Ecover is often promoted as an eco‑friendly household cleaning brand—but how sustainable is it really? This Ecover Brand Review: Is Ecover Really Eco‑Friendly? will help you understand what makes the brand stand out.
In this Ecover brand review, we take a closer look at its credentials and try to answer the question raised in the Ecover Brand Review: Is Ecover Really Eco‑Friendly?
I have been using the Ecover range of cleaning products for well over a decade now. While they never completely replaced my trusty powder laundry detergent (I sometimes felt clothes weren’t quite as clean as I wanted), they did replace my fabric conditioner and several other household cleaning products that I used regularly.
Ecover describes its approach as a holistic one, with people and planet kept firmly in mind. They state that they have strict standards for ingredient selection and assess more than a dozen attributes for each ingredient, including biodegradability, skin and eye irritation, and aquatic toxicity. On paper, this all sounds very reassuring and is discussed further within this Ecover Brand Review: Is Ecover Really Eco‑Friendly?
However, as with many “eco” brands, Ecover falls into what I think of as a starting point. In this Ecover brand review, I see their products as a starting point on a low‑waste or zero‑waste journey rather than a final destination..
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
What Ecover Does Well
There are positives, and they shouldn’t be dismissed.
Ecover products are:
- Cruelty‑free, with certification from Leaping Bunny and Cruelty Free International
- B‑Corp certified, which is often described as the business equivalent of Fair Trade
- Packaged in PlantPlastic, a plant‑based polyethylene made from sugarcane, mixed with post‑consumer recycled plastic
Using plant‑based and recycled materials does reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lowers the carbon footprint compared to conventional virgin plastic. For someone switching away fromz conventional supermarket brands, this genuinely is an improvement.
Where Ecover Falls Short for Me
That said, there are several things about Ecover that continue to bother me.
Firstly, palm oil is still present in their products. While Ecover states this is from sustainable sources, palm oil — even certified — remains a deeply problematic ingredient.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly for me, there is the issue of plastic dependency. Despite refill options existing for some products, I still ended up with multiple bottles for different cleaning tasks. These took up cupboard space and, ultimately, still amounted to plastic waste.
My aim is not “less plastic” — it is zero plastic wherever reasonably possible. Overall, this illustrates the ongoing concerns discussed in Ecover Brand Review: Is Ecover Really Eco‑Friendly?
Finally, having strict standards for things like biodegradability or toxicity does not necessarily mean products are fully biodegradable or non‑toxic. Those nuances often get lost in marketing.
Ecover Brand Review: My Verdict
Ecover is unquestionably better than conventional cleaning brands, and for many people it represents a positive first step toward more sustainable living. But for those actively trying to minimise waste and reduce plastic altogether, it remains a compromise.
Personally, I now focus more on plastic‑free, refillable, and DIY cleaning alternatives wherever I can. Ecover helped me transition away from the worst offenders, but it no longer aligns with where I want to be on my zero‑waste journey.
Key Takeaways
- Ecover promotes itself as an eco-friendly cleaning brand but faces scrutiny over its sustainability.
- The brand is cruelty-free, B-Corp certified, and uses PlantPlastic for its packaging, which reduces fossil fuel reliance.
- Despite positives, Ecover still uses palm oil and has a dependency on plastic, contributing to waste.
- Ecover serves as a good starting point for sustainable living but doesn’t meet the zero-waste goal for everyone.
- The author now opts for plastic-free, refillable, and DIY alternatives, moving beyond Ecover in their sustainability journey.
