Earthly matters

Cleaner and Greener

Ecover is one of today’s most recognizable eco brands around the world. But behind the success lies a fascinating ethos that places the environment firmly at its core.

In today’s modern age, with awareness growing of the need to be more environmentally friendly, companies are far more proactive in promoting recycling and energy efficiency.

At Ecover, it’s fair to say the contribution to the environment is a bit more significant; to start with, its manufacturing facility is an ecological factory boasting a green roof the size of Wembley Stadium, reduced use of artificial lighting and heating and a water treatment system.

Its company cars are the Toyota Prius, a hybrid vehicle that uses half the fuel of a normal car, and financial support is provided for both drivers and passengers who car pool. Ecover was also the first company to provide staff with a cycling allowance while its packaging is reused and products are fully degradable.

There are two important aspects to Ecover. The first is that the products themselves, which are made from plant based and mineral raw materials. This means that without the presence of certain chemicals, the products are kinder to the skin and no residue of unnecessary chemicals is left on dishes. With laundry products, traces that stay on fabric are less likely to cause skin irritations and allergies than conventional products using petrochemical ingredients.

The second element is Ecover products are made in the most ecological way possible, taking into account everything from raw materials and production to packaging. And that is just the beginning of this company’s efforts to work in a way that is the most environmentally friendly.

An Ecological Dream

Ecover was founded in Belgium in 1979 by Frans Bogaerts, who had a dream of making phosphate-free products, and for some time products were made from a shed on a farm.

A pioneering company from the beginning, it marketed a phosphate-free washing powder before phosphates were even branded a problem.

It was later taken over by Jørgen Phillip-Sørensen, which allowed the company to enjoy more structure and move to the next level through his financial backing.

Under his leadership, Ecover has experienced growth year after year for the last five years and is now the world’s largest producer of ecological detergents and cleansing products.

Marketing manager Clare Allman explained: “For a dream to become a commercial reality it needed to be structured and have someone to pull it together. We had to translate the dream. “Through his [Jørgen Phillip-Sørensen’s] foresight and financial backing we have been able to structure a company that has sustainability at its core right through to being able to build an ecological factory. “

“We should recognize his input into the company because without it Ecover would not be where it is. He fully understands the ethos of the company.”

Ecover now boasts many products, from soaps and washing-up liquids to laundry products and shower gel and is sold in 22 countries around the world.

“We couldn’t have had this growth 15 years ago,” Allman said. “But now the subject is back on the agenda; there has been growth in organic food and Ecover can be part of that mix because people who are starting to think about organic food are thinking about eco products too.

“Things have evolved over time. We are on a journey and what we made yesterday was fantastic but what we make today is better because we know more about it. And I hope what we do tomorrow is better still.

“That is very much the philosophy of our company. It is a process and if you stand still you miss out on the new things that are happening.”

Environmental Impact

Ecover goes to great lengths to stick to its environmental policy.

For instance, Ecover’s ecological factory in Malle, Belgium, was the world’s first and as well as being a base for manufacturing, it attracts several 1,000’s visitors a year. Allman explained: “It was very innovative when it was built nothing like it had ever been done before. It was an industrial unit and if they had knocked it down, it would have created a lot of waste so they made what was there as ecological as it could possibly be.”

The factory boasts a green roof spanning more than 6000m² and is built from a layer of sealant, an insulation layer of mineral perlite and an external layer that is a substrate with plant cover comprising various types of Sedum. Sedum is a type of plant that used to grow on most roofs and is capable of surviving prolonged periods of drought or heat.

The roof provides thermal and acoustic insulation and means the factory needs no general heating or air conditioning as the temperature never drops below 4°C and will not rise above 26°C. In winter, if heating is needed it comes locally from reflector heaters powered by natural gas.

The Ecover factory also operates entirely on green electricity produced by wind and tidal generators and other types of natural sources.

Allman explained that it is all these elements that make Ecover far more than just a product. “It is a whole lifestyle and sustainability is at the core of the company right down to the company cars we have and how we treat our workforce. Ecover is very passionate about that,” she added.

There are many areas of the business Ecover adopts ecological procedures.

These include:

Raw materials – raw materials used in Ecover products are based on plant and mineral resources. This means they are renewable so can be grown again or replenished. In comparison, conventional detergents and cleansing agents use raw materials made from petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource that is practically used up and its extraction and processing places an unacceptable burden on the environment. In addition, Ecover only uses raw materials that are fully degradable, even in in oxygen-poor conditions, to ensure the entire product is fully degradable, with nothing left except minerals.
Refill scheme - The refill scheme works whereby 25-litre containers of products are sent to health food stores. Customers can fill their empty Ecover bottles in store so they are reusing packaging, as well as it being a cheaper option for them. The refill packages can take a year or more to wear out and according to the company, putting around 35,000 25l containers into use throughout Europe equates to total savings of several million bottles.
Wastewater - Ecover has its own water treatment plant, which purifies wastewater using a biological process. Each day, the wastewater is pumped for several hours into a water purification tank. As Ecover uses readily decomposable, non-toxic raw materials, the decomposition process is rapid and complete. Each day, around 8,000 litres of water are treated and discharged, and around 40kg of dewatered sludge is produced. Each litre of wastewater contains about 300ml of impurities before treatment, which is reduced to around 8ml after treatment.

Such efforts do not go without recognition and Ecover boasts the externally audited ISO 14001 standard as well as, among other accolades, being named in the Global 500 Roll of Honour of the United Nations Environment Program way back in 1993.

A Greener Future

As emphasized by Allman, Ecover is constantly developing. One consequence of this was the construction of a second ecological factory, this time in France, which will meet increased demand from the UK, Europe and America.

The €10 million factory is situated in the Parc Paysager d’Activites de Landacres, which has been created for companies which respect the environment and is the first landscaped industrial park to Europe to obtain the ISO 14001 standard.

The same architects who did the first worked on the factory, which opened in May 2007.

It has the same green roof as in Belgium only this time will be four times the size of Wembley Stadium.

“The new factory is allows us to expand our production capacity and is being done in conjunction with the existing factory.”

Peter Malaise, Concept Manager, Ecover Belgium, October 2006

“One generation plants the tree, and another gets the shade.” bsp -Chinese proverb