Also because there is less (i.e. none at all, apparently) use of plastic?
Bolding added.
Polyvinyl Alcohol is a water-soluble synthetic polymer, which does not contribute to plastic pollution. From Wikipedia, as one example :
Tests showed that fish (guppies) are not harmed, even at a poly(vinyl alcohol) concentration of 500 mg/L of water.[2]
Here is the reference for that claim; I haven’t read it for myself:
Hallensleben ML (2000). “Polyvinyl Compounds, Others”. Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a21_743. ISBN 978-3-527-30673-2.
More from Wikipedia:
Not all PVA grades are readily biodegradable, but studies show that high water-soluble PVA grades such as the ones used in detergents can be readily biodegradable according to OECD screening test conditions.[15]
Byrne, Dominic; Boeije, Geert; Croft, Ian; Hüttmann, Gerd; Luijkx, Gerard; Meier, Frank; Parulekar, Yash; Stijntjes, Gerard (13 March 2021). “Biodegradability of Polyvinyl Alcohol Based Film Used for Liquid Detergent Capsules: Biologische Abbaubarkeit der für Flüssigwaschmittelkapseln verwendeten Folie auf Polyvinylalkoholbasis”. Tenside Surfactants Detergents. 58 (2). De Gruyter Brill: 88–96. doi:10.1515/tsd-2020-2326. ISSN 0932-3414. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
So the use of plastics I was referring to was mainly the jugs used for both liquid detergent and (most?) pods, not the pods themselves.
I find it hard to believe that you can’t find room for roughly a 2-liter bottle of liquid detergent. I used to keep one or two on top of the washer when I had a front-loader; now that I have a top-loader, I just keep them on top of the dryer. (I actually have a bunch of cupboards above the machines in the laundry room, but they’re mostly empty because I don’t need them for anything.)
But as to the smallness and lightness of laundry detergent sheets, how much detergent could they possibly contain and how well could they therefore clean? Granted, the recommended quantities of typical liquid detergent are far higher than necessary, but even at far less than the recommended amount – I use just a fraction of the recommended amount – how does that compare with a wispy little laundry sheet that appears to contain almost nothing at all? How well does that clean?
Intuitively, one would think “not well”. And in practical tests, the answer matches intuition: “not well”:
Bottom line, laundry sheets don’t work very well, sometimes requiring multiple washings to achieve what can be done with one wash using traditional detergents, they use more resources like water in their manufacture, and they use a lot of fossil fuels to transport them from China to the US. I suspect those factors outweigh the one (recyclable) plastic jug used by a gallon of detergent, which is amortized across a hundred or more washloads.
What I noticed was all the sheets those folks tested were the ones claiming “eco friendly”. From brands touting a range of green products. What they did not test were sheets made by non-green mainstream companies for customers seeking convenience and functionality who’re indifferent to greenery.
Maybe so, but I still hold by my basic principle that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. The corollary being that if it’s done broke, then go ahead and try fixing it.
Thus, regarding dishwashers, I was disappointed in my traditional old powdered dishwasher detergent after the phosphorous ban, which resulted among other things in cloudy glassware. But now I’m delighted by the results of the modern new pods which leave dishes and glassware sparkling clean.
But, regarding laundry, since Tide Oxy works very well for me and I’m not burdened by having to store a bottle or two of liquid detergent in the laundry room, I have no interest whatsoever in experimenting with newfangled stuff that may or may not work. I don’t have full access to the Consumer Reports article but it didn’t seem that they were impressed by any of the laundry sheets compared to Tide liquid detergent, and I’m not surprised.
Though, of course, what’s not broke to you might be broke to someone else (people have different priorities, needs, etc.). And while I don’t necessarily put in effort to try new things, I really don’t think there’s a problem trying newer things that might be better, even when something “ain’t broke” - I’ve found several things I liked that way. Had no problem with them with the old product, but then found the newer one a better experience. Not needing to pull out my keys to use my car is great for me, even though I didn’t have any problem when I used keys. I absolutely love having GPS for directions. I’ve read remembrances of those who thought their twin-tub washing machines were great (certainly an improvement over what their mothers used) and didn’t see the need for an automatic one until they tried, and then it was amazing and they’d never go back. My point being that being open to trying something new (especially if fairly low risk/low cost) even when you don’t have a problem with what you already use can lead to you finding products that you like much better sometimes, and so I don’t think there’s a reason people should avoid it.
I more or less agree, and I have no objection to trying out new things, but I like to apply some considered judgment as to whether it’s likely to be beneficial before I do, though I admit that being a creature of habit gives me a certain amount of inertia. But speaking of GPS, I was actually an early adopter, and though I don’t need it often, when I do, it’s really been a godsend. The Speaking Lady who resides therein and knows the directions for everything is my new hero! 
As for laundry detergent, in ye olde dayes I used powder like everyone else, and it was the front-loader that switched me to liquid. I’ve stayed with liquid with the top loader, using Tide HE (High Efficiency, required by my machine). One time I switched tol Tide Oxy HE just because that was all that was available in the size I wanted, and got the impression that it’s a better cleaner than the original, and certainly produces great results. So for laundry detergent sheets it’s a classic case of not wanting to switch for no good reason, especially to a product that at least some regard as inferior.
The dishwasher pods I now use (Finish Quantum Ultimate) I willingly tried because, as I mentioned above, traditional powdered dishwasher detergent (same brand, actually) was not giving me good results. The pods are fantastic. I have no such incentive to switch laundry detergents.