You probably don’t think about washing-up liquid doing much else than removing the burnt scrambled eggs from the bottom of your pan. And that’s only the good ones, because most of the time you’re left scrubbing at it with one of those metal scourers that mum said ‘will damage the non-stick coating’ or something. But Ecover are doing a little bit extra with their products and part of their mission is to keep our oceans and waterways cleaner. That definitely doesn’t involve turning the entire planet into a giant bubble bath like an elaborate version of the classic soap-in-the-fountain prank. Rather, Ecover’s latest project has involved fishing plastic out from the sea and turning it into a limited edition washing-up liquid bottle.
Granted, ‘limited edition’ and ‘washing-up liquid’ aren’t two things you expect to see in the same sentence, but it’s not really about starting a collection of containers. Ecover’s bottle is made from an amazing 50% recovered ocean plastic, which is much better than the 0% of other brands. The plastic comes from Rio’s beaches where it built up from the influx of visitors during the Olympics, which shows just how big the problem is. If one beach is enough to create bottles stocked on shelves all around the country, what’s lying undiscovered on the sand beds of the world?
About a year ago Ellen MacArthur released her statement that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea unless we act now. The thought of seeing more plastic bags than jellyfish stings all the more when you realise we’re headed towards a potential point of no return.
By buying Ecover’s washing-up liquid bottle you’re helping a company that is committed to operating sustainably. Their mission does not end here, however, as by 2018 they aim to release a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic and by 2020 this will apply to all the bottles they make. Even outside this campaign all of Ecover’s cleaning products are made from plant-based minerals in a clean, green factory to reduce pollution and environmental damage. If cleaning both your home and the planet with no added effort sounds good to you, then consider Ecover the next time you reach for your usual brand.
Ecover’s limited edition bottle is currently available from Tesco, but their other products are more widely stocked in most supermarkets.
To find out more about Ecover as a company and their products visit their website: www.ecover.com or read about their current campaign: www.ocean-plastic.com
All images credited to Ecover.