Ecover’s new fantastic Plant-astic!

At Ecover, we’ve always been ones to do things a little differently. And although we’re anything but superficial, our latest breakthrough proves it’s not just what’s on the inside that counts…

Like you, we recognise that plastic packaging is a major problem - not only does it clutter up your home, the plastic is made from crude oil. It’s an increasingly scarce resource and we all know the problems associated with oil spills and pollution…. So for three years now we’ve been working to find a new, alternative packaging solution that starts to address some of these issues. We’re very proud of the results.

By harnessing the power of nature and applying a little clever science, we’ve implemented an innovative new PolyEthylene (PE) - a green plastic we call Plant-astic that’s 100% renewable, reusable and recyclable - and made from sugarcane! We’re so pleased with it that we’re making our bottles 100% Plant-astic. It’s also good to see that some other well-known brands are now thinking of following our lead – even if they initially only intend using up to 30% renewable plastic.

Manufacturing our new Plant-astic is unbelievably simple. Sugarcane is harvested to produce sugar, which is then fermented and distilled to produce ethanol. This ethanol is dehydrated to create ethylene, which is polymerized into Plant-astic. That’s really all there is to it.

Plant-astic is impressive in so many other ways. Because the sugarcane is grown and harvested in harmony with its natural environment, the nearby Amazonian rainforests remain unaffected. The entire production process is so efficient that we need only harvest 15 hectares of land to make a year’s worth of Ecover packaging.
We’re in the process of switching all of our packaging over, and from April, our bottles will be made from fantastic new Plant-astic. Of course, what’s on the inside is just as important as ever, so you can be sure that every bit of new packaging contains cleaning products that are incredibly efficient and supremely powerful.

Source: www.ecover.com