The present invention relates to pectate lyases comprising the amino acid sequence Asn Leu Asn Ser Arg Val Pro (NLNSRVP) (amino acids 236 242 of SEQ ID NO: 2) belonging to Family 1 of polysaccharide lyases have good performance in industrial processes under neutral or alkaline conditions such as laundering and textile processing. The pectate lyase may be derivable from Bacillus species.