To "green" or not to "green"

In recognition of Earth Day 2024 - with thanks to Mr Mark Lowman and his article from which this is derived.

A wise frog once lamented that it is not easy being green. Taken in the context of home care products, he could be right if being green is not part of a company’s philosophy – the way the company conducts itself with careful consideration for the environment and for the people using the product.

A publication in the 1960's titled Silent Spring by Rachel Carson described the negative impacts that persistent, non-biodegradable compounds have on the environment; of the cost to all of us for being environmentally irresponsible.

But what does “being green” mean? It means following the Three R’s – reduce, recycle, reuse – and Do No Harm to the environment. It’s a little like the backpacker’s motto, “leave only footprints.” So let’s check in on how we follow these green principles.

Reduce Most of the cleaning product you see these days are ready-to-use formulas. What that means is that they are made using an excess amount of a very important commodity, water. When you look at the droughts occurring globally, it doesn’t take much to realize that water might be our most precious commodity, and reducing water use has a direct, positive impact on the environment.

Home care products should be produced as concentrates using the least amount of water possible. With careful ingredient selection, these concentrated products should be formulated so that a little goes a long way, further reducing water consumption. In addition, because the products are so concentrated and highly effective, the demand on the ingredients is reduced which helps to maintain their sustainability. By reusing application bottles,millions of plastic containers are kept out of landfills over the years.

Recycle

When packaging is selected for any product, the company should consider the environmental impact and focus on recyclability. This should be true for the bottle, caps (one reminder, often times bottle caps are made of a different recyclable plastic than the bottles they fit onto) and transport containers. They should also limit dyes in the containers to enable easier recyclability.

Reuse

Your base product should be super concentrated, so making ready to use dilutions in a reusable spray bottle or similar reusable container makes a lot of sense. When the bottle is empty, give it little rinse and reuse it to make a new dilution. All reusable packaging helps reduce the amount of containers heading to landfills, helping keep you green.

Do No Harm

Doing no harm to the environment is a big part of the Green philosophy. Many cleaning products are not biodegradable and that means nothing but harmful effects to the environment. products should be carefully developed with biodegradable surfactants so that there would be no harm done to our waterways and the flora and fauna in and around them. Not to mention no harm to water treatment systems that are so important to keeping our environment protected.

Of critical importance is that products do no harm to the people that use them nor to their home environments. There is plenty of data showing that other home care products that were developed without taking the safety of the people who use them in mind contribute to a hefty amount of in-home accidental poisonings. Products developed need to be safe for you and your home with no harsh chemicals, no harsh fumes and be gentle, non-irritating, and non-drying.

I started using a range of eco-friendly cleaning products that check all the above boxes, many years ago. I cannot tell you how much money I have saved over the years. I have also found that our home smells better, without any harsh chemical smells. When my grand-daughter (around 2 years old at the time), accidentally had a mouthful of concentrated light duty cleaner, I could calm my daughter by assuring her that no harm would happen to her baby.

Do yourself a favor, check your cleaning products in your home today. If they are not "green", then look at phasing over to an eco-friendly range of products. Your body, home, family and environment will thank you.