Frequently Asked Questions

There may be coconut and/or palm nut derivatives found in the Multi-Surface Cleaner, Delicate Laundry Liquid, Laundry Liquid, Bio & Non Bio Powders and the Bio Laundry Tablets (UK products). There may be traces of Coconut shell in the Heavy Duty Hand Cleaner.

Wheat is contained in the Lemon & Aloe Vera washing-up Liquid and in the Shower Gel. Sufferers only normally have a problem if ingested, however some may wish to avoid the washing-up liquid in case traces are left on plates etc.

Allergies and irritation can be triggered by any ingredient, natural or synthetic. With Ecover products, experience shows that allergic reactions are less likely than with the use of conventional products based on petrochemical ingredients. For more info, please read the FAQ on Fragrances and Allergens.

Ecover carefully selects plant-based and mineral raw materials that, when traces stay on the fabric, are less likely to cause skin irritations and allergies.

• Since our foundation in 1980 Ecover has never tested any finished products or ingredients on sentient animals, nor has it ordered such tests by third parties.
• For research and product development Ecover uses alternative methods of testing only: e.g. based on bacteria, Daphnia, algae or theoretical evaluation models. 
• Ecover do not condone or advocate animal testing.  Ecover will not knowingly accept or work with suppliers that we know test ingredients on animals. 
• Ecover is not a member any contract testing laboratory. 
• Ecover supports the UK -based Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME)

As a pioneering ecological company, Ecover’s responsibility is to continuously improve the environmental performance of its products. A major challenge in developing an ecologic washing and cleaning product is minimizing the effects of its use on aquatic systems. After all, water is the source of all life on our planet. Therefore, the toxicity of our products on aquatic life must be measured to ensure that our products will minimize harm to aquatic life.

All substances that end up in surface water can potentially harm the species living in this water, such as bacteria, algae, water fleas and fish. All these organisms play a key role in the functioning of the ecosystem in the water. Most active substances in cleaning products are toxic for aquatic life, even in small doses.  This is why Ecover feels it is absolutely necessary to perform aqua toxic tests.

We use acute toxicity tests in order to calculate the EC50 values of our products. To calculate these values we use the Daphtox test. This is a test where increased amounts of the end-product are added to the Daphnia’s environment. After 48 hours of exposure the degree of immobilization will be measured. The test is executed according the ISO and OECD 202 protocol. Another test we use is the Algotox. This test is similar to the Daphtox test. The algae are added to different concentrations of the end-product and after 72 hours of exposure the limitation in algae growth is measured. This test is carried out according to OECD protocol 201.

These two tests will give us an idea of the toxicity level of the product when it emerges into surface water. We limit testing to one test per new product. We consider these tests necessary because without testing our products on a limited amount of Daphnia we could put products on the market that can potentially kill trillions of Daphnia and destroy complete eco-systems by entering ponds, rivers and other habitats of aquatic life. Not testing equals not knowing, which is not only unacceptable but also unethical. 

On bottles the number can be found on the back of the neck, on powders and boxes it is usually stamped on the bottom or on the back near the barcode. It is a printed series of numbers and will look different to the main text of the label. The batch number allows Ecover not only to check a retained sample which is kept for 2 years in the factory, but it also allows us to retrace each and every ingredient back to it's producer.

We absolutely never forget about what happens with our products or ingredients when they’ve left your kitchen sink or toilet bowl. For years our scientists have been working on making products with lowered impact on nature after they’ve disappeared down your drain. Biodegradability refers to the process of chemical breakdown by natural processes, into more basic components, digestible by nature. Usually, products are broken down by bacteria, fungi or other simple organisms. So by definition, most chemicals are biodegradable; the only difference being the amount of time it takes to break down. For instance, a piece of bread will break down pretty quickly, whereas a piece of plastic will take decades and beyond! Because we don’t like products that stick around long polluting nature, all Ecover products are uniquely developed to biodegrade fast and completely.

In the first stage of the process (called primary biodegradability), the substance loses its principal characteristics (in the case of surfactants, it is their washing power). This process can be compared with the demolition of a house. After primary demolition, the house is rendered useless. However, there is still a heap of rubble left, and the pieces can still cause a great deal of trouble to get rid of.

The second stage of the process (called secondary biodegradability) involves a number of intermediate stages, some of them damaging, which take place before the substance is completely broken down into minerals. To continue the analogy of the demolished house, this would mean that all the rubble has been cleared away and nothing troublesome is left behind.

Because Ecover develops products that have as small of an environmental impact as possible, we strive to continuously improve the biodegradability of our products. This is why we only select ingredients for our products that meet our criteria for biodegradability. All our ingredients are chosen because they biodegrade fast and completely. We do this not just for the surface active ingredients, but for all the ingredients use to make our products, such as polymers and the like.

This ensures us that we are giving consumers what we claim: namely an environmentally compatible product. We can say (and prove) that our products do not contain stable metabolites throughout the process of complete biodegradation.

All washing powders have a surfactant base which is the 'workhorse' of the product. For Ecover our surfactants are derived from plant- based ingredients as opposed to petrochemical surfactants used in a conventional product.

The main difference between a biological and a non-biological laundry product is that a non-biological product doesn't contain enzymes. To increase the performance of a conventional washing powder oxygen bleach is added which helps in the removal of stains such as grass. However not all stains are bleachable and therefore enzymes are also added to produce biological laundry products which are better at removing fatty or protein based stains such as blood and egg.

Unfortunately, we have withdrawn this product from the market for the foreseeable future due to a change in EU legislation relating to solvents for consumer use.  New legislation has meant that all solvents must now be labelled as 'Environmentally Hazardous' and this includes Ecover Citrus Degreaser despite being based on natural orange terpenes which biodegrade both quickly and completely.

We are continuing to research ways of finding a new formula for this product that meets legislative requirements, however, due to the strict environmental criteria that we operate under and the exceptional cleaning performance that we expect our products to deliver, the development of a new formula will take extensive research and development.

At Ecover we take great care to make sure all our products are developed in a sustainable way. Ingredients are sourced from plants and minerals. Our products are powerful yet once used they’re completely re-absorbed into nature. This is what we, at Ecover, call clever science. To give you our Ecover Guarantee, our approach is validated by a prominent international environmental and safety service provider: Vincotte Environmental. More information about this company can be found at http://www.vincotte.com

Dishwasher tablets are very susceptible to atmospheric humidity. This causes them to crumble. To prevent this from happening and guarantee the quality of the product, Ecover dishwasher tablets are wrapped separately.

Some manufacturers choose PVA (polyvinylalcohol) for the wrappers, which has a spectacular side-effect: the wrapper dissolves in the dishwasher. In fact the wrapper is soluble, but not degradable. You can compare it with a sand castle that gets washed over by a wave. The castle is gone, but the components (grains of sand) are still there. They don’t disappear and can accumulate in the environment.

Ecover chooses polypropylene (PP), a simple, stable and non-toxic plastic that can be easily recycled. Each wrapper weighs only 0.3 grams. However, the best choice would be a wrapper in bio plastic, but the chemical stability and durability of this material are not yet satisfactory.

Ecover is always looking for new materials and possibilities to pack its products and will not hesitate to switch to a more sustainable alternative when available and viable.

Dishwasher tablets that claim to have a Salt action do not incorporate additional salt into the tablet. Instead they typically use increased levels of Phosphate and Phosphonates to soften the water in the machine. Phosphates have shown to cause algal blooms in waterways, leading to the water being starved of oxygen, a phenomenon known as eutrophication. They have already been banned from laundry detergents in most EU countries. Phosphonates are classed as a persistent chemical due to their poor biodegradability. Both are therefore banned by the Ecover concept.

Tablets claiming to have a rinse aid function achieve this by increasing the surfactant content of the tablet in the hope that some surfactant remains in the dishwasher during the rinse cycle. Ecover believes that a separate Rinse Aid dosed by the machine at the correct stage in the washing cycle is currently the most ecological option for consumers. This reduces overdosing of surfactants in the tablet and reduces the need for additional petrochemical-based surfactants.

Other functionalities (up to 7-in-1) involve the use of various chemicals for protecting dishware such as benzotriazole (silver) and various salts of zinc or bismuth (glassware) or for delivering extra shine. Ecover refrains from using such persistent chemicals and heavy metals and questions the desirability of their use both in terms of environmental impact and human health.

We do not provide a generation salt because we do not see any ecological advantage that can be offered by it. Salt is salt and there is no ecological alternative to it. Conventional brands can buy it in greater quantities, which would mean that the selling price would be somewhat lower than the price we could offer it at. This has led to a decision not to sell this product for the moment.

Where the Dishwasher Tabs take care of the cleaning, using Rinse Aid prevents droplets left on the cutlery becoming visible. Ecover's Dishwasher Tabs are probably the only ones in the market without phosphates (normally up to 50%), which really work. Conventional Rinse Aids contain a type of surfactants with a very nasty environmental impact (the so-called EO/PO block polymers). The combination of Ecover Dishwasher Tabs and Rinse Aid is altogether the optimal combination for a good dish wash and preserving the environment.

Ecover products do not come with dosing/dispensing balls, as all of our laundry products are designed to be poured directly into the dosing/dispensing drawer.

Ecover products already were fully biodegradable and made of plant-based and mineral ingredients. What’s new is that Ecover has developed, through many years of research, a unique and sustainable process for the production of Eco-Surfactants using a special bioreactor that requires no chemical processing whatsoever. Ecover now delivers  even more effective and even more ecological surfactants ever applied in cleaning products. The usage within cleaning products is patented by Ecover.

Eco-Surfactants are the ecological counterparts of conventional surfactants in washing and cleaning products, also known as wetting agents. Surfactants are responsible for the cleaning power of cleaning products and thus indispensable. Only, Eco-Surfactants are fully ecological: they are the result of a natural process of fermentation. And they have a talent for cleaning hard surfaces very accurately.

For several decades now, Ecover developed its Diamond Model that is validated and controlled by an independent auditor and we have used it as a quantifiable tool to evaluate the impact of the total life cycle of all our products. This dynamic tool was and is still used to develop all Ecover products and to make sure we evaluate each new product on all the necessary scales. This is not just about banning certain chemicals or looking at performance criteria, but about understanding that everything starts with the sourcing of ingredients to their disposal and complete assimilation in the water cycle. That’s why we profoundly believe that our Ecover Diamond Model goes beyond any other existing eco-label criteria. Our model uses some of the same criteria as used by the EU Eco-label, however, it simply takes these criteria as a starting point. On top of that, Ecover can guarantee that all product claims are backed up by the quantifiable data that come out of the Diamond Model. You won’t find hollow green marketing claims with Ecover. We do what we say and we say what we do.

For more information about the Ecover Diamond Model please read our FAQ on the Ecover Diamond

Well, we agree on the very basic belief that while no human activity is completely 'environmentally friendly', there are always opportunities to reduce the impact that certain products have upon the environment. Ecover is constantly innovating and pushing boundaries to create new and more effective products that have minimum negative impact on the environment, and consistently achieves extraordinary ethical standards with its products, management and production methods.

For comparing the environmental relevance of household and personal care products, the Critical Dilution Volume (CDV) originally developed for the EU eco-label of detergents is an often used key criterion. The CDV uses the dimension “liters per functional unit” which expresses the amount of water needed for the hypothetical dilution of a chemical substance or product. To comply with the EU eco-label requirements, the CDV of a product must not exceed a defined maximum value. Studies have shown, however, that in many cases, this criterion has led to an unrealistic depiction of the environmental behavior of product ingredients and to inadequate product evaluations. Critics argue that it considers biodegradation as the only parameter for assessment of the environmental exposure and does not allow for a realistic evaluation of the chemical load in rivers due to product ingredients. At Ecover, we look at the complete ecological performance of our products, and not just the CDV.

Well, this just explains another major hurdle in the EU eco-labeling scheme. It does not exempt products or services from complying with additional non-EU or national environmental or regulatory requirements, as may be applicable to the various stages of the product life cycle. This means that where a product containing phosphates is legal under the eco-label and national law of one country, it still could not be sold in countries where phosphates are deemed illegal. It makes the eco-label for that product obsolete in those countries. And, for Ecover, these inconsistencies or “loopholes” are problematic in determining what makes a product truly “ecological”.

Nothing is wrong with the EU Eco-label. We admit that the EU Eco-label criteria are strict, but just not strict enough for Ecover. Take for example raw materials. The EU eco-label neither requires or promotes renewable raw materials. According to the EU eco-label, environmental criteria “will take into account all aspects of a product's life, from its production and use to its eventual disposal (cradle-to-grave approach)”. However, under the eco-label approach, the source of raw materials is excluded. Ecover, on the other hand, has highly stringent standards for the source selection of its raw materials. Sourcing is not excluded from the product’s life cycle. Moreover, raw materials must be renewable. This means they can be grown again or replenished and are inexhaustible.  However, to this date, higher criteria for the sourcing of raw materials still need to be adopted into the EU eco-labeling scheme. Until this happens, Ecover will keep pushing for this.

Established in 1992, the EU eco-label “Flower” is a certification scheme aimed "to help European consumers distinguish greener, more environmentally friendly, products and services (not including food and medicine)". Over the years, the "Flower" has become a European-wide symbol for products, providing simple and accurate guidance to consumers. All products bearing the "Flower" have been checked by independent bodies for complying with strict ecological and performance criteria. For more information, go to: www.eco-label.com

In order to help raise environmental standards worldwide, Ecover, as a pioneering company, is committed to working with the European Union in its ongoing effort to establish a certification scheme that defines the criteria for an ecological product.  Ecover has not steered away from engaging and collaborating with European Union agencies in this process.

Our company goal is to promise consumers a washing and cleaning product that is efficient and truly ecological. Our standards are stringent because its helps us protect and guarantee our promise. We will make no compromises by carrying a label that, we believe, today does not mirror the level of ecological quality that we produce and sell. Nonetheless, we believe that it is possible to create a European certification scheme that is stringent and fair. Ecover, with 30 years of sustainability at its core, therefore willfully shares its knowledge, skill and standards with the scientific community and agencies of the European Union. We do so in the hope that one day, perhaps even sooner than we think, all our products can bear a European label that truly reflects who and what we are. 

For a few decades now, Ecover developed the Diamond Model and used it as a quantifiable tool to evaluate the impact of the total life cycle of its products. This dynamic tool was and is still used to develop all Ecover products and to make sure we evaluate new products on all the necessary aspects. The Ecover Diamond Model is not only about banning certain chemicals or looking at performance criteria, but about understanding that everything starts with the sourcing of ingredients to their disposal and complete assimilation in the water cycle.
We firmly believe that the Ecover Diamond Model goes beyond any other existing eco-label criteria. It does use some of the same criteria as used by the EU Eco-label, but takes these criteria as the minimum standard to start from.
The Ecover Diamond Model has been validated by Vinçotte Environment, a prominent international environmental and safety service provider.
The Ecover diamond is divided in 13 axes of quantifiable characteristics within the 3 main processes of our product’s life cycle:

1. Renewable Resources
2. Green Chemistry
3. Resource proximity
4. Primary Efficiency
5. Secondary Efficiency
6. Consumer Safety
7. Aquatic Safety
8. Limited Aquatic Impact
9. Aerobically Degradable Ingredients
10. An-aerobically Degradable Surfactants
11. Phosphorus Absence
12. VOC Absence
13. Primary Packaging Optimization

To accomplish it’s mission statement, Ecover aims to achieve the highest possible shareholder and stakeholder value by developing strong brands. Ecover follows three guiding principles for this strategy that are not inherent to Ecover alone:
Respect: For Ecover respect is esteem for, or a sense of the worth that we give to different opinions and different cultures. We stand for a society that works and lives together and where all people are treated as equal.

Integrity: Ecover expects that its employees support the mission and objectives of the company and, by fully standing behind them, work towards achieving them. Everyone within the organization, as well as any party doing business with Ecover, is expected to take its mission into account in all its aspects.

Commitment: Ecover is committed to achieving its objectives using the resources available. The same level of commitment is asked from each and every employee.

Ecover is devoted to developing and producing efficient and ecological washing and cleaning products in a sustainable way so that people can fulfill their hygienic needs without depriving future generations from the chance to provide in their needs.

This can be found in the company’s mission statement:

“Ecover offers efficient and sustainable solutions for the hygienic needs of people today and future generations.”

Ecover has a long tradition of encouraging the use of alternative modes of transportation. Our Global Mobility Policy was implemented to help further reduce carbon dioxide emissions of employees commuting to work by car. This measure was taken in furtherance to the already existing remuneration given to employees commuting to work regularly by bicycle or car pool.

Under the current policy, more than 35% of Ecover employees, eligible for a company vehicle, drive a Hybrid. The other remaining vehicles, with diesel engines and low gas mileage, are also chosen for their environmental benefits (e.g. the BMW Touring 320d 163 with average gas mileage of 4,90 l/100km and carbon dioxide emissions of 131 CO₂g/km ).

Remarkably, in 2009, Ecover’s practices regarding employee mobility kept total carbon dioxide emissions at an average of 131,46 CO2g/km, well below the average of 160 g attributed to our leasing partner’s portfolio of more than 25.500 different vehicles.

Click here to read our official Environmental Policy Statement.

Ecover uses enzymes in most of it’s products to replace/decrease the use of surfactants. Enzymes are protein forms that act as catalysts in chemical and biochemical processes. A washing process is a chemical process by which different components interact.

Enzymes are actually excreted by certain bacteria and are therefore not living organisms in themselves. Living bacteria may not be found in enzymes, these are killed at the end of their production process. As a result, enzymes used as ingredients do not contain any living organisms. This is also prohibited by regulations.

Almost all conventional washing powders contain enzymes. It is hardly possible to achieve the same satisfactory washing results without them. There is a two-fold benefit regarding the use of enzymes: a cleaner wash and a lower burden on the environment. Ecover’s compact washing powder and dishwasher tablets therefore contain enzymes. We also supply additional enzyme-free washing powder in the UK and Germany because there is a long standing tradition for a product of this type in these countries.

For more information please click this link

At Ecover, honesty, integrity and transparency are core values. It is with respect to these values and the inherent ethos of the company where ecological, social and economic considerations play an integral part of our decisions, that we continuously pioneer and try to further improve the ecological performance of our products.

When our company decided to continue using enzymes to offer an effective cleaning choice, we took into account all our stakeholders’ views. Ecover’s final decision not only served the majority view, but primarily that of our environment.

Genetic Modification is a highly complex issue and Ecover does not endorse Genetic Modification of any higher life organism - animal, plant or human.  Ecover states with 100% certainty that its enzymes are not genetically modified. However, Ecover cannot claim the same for the current production process of these enzymes as ingredient information suggests.

The values of Ecover are not part of a tag line or a marketing campaign, but integrated into every aspect of this company. We are not a flawless operation, and we firmly believe that what we achieve today is not good enough for tomorrow, so we are constantly striving to improve. Whilst respecting the opinions of others, we have held fast to our principles for the past decades to get to where we are today.

The enzymes used in Ecover still differ from those used in conventional products. In those products, genetically modified enzymes are commonly used meaning that the modification creates an ‘unnatural’ performance. For example, the enzymes are modified to work at 30 degrees or are resistant to a low pH rather than work at a natural temperature of 40 to 60 degrees, and expected pH. Take the example of jeans washed for stonewash effect where the desired effect is achieved by using certain enzymes rather than the original process of washing jeans using stones. Other enzymes, for instance, are designed to remove lipstick or baby stains. Needless to say, these enzymes are not the work of nature.

In recent years, our sources have been acquired by larger companies, some who have modified their production processes through which GMO has entered our world.

Today, the enzymes used by Ecover are strictly created through a micro-organism that has undergone modification solely to increase its enzyme producing capacity. There is no modification of the enzymes produced and the micro-organism is not modified to suit a purpose that it was not designed for. (You can compare this process to artificial insemination where only the rate of fertilization is increased.) None of the other characteristics of both the micro-organism and its protein are modified in any way that would not occur naturally.

The enzymes that we use in our products are natural enzymes in their natural form – protease and amylase. These are non-patented enzymes. (These enzymes are commonly found in saliva and the digestive tract for breaking down proteins and starch). Obviously, these enzymes can be obtained from animals, but the most common and cost effective way results from a fermentation process using naturally occurring micro organisms.

When Ecover first started using these enzymes, manufacturers and suppliers were able to guarantee the GMO free production process as well as the necessary safety and health measures. Guarantees were made for both during the production process as well as, afterwards, during the enzyme use in our products. Safety standards are met when enzymes are encapsulated, meaning that their power is released during the washing process and no time prior to this.

Enzymes are protein forms that act as catalysers in chemical processes. A washing process is a chemical process by which components interact. Enzyme components, which are environmentally safe and neutral, replace (and actually reduce) the use of surfactants in washing and cleaning products.

So what are surfactants? Surfactants are the active ingredient in a washing and cleaning product and they’re pretty harmful to our environment. This harm does not necessarily occur during the production process but more specifically in its use. Surfactants change the characteristics of water by altering the surface tension so that the active ingredient can access a stain more easily. But by incorporating enzymes into the formulation, we can reduce the amount of surfactant used, thus minimising the impact on the aquatic environment.

Ecover products effectively remove typical stains or soil on fabrics by using naturally occurring enzymes like protease and amylase that perform respectively on both protein and starch stains. Ecover only uses a tiny amount of enzymes. Even a small amount of enzymes in a product, like 1% to 2%, actually replaces 10 times the amount of surfactants required!

In order to offer consumer choice, a number of Ecover products contain enzymes: dishwasher tablets, biological washing powder, laundry tablets, stain remover. Ecover use enzymes to enhance the cleaning properties of these products. Ecover’s other products, including the UK Non-Bio washing powder, laundry liquid and concentrated laundry liquid do not contain enzymes.

Established in 1992, the EU eco-label “Flower” is a certification scheme aimed "to help European consumers distinguish greener, more environmentally friendly products and services (not including food and medicine)". Over the years, the "Flower" has become a European-wide symbol for products, providing simple and accurate guidance to consumers. All products bearing the "Flower" have been checked by independent bodies for complying with strict ecological and performance criteria. For more information, go to: www.eco-label.com

Well, we agree on the very basic belief that while no human activity is completely 'environmentally friendly', there are always opportunities to reduce the impact that certain products have upon the environment. Ecover is constantly innovating and pushing boundaries to create new and more effective products that have minimum negative impact on the environment, and consistently achieves extraordinary ethical standards with its products, management and production methods.

For a full statement please click here

Nothing is wrong with the EU Eco-label. We admit that the EU Eco-label criteria are strict, but for Ecover they could still be stricter. Take for example raw materials. The EU eco-label neither requires or promotes renewable raw materials. According to the EU eco-label, environmental criteria “will take into account all aspects of a product's life, from its production and use to its eventual disposal (cradle-to-grave approach)”. However, under the eco-label approach, the source of raw materials is excluded. Ecover, on the other hand, has highly stringent standards for the source selection of its raw materials. Sourcing is not excluded from the product’s life cycle. Moreover, raw materials must be to the largest extent possible renewable. This means they can be grown again or replenished and are inexhaustible.  However, to this date, higher criteria for the sourcing of raw materials still need to be adopted into the EU eco-labeling scheme. Until this happens, Ecover will keep pushing for this.

Well, this just explains a major hurdle in the EU eco-labeling scheme. It does not exempt products or services from complying with additional non-EU or national environmental or regulatory requirements, as may be applicable to the various stages of the product life cycle. This means that where a product containing phosphates is legal under the eco-label and national law of one country, it still could not be sold in countries where phosphates are deemed illegal. It makes the eco-label for that product obsolete in those countries. And, for Ecover, these inconsistencies or “loopholes” are problematic in determining what makes a product truly “ecological”.

For comparing the environmental relevance of household and personal care products, the Critical Dilution Volume (CDV) originally developed for the EU eco-label of detergents is an often used key criterion. The CDV uses the dimension “liters per functional unit” which expresses the amount of water needed for the hypothetical dilution of a chemical substance or product. To comply with the EU eco-label requirements, the CDV of a product must not exceed a defined maximum value. Studies have shown, however, that in many cases, this criterion has led to an unrealistic depiction of the environmental behavior of product ingredients and to inadequate product evaluations. Critics argue that it considers biodegradation as the only parameter for assessment of the environmental exposure and does not allow for a realistic evaluation of the chemical load in rivers due to product ingredients. At Ecover, we look at the complete ecological performance of our products, and not just the CDV.

Very few of the manufactured ingredients Ecover uses are sourced in developing countries; almost none are actually available in a Fair Trade version. Nevertheless, Ecover is in favor of fair, open and honest agriculture as one of the solutions for the future. Ecover follows developments closely and when possible, Ecover will gradually switch to Fair Trade ingredients when the logistical, financial and technical circumstances allow it.

In the meanwhile we support fair trade by offering our employees Fair Trade coffee, tea and fruit juice. We purchase our products from PURO, a fair trade producer.

In light of the sharp increase of the population’s allergic reactions (more than 35% Europeans) the European Union has declared it mandatory that the 26 most common allergens are listed on product labels. Extensive discussions were held on the subject as those substances labelled as allergenic have existed naturally for over 12,000 years. Apparently, the way in which we live today along with the all-encompassing pollution of the environment has had a detrimental effect on our immune systems.

It is unacceptable, however, and somewhat problematic that various government agencies have been communicating incomplete and incorrect information. Namely, the 26 allergens are not substances that cause a person to become allergic; these are substances that trigger allergic reactions in people who are already sufferers. The purpose of the labelling requirement is to warn these people.

Use your head: It is distressing that our environment has become increasingly threatened through the behaviour of mankind, but this is the reality and something that should drive use to all we can to lead more sustainable lifestyles. Aromatic substances in general, including those derived from plants, should be used with extreme care. High concentrates or prolonged contact with fragrances should be avoided, as well as contact with substances whose fragrance has a tendency to remain on surfaces for long periods of time.

Since 1980, Ecover has been meticulous in the handling of aromatic ingredients and adheres to stringent regulations in the creation of product fragrances. We know from experience that many allergy sufferers have a neutral reaction with our products. Nevertheless, we applaud the fact that from now on substances that may cause allergic reactions will be listed on the relevant product labels as a warning.

Since it was founded Ecover has chosen to adopt this manufacturing method. We only use fragrances derived from plants; essentials oils and their components which, when suitably combined with natural alcohol derived from fermentation, will create a pleasant and mild scent. This fragrance will not remain on the cleaned surface and will slowly evaporate. Furthermore, this mild scent will not have harmful effects on the user’s skin or respiratory system. It is a well-known fact that substances derived from plants can also have a very unpleasant effect on people who are oversensitive or allergic to certain substances.

Most ingredients have unpleasant odours; they can smell rubbery, washed out, sickly or bitter and even after they have been mixed to create a product with other ingredients their scent will hardly improve. This is the main reason why, since the end of the 19th Century fragrances have been added to laundry and cleaning products. During the course of the 20th Century manufacturers have been adding fragrance to their products with increasingly more specific, powerful and longer lasting scents with the intention of improving customer relations and brand loyalty. Even today purely synthetic fragrances derived from petrochemicals are used for this purpose.

To Ecover, a laundry or cleaning product is hardly ever considered to be straight forward in its composition; with at least three of four – and sometimes even up to eighteen or twenty different ingredients derived from plants and minerals. Every component is necessary to ensure the product meets its expectations. These active ingredients will have undergone a refining process and are not added to the product in their natural form; oils presses from plants are an example of such a process. Soaps and detergents only acquire their cleansing properties when the plant based oil from which they have been manufactured has undergone certain specific transformations.

Ecover’s laundry and cleaning products are made using a variety of plant-based and mineral ingredients. The natural and distinctive odours of these ingredients are on the whole unpleasant which is why fragrance is added. In addition to this, we add fragrance so that the scent generated while washing and cleaning is both mild and pleasant without being overbearing – and is not left behind on your clean floor surface. For these reasons, Ecover uses a blend of plant-based essential oils, their derivatives and natural alcohol derived from fermentation. However, this may still pose a problem for people who are overly sensitive to these substances or who suffer from allergic reactions to them. For this reason, the EU has made it mandatory to list the most common allergens on the labels of products.

Grey (waste) water is safe to use for to water your plants and garden.  However we recommend that if possible you allow the water to 'settle' for 2 - 3 days first.  During this time the process of biodegradation will have already started to happen, minimising further the impact to the environment.

Ecover is certified in compliance with ISO 14001 since 2000 and is audited by external experts. The environmental policy statement forms part of this system, which means Ecover is externally controlled for compliance with its own concept.

The
International Standard ISO 14001 sets out requirements for an Environmental
Management System (EMS) which can be employed by an organization to measure and
document their environmental impact. EMS’s that meet the ISO 14001 requirements
can be externally audited and certified by an accredited Certification Body.
The certification body must be accredited by the ANSI-ASQ National
Accreditation Board in the USA, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service in the
UK, or the National Accreditation Board in Ireland. Certification auditors need
to be accredited by the International Registrar of Certification Auditors.

The ISO 14000 is a family of internationally recognized standards for environmental management systems that is applicable to any business or organization, regardless of size, location or income. These standards are developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which has representation from committees all over the world. The ISO 14000 family includes most notably the ISO 14001 standard, which represents the core set of standards used by organizations for designing and implementing an effective environmental management system. Other standards included in this series are ISO 14004, which gives additional guidelines for a good environmental management system, and more specialized standards dealing with specific aspects of environmental management.

The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment. The major objective of the ISO 14000 series of norms is "to promote more effective and efficient environmental management in organizations and to provide useful and usable tools - ones that are cost effective, system-based, flexible and reflect the best organizations and the best organizational practices available for gathering, interpreting and communicating environmentally relevant information”.

Our Camomile and Marigold Washing Up Liquid is the only product in our range which contains a small percentage of animal ingredient, i.e. milk whey. Milk whey is a by-product of the cheese industry. All our other products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

We add milk whey to our Camomile and Marigold Washing Up Liquid to ensure that it is extra gentle to the hands. 
Lemon and Aloe Vera Washing Up Liquid is an excellent alternative for those who prefer not to use a product containing milk whey.

Most conventional detergents contain an optical brightener. This is a chemical which reflects light, making your clothes and linens look brighter than they really are. This effect is only optical: it does not increase the washing effect, or results of your wash.

Because Ecover is a honest brand and we don’t want to trick our customers into thinking our cleaning effect has increased with an optical illusion and because optical brighteners are persistent chemicals that do not biodegrade, Ecover does not use optical brighteners in ANY of our laundry detergents.

Ecover not only strives to minimize environmental impact by choosing for sustainable ingredients and production processes with minimal environmental impact, we also try to minimize the impact of our packaging. Our aim is to keep our packaging weights to a minimum and use recycled or recyclable materials where possible. We measure the amount of packaging on a consumer level. To minimize our packaging weight we offer refillable products, meaning bottles that can be used for re-fill purposes. Our credo is: re-use before re-cycle. Not all of our products are refillable, but we constantly invest and perform research into improving the packaging process. During April 2008-2009, we reduced the packaging weight of our 500ml trigger bottles with 8.6% resulting in saving 4.8 tons of plastic each year. During the same period Ecover also developed new labels that drastically reduced the total plastic weight of our labels from 72 tonnes to 34 tonnes (46.9% reduction).

Currently Ecover is preparing itself to launch packaging made from renewable sources. Ecover will use a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from a wholly renewable source in its liquid product packaging. We are the first cleaning brand to use this packaging material. This “green” polyethylene is formed by sugar cane derived ethanol to produce ethylene, which is then converted in polyethylene (the world’s most commonly used plastic). Sugarcane-based polyethylene has the potential to be up to 75% more greenhouse gas efficient. This has a considerable effect on the overall CO₂ emissions from Ecover’s packaging production process. Because currently our packaging accounts for up to 45% of the ecological footprint of an Ecover product, we can say that this improvement will have a huge environmental impact. Of course, to ensure best practices, Ecover will monitor each step, from the plantation where the sugarcane is harvested to the shipping of the HDPE grains to the bottle manufacturer.

You may be wondering why Ecover don’t have any certified organic products when we support the global switch to a more sustainable agriculture. The high added value of organic produce finds its foremost and prime application in food. The actual food market share of organic produce is still far too low, and therefore its logistics and pricing is completely out of reach for technical applications, such as washing and cleaning products. It would be counterproductive - and unethical too - to take away the relatively small amount of organic for non-food applications in the actual market situation.

Secondly, most ingredients for washing and cleaning products are commodities, produced by very big companies in continuous processing plants. Insurmountable technical and logistical problems would arise when trying to introduce such ingredients now.

Thirdly, if these producers want to involve organic raw materials, they would represent an extremely small volume on their operations and the price rises this causes wouldn’t be acceptable for the consumer.

Lastly, organic ingredients offer a huge advantage on the agricultural side, but no advantage to washing and cleaning products - no better cleaning, no less environmental impact, and no better degradation.  Some producers go back to old-fashioned formulations to include some organic ingredients, but we pride ourselves on maintaining and improving upon the high performance standards our customers are used to.

You may be wondering why Ecover don’t have any certified organic products when we support the global switch to a more sustainable agriculture. The high added value of organic produce finds its foremost and prime application in food. The actual food market share of organic produce is still far too low, and therefore its logistics and pricing is completely out of reach for technical applications, such as washing and cleaning products. It would be counterproductive - and unethical too - to take away the relatively small amount of organic for non-food applications in the actual market situation.

Secondly, most ingredients for washing and cleaning products are commodities, produced by very big companies in continuous processing plants. Insurmountable technical and logistical problems would arise when trying to introduce such ingredients now.

Thirdly, if these producers want to involve organic raw materials, they would represent an extremely small volume on their operations and the price rises this causes wouldn’t be acceptable for the consumer.

Lastly, organic ingredients offer a huge advantage on the agricultural side, but no advantage to washing and cleaning products - no better cleaning, no less environmental impact, and no better degradation.  Some producers go back to old-fashioned formulations to include some organic ingredients, but we pride ourselves on maintaining and improving upon the high performance standards our customers are used to.

No. The entire Ecover range is free from phosphates which cause irreversible damage to the aquatic environment.

In 2004 legislation was passed to prevent companies using any more that 0.5% phosphates in any laundry powder packaging.  However this legislation does not ban outright the use of phosphates or prevent them being used in laundry tablets or dishwasher tablets.

Ecover believes that this is unacceptable and brought a phosphate-free detergent onto the market in 1980, long before alarming reports about high concentrations of phosphates in our water appeared in the news. By taking direct action and launching our own phosphate free product, Ecover ensured that fewer tonnes of phosphate would end up in the environment.

Some algal blooms, otherwise called "nuisance algae" or "harmful algal blooms", are toxic to plants and animals. Toxic compounds they produce can make their way up the food chain, resulting in animal mortality. Freshwater algal blooms can pose a threat to livestock. When the algae die or are eaten, neuro- and hepatotoxins are released which can kill animals and may pose a threat to humans. An example of algal toxins working their way into humans is the case of shellfish poisoning. Biotoxins created during algal blooms are taken up by shellfish (mussels, oysters), leading to these human foods acquiring the toxicity and poisoning humans. Examples include paralytic, neurotoxic, and diarrhoetic shellfish poisoning. Other marine animals can be vectors for such toxins, as in the case of ciguatera, where it is typically a predator fish that accumulates the toxin and then poisons humans.

Because the use of phosphates in washing and cleaning products implies that these phosphates will enter the environment, it is important to know what these phosphates do to aquatic life. Because some water plants feed on phosphates, the artificial raise in phosphate levels will cause these plants to exponentially grow. This is called eutrophication. By growing at an unnatural rate, these plants consume too much oxygen present in the water resulting in anoxia. When a river is in an anoxic state, there is not enough oxygen left in the water for fishes and other aquatic animals to breath. Ultimately, the water affected by eutrophication is biologically dead.

Eutrophication was recognized as a pollution problem in European and North American lakes and reservoirs in the mid-20th century. Since then, it has become more widespread. Surveys showed that 54% of lakes in Asia are eutrophic; in Europe, 53%; in North America, 48%; in South America, 41%; and in Africa, 28%.

There are clear advantages to using plant-based ingredients:

• there is no danger of depletion since they are produced by nature itself and are constantly replenished
• they are fast, simple and completely biodegradable, hence, the burden on nature is minimized, which is of additional advantage to man and animal
• their production only requires little energy, which means that the contribution to the greenhouse effect is reduced; Contrary to petrochemical ingredients, hardly any harmful or poorly degradable waste products are released during their production
• they cause no damage to the environment. This isn’t the case during extraction, transport, refining and processing of petrochemical raw materials.
• oil extraction only benefits a small group (oil sheiks, oil companies) whilst the production of plant ingredients benefits a much larger part of the population

Ecover uses plant-based raw materials derived from herbs, starch and wood fibers (cellulose), rapeseed, palm and coconut oil, and essential oils from, for example, orange peel and other plants. These raw materials are used after they have been processed to ensure full use of the cleansing power of nature. During processing we try and remain as closely to the original raw material as possible. We call this clever science (soft chemistry). Apart from plant-based ingredients, we also use minerals and mineral derivatives, such as sand, lime, zeolite and silicate. These minerals are found naturally in enormous quantities (for example, 75% of the earth’s crust consists of silicate). There is no danger of depletion and permanent damage to ecosystems during extraction of these minerals. However the extraction of petroleum, for example, is damaging and reserves are being depleted beyond repair.

Ecover are committed to using plant-based ingredients. By their very nature they conform to the following criteria: renewable sourcing, rapid complete biodegradability, low aquatic toxicity and high skin tolerance.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) established the Global 500 Roll of Honour to recognise the environmental achievements of individuals and organisations around the world. Ecover received this award on 5 June 1993.
 Additional information: http://www.global500.org

This logo means that Ecover contributes to the recovery, sorting and recycling of packaging materials. This logo is presently used in 20 EU member states.
Additional information: http://www.pro-e.org

Möbius recycling loop: can mean either ‘recyclable’ or ‘recycled’. Ecover bottles and labels are made from polyethylene, and the lids are made from  polypropylene. Polyethylene is regarded as the best choice after bioplastics. See the plastics pyramid at http://archive.greenpeace.org/toxics/pvcdatabase/bad.html polypropylene are fully recyclable, and they can be recycled together if suitable facilities are available.

All Ecover products are suitable for both vegans and vegetarians. The only exception is the Camomile and Marigold Washing Up Liquid which contains Milk Whey (for its hand softening properties.) This is a natural by-product of the dairy industry.

A vegan alternative - Lemon and Aloe Vera Washing Up Liquid is available