| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer Products |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Malle, Belgium |
| Key people | Jørgen Philip-Sørensen |
| Products | Natural Cleaning Products |
| Website | www.ecover.com |
Ecover is a Belgium based company manufacturing and internationally trading domestic ecological cleaning products, of which it is the world's most well-known brand.[1]
Ecover cleaning products are made from plant-based and mineral ingredients. The company was founded in 1980 by Frans Bogaerts. The company ran into financial difficulties in the early 1990s after rapid expansion.[2] The business was sold to Bogaerts' son, and rescued by Gunter Pauli, who was since 1990 a member of the Board. Paul enlisted the Danish investor Jørgen Phillip-Sørensen to relaunch the company starting with the construction of Europe's first ecological factory. Ever since Ecover has been investing in research into appropriate plant-based and renewable raw materials for cleaning products.
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Ecover sells the following product ranges under the following brands:
A number of Ecover products (Washing Up Liquid (both varieties), Fabric Conditioner, Laundry Liquid, and Multi-Surface Cleaner) are available from a container refill service, or in 5 litre containers which can be used for refills at home. By re-using the bottles customers are enabled to reduce the overall environmental impact of distributing the product. Ecover refill facilities are still fairly rare in the UK and currently limited to independent health food stores and small local cooperative schemes.[4][5]
Ecover built the world’s first "ecological factory" in Malle (Belgium) which has a green roof extending over more than 6000 sq.m. The factory opened in 1992 and was quickly featured on CNN Prime Time News and ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings.[6] The factory is made for the most part from recycled and recyclable materials. Ecover opened a second ecological factory in 2007, in Boulogne-sur-Mer, in Northern France.[7]
Ecover took over a factory in Steffisburg (Switzerland) with the acquisition of the Held AG in 2003[8]
In 1993, UNEP awarded the “Global 500 Roll of Honour” to Ecover for "outstanding achievements in the protection and improvement of the environment". In 2008, TIME Magazine honored Ecover CEO, Mick Bremans, with the title Hero of the Environment together with 29 other eco-pioneers working for a green future.[9] In 2010, Ecover earned a finalist nomination from the European Business Awards for the Environment for a pioneering project in green innovation in the process category.[10]
In 2007, the Vegan Society withdrew its endorsement of Ecover products as Ecover uses Daphnia (water fleas) to test the effects of its products on aquatic life. Daphnia are not vertebrates, so they are not regarded as animals in EU animal-testing rules. However, the Vegan Society requires no testing on any part of the animal kingdom for its endorsement.[11] Ecover uses the Daphtox acute toxicity test to calculate the EC50 values of products.[12]
Ecover does not subscribe to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection Humane Household Products Standard, which requires a fixed cut-off date on ingredients that have been animal tested. Ecover stated "a fixed cut-off date [means] that we wouldn’t be able to improve our products on what we have today. We do not believe that it is necessary to carry the Humane Household Products Standard to uphold our core values of transparency, honesty and integrity."[13]
Ecover's washing up liquid contains trace amounts of a suspected human carcinogen, 1,4 Dioxane.[14] Ecover has stated in response to these findings that the 2.4 parts per million detected in their product is well below the threshold of 100 parts per million of surfactant set by the European detergent industry. Ecover’s own criterion is set at half, namely 50 parts per million. This leads to values as low as the 2.4 parts as detected in the Ecover washing up liquid. The actual level of dioxane found in lauryl ether sulfate (and by consequence in the products) is even lower as it dilutes; about four times lower. As washing up liquid dissolves during the washing process, Ecover ascertains that its product factor is once again reduced by 1000, thus further reducing the presence of dioxane to 0.00000000384, a value that is extremely hard to trace. Nonetheless, Ecover looks forward to the day when its suppliers can deliver dioxane-free surfactants that work effectively.
In 2010, Which? found that Ecover was amongst a number of companies that made some green claims not supported by convincing evidence.[15]
Ecover sponsored yachtsman Mike Golding.[16] Golding skippered the Ecover Sailing Team in the 2009 iShares cup, a selection of races all over Europe, sailing catamarans in fast, competitive races against world-leaders in this sport. The races took place in Venice, Hyères, Cowes, Kiel, Amsterdam and Almeria.[17]