Most industries are currently on an environmentally conscious journey, cleaning products included! Sometimes it can be difficult to know whether your purchasing habits are inline with your own values, as many unethical practices can be well hidden and difficult to navigate. Many companies have recognised the need to reduce virgin plastic use, but what else needs to be done?  If you’re interested in becoming a more ethical consumer or a more ethical business, we outline the main 5 areas to consider before buying below:

1. Do your cleaning products have hidden ingredients?

There are many hidden ingredients in cleaning products that you may want to look out for.

‘Surface-active agents’ (surfactants) are the main active ingredient in detergents which work by keeping dirt suspended in the water. Surfactants can be made from plant oils such as coconut oil, or sugar, or can be synthesised from waste materials from the petroleum industry.

To be on the safe side Look out for surfactants which are made from plant-based materials and are readily biodegradable. One of our Best Buy companies, BioD only use plant-based surfactants.

2. Is there palm oil in your detergent?

Palm oil is in many cleaning products. For example, it provides the foaming agent for detergents. It helps make the soap more bubbly, which helps remove dirt and oil.

Palm oil can be hard to spot because it is often used in the form ‘derivatives’, which can have complicated names on ingredient labels like ‘glycol stearate’ or ‘monopalmitate’. . There are nearly 500 different variations of ingredients that derive from palm oil - making it tricky to spot at a glance.

If in doubt if a product is using palm oil, or responsibly sourced palm oil, look out for an accreditation label such as:

Iceland's 'No Palm Oil' label

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil

Orangutan Alliance's label

The International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark & Accreditation Programme

3. How much plastic is used?

The most widespread development over the last few years has been in plastic packaging. Progressive companies are responding with plastic-free or plastic-lite household cleaning solutions.

Some companies are using plant-based plastics for their packaging, and although this is a positive step in the right direction, it could be better. Opting for refills is by far the best option you can take when it comes to plastic.

The adage of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle needs to change to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Refill. Only when those options are exhausted, opt for Recycle.

Both companies and consumers need to prioritise refilling and reusing over recycling.

For cleaning products, we noted three main innovations for conscious consumers:

* refills

* bulk buying (less plastic per milliliter of liquid)

* alternative products (packaging-free products)

4. Are companies testing ingredients on animals?

Although the testing of ‘finished’ household products on animals has been banned in the EU since 2015, the testing of ingredients is still allowed.

Keep an eye out for these certification names and logos when shopping to ensure no animal testing at any stage of production:

• Cruelty-Free International (Leaping Bunny)

• PETA (Beauty without Bunnies)

• Vegan Society.

5. What is the company doing about carbon emissions?

We expect companies to be taking meaningful steps to address their key emissions; to be reporting on emissions including those in their supply chain; and to have set emission reduction targets in line with international climate agreements. Companies should showed an understanding of their main climate impacts and explicitly discussed ways to reduce them.

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