective of the service contract is to:

1. provide a market analysis of hazardous mixtures marketed in water-soluble packaging;

2. provide a detailed study on the main factors and causes of accidental exposures to hazardous detergent mixtures in soluble packaging (hereinafter 'liquid detergent capsules', LDC), in particular involving infants;

3. assess whether the proposed safety measures are effective in reducing the number of incidents to a rate comparable with products placed on the market with traditional packaging;

4. identify and assess possible additional safety measures to prevent such exposure with a view to verifying their effectiveness, impacts on industry, implementation time and legal implications.