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The cleaning product market is full of detergents using toxic, unsustainable chemicals. In wake of increased demand for eco-friendly cleaning sustainable products, some brands are also labelling products that are very environmentally damaging as eco-friendly, even though the contents suggest otherwise.
It can be very difficult to find genuinely sustainable home eco-friendly cleaning products amidst all the untruthful claims about sustainability and lack of availability of truly sustainable alternatives in some areas.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through some reliably sustainable brands to try to clean your home with eco-friendly ingredients, but first, we’ll summarise what makes an eco-friendly cleaning product and what to avoid.
Firstly, we recommend that you avoid sustainable product ranges by big brands which usually mass-produce unsustainable cleaning products. Firstly, because these companies are very often greenwashing, and their ‘sustainable’ range isn’t really all that eco-friendly. Secondly, because even if the products are truly sustainable, you’re still supporting a corporation doing severe damage to the environment by buying them. This goes both for ‘eco-friendly’ alternatives from large brands specialising in cleaning products, as well as supermarket or drug store owned ‘eco’ ranges.
However, it’s not just big brands that are applying greenwashing – small brands can do the same thing. Therefore, look for these signs to identify a product that’s truly, genuinely sustainable:
These 7 brands are great examples of products that fulfil all the criteria we’ve specified above and are a great eco-friendly cleaning choice for a sustainable home.
The brand is a family-owned business from Hull, UK using only natural and plant-derived ingredients and scenting them with essential oils only (with some fragrance-free options available). Their products are certified vegan and packaged in recycled plastic or paper. You can also find many of their eco-friendly cleaning products at bulk stores.
Something to be aware of is that some of their products do use SLES, which is a gentler alternative of SLS that helps them keep their prices lower – if you’re choosing to avoid SLES, check their individual product labels and choose only those products that don’t contain it.
This B-corp brand has become well-known in the US for its sustainable cleaning products. They use recycled packaging and source all their ingredients ethically. Their manufacturing facilities and offices run on renewable energy and they also have a sustainable biodiesel shipping programme.
Their range is free from chlorine, triclosan, phosphates, 2-butoxyethanol, phthalates, parabens, ammonia and MEA. While they select their fragrances carefully, they aren’t all based on essential oils, so you may want to choose a different brand if that’s a concern of yours.
This label manufactured in the UK uses cardboard or recycled plastic for their products and also has some bulk options available. All ingredients in their products are plant-derived and the brand avoids parabens, SLES, triclosan and phthalates. Any fragrance is added through essential oils, not harmful synthetic perfumes.
Some products contain ingredients derived from sustainable palm oil and you may want to give them a pass if you’re avoiding all palm oil.
There are still only a few brands available in the market that offer refillable products – but Common Good is one of them. You can refill the glass or plastic packaging at any of their stores worldwide.
Their ingredient lists are fully plant-derived and sustainably sourced. The only fragrances they use come from essential oils. However, note that this brand is priced higher than others on this list, so it may not be the best choice for the more price-sensitive of us.
Greenscents is one of the most ethical and sustainable brands on the market – according to Ethical Consumer, the single most ethical one. Their packaging is derived from sugar cane waste, which captures CO2 in manufacturing and is 100% recyclable. The products from this family-owned business are certified organic.
Their products don’t contain any palm oil, parabens, triclosan, phthalates, phosphates, alcohol, GM ingredients, phosphates, SLS, SLES, chlorine or optical brighteners.
This organic sustainable cleaning line is also one priced at a premium but maintains a very high standard of sustainability. They use organic, plant-based ingredients only and biodegradable, recyclable packaging.
Their products also help you reduce the number of products you’re using, thanks to all-in-one concentrated cleaners. This is ideal for minimalist, sustainable homes with small storage spaces!
This UK brand got well-known in the sustainability community thanks to its laundry egg – an innovative substitute to conventional laundry detergent. However, they offer some other cleaning solutions too. The brand is hypoallergenic and ideal for sensitive skin, as well as planet friendly. Their refillable products come in recycled plastic packaging, which will last you a long time because of the potential to refill it.
Their products are free from SLS, animal derivatives, detergents, phosphates, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, palm oil and petroleum. The brand is certified vegan and cruelty-free.
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