We believe there’s simply no future in using dirty, planet-polluting, crude oil-derived products. Using plants, waste and biological processes will help grow a sustainable, renewable economy. We source mainly consciously chosen ingredients, such as corn sugars and plant oils such as palm, coconut and rapeseed that are gentle, biodegradable and effective.
We’re on a mission to reduce our use of palm oil, given the serious challenge of deforestation caused by palm oil production. For example, our new Ecover Laundry Fabric Softener uses sustainable French-grown rapeseed oil instead. This reduces our palm oil use by roughly 200 tons per year. Not to mention all the transport miles saved. It’s been a major leap in our journey to replace significant amounts of palm oil, but we know there’s still much more to do.
Back in 1979 Ecover was inspired by seeing the damage that phosphates from cleaning products were doing to aquatic life. Which is why today we champion ingredients that are readily biodegradable.
This means they can be eaten by little microbes in our water systems and decompose into CO2, water, minerals and biomass.
The detail here is incredibly important. We’re constantly refining our formulas, because we know every detail matters. Like minimising how much water is needed to dilute our detergent, or assessing if our formulas will biodegrade in wastewater treatment facilities or septic systems.
Nature is our guide in everything we do. Even when we’ve got our lab coats on. We use ingredients that can use less energy, less water and fewer materials to create cleaning products that are effective.
Surfactants are the main active ingredient in detergents – but they’re generally made from petroleum-based sources. Which we’re not really down with.
So what did we do? We went back to nature of course, and built a beehive inspired laboratory. Drawing from some pretty far-out 1960s research, when scientists discovered a unique type of yeast with surfactant properties that grows naturally in bumblebee hives.
We tested, experimented and worked with the best universities and research institutions, successfully creating a patented breeding ground for this unique yeast. The result? Our range of Eco Surfactant cleaners that you can buy today. Powerful cleaning surfactants, inspired by nature and made in a biological way.
Unsurprisingly enough, we don’t believe in testing on our animal friends. We have been Leaping Bunny certified since 2011 and rigorously stick by the strict standards set by Cruelty Free International.
This means that we don’t use any animal or insect-derived substances in any of our products. Because the animal industry has significant environmental impacts on water systems, land use and climate change.
So that’s ingredients.
When we say we live and breathe clean, we mean it. From the way we do business to how we source our ingredients to out war on ocean plastic – it’s all about finding new ways to put our values into practice. Even if it’s going to take a while to get there.
Find out more about what we’re doing…
Plastic
We’re waging war on single-use plastic. And we’re aiming to make all our bottles from recycled plastic.
Manufacturing
First we built one of the world’s most ecologically sound factories. Next stop: a zero-waste, zero-carbon footprint.
Sourcing
We’re making our supply chain more responsible. Buying local when we can and using suppliers with shared values.
Fragrances
We use fragrances that are designed to smell fresh and wonderful – not overpower you with toxic chemicals.
Design
We believe that packaging design can have a positive impact on people and the planet.
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Ingredients
Most of our ingredients are made of biodegradable substances.
