Green Cleaning Products Hit the Mainstream

From <www.gristmagazine.com> 9/18/03

SQUEAKY GREEN
Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products Make Inroads into the Mainstream

It's hard to get excited about housecleaning, but Monica Nassif has found a way. In fact, as the president of two separate companies that manufacture eco-friendly cleaning products, Nassif was one of the most enthusiastic participants in the 19th annual Natural Products Expo East, held this month in Washington, D.C. Representatives from about 15 natural cleaning-product companies participated in the expo, displaying wares that were biodegradable, nontoxic, chlorine-free, petroleum-free, and generally good for the Earth. A record-breaking crowd of more than 20,000 turned out for the show, which was as good an indicator as any of how far eco-friendly products have made it into the mainstream. "Fifteen years ago, there were no ties, no jackets, a lot of ponytails, and a lot more people in the bathroom smoking pot," said Jeffrey Hollender, president and CEO of Seventh Generation, a leading natural household products brand.

straight to the source: Washington Post, Rebecca R. Kahlenberg, 18 Sep 2003 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=1512>

only in Grist: Good, clean fun -- how to clean your house without hurting the planet -- by the Green Guide in Earthly Possessions <http://www.gristmagazine.com/possessions/possessions031803.asp?source=daily
>

washingtonpost.com

Getting Clean and Green
Earth-Friendly Products Are Going Mainstream, One Shelf at a Time

By Rebecca R. Kahlenberg
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, September 18, 2003; Page H01

Standing on the bustling exhibit hall floor at the new Washington Convention Center, Monica Nassif, president of Caldrea and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day companies, bubbled with enthusiasm for products formulated to clean the house and save the planet. "I want people to say, 'I can't wait to use these products,' " said Nassif, who founded both Minneapolis-based companies in the past three years.

That would be a tall order for any cleaning product. But Nassif and others whose dish soaps, laundry detergents and bathroom sprays were on display at the 19th annual Natural Products Expo East earlier this month are a determined group.

Representatives from about 15 natural cleaning product companies showed their wares, touted as being biodegradable, nontoxic and free of chlorine, petroleum products and other harsh chemicals or pollutants. The pitch is that the products are made with earth-friendly ingredients and plant-derived essential oils, yet are still effective at cleaning dishes, counters, toilets and dirty clothes. Nature-themed packaging and appealingly fresh fragrances such as lavender, green tea, orange citrus and ginger reinforce the green image.

Mary Engle, associate director of the division of advertising practices for the Federal Trade Commission, said there are currently no specific regulations governing the use of the terms "natural" or "all natural" when it comes to cleaning products. But "claims must be truthful, substantiated and not misleading to consumers," she said, adding that companies that violate the guidelines can be sued.

Judging from the crowd at the convention center -- a record 20,000-plus attendees during the four-day show -- an event that once attracted primarily an audience of environmental activists and latter-day hippies has begun to go mainstream.

"Fifteen years ago, there were no ties, no jackets, a lot of ponytails and a lot more people in the bathroom smoking pot," said Jeffrey Hollender, president and CEO of Seventh Generation, a leading brand of natural household products based in Burlington, Vt.

Company representatives at the show pointed to the growth in sales of natural products at national chains such as Whole Foods supermarkets and Trader Joe's and natural food stores. Industry data back up such claims. According to SPINS, a San Francisco-based market research and consulting firm, sales of natural cleaners totaled $36.2 million from July 2002 to July 2003 -- up 19 percent from the previous year. The products are especially popular among people with allergies or asthma, and among those who oppose animal testing or are committed environmentalists.

Mass-market grocery chains are taking note. In the Washington area, Safeway has been selling product lines such as Seventh Generation and Sun & Earth for about three years, according to Greg TenEyck, director of public affairs for the chain's eastern division. Giant Food started carrying the Sun & Earth items within the past year and may add others, according to public affairs manager Jamie Miller.

Out West, in environmentally attuned cities such as Portland, Ore.; Denver, Seattle and San Francisco, several green cleaning product companies have found shelf space at traditional supermarkets such as Safeway and Kroger's. And Natural Products Expo West, similar to the event held here, features 2,400 exhibitors of cleaning products, foods and beverages, cosmetics and toiletries, etc. -- about 700 more exhibitors than Expo East, according to show organizers.

Yet despite the sunny outlook and higher profile of green cleaners, the category is still a niche market, making up less than 1 percent of overall sales in the household cleaners industry, which in 2002 reached more than $4 billion, according New York-based Marketresearch.com.

One reason for this is that prices are typically higher than for conventional cleaners. A 68-ounce container of laundry detergent by Caldrea retails for $16 at specialty stores, compared with $6.49 for a 78-ounce box of All Ultra at Giant. And a 32-ounce bottle of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day all-purpose cleaner retails for $7.99, compared with $3.19 for 32 ounces of Fantastik all-purpose cleaner.

Another obstacle is the widespread assumption that natural products are not as effective as Tide, Lysol, Comet and the like.

"That may have been true ten or twenty years ago, but is not true today, at least not among the best of the green brands," said Larry Brucia, vice president of sales at Planet Inc., a California natural cleaning products company.

Still, Seventh Generation's senior vice president for marketing, Karen Fleming, admits that her company's non-chlorine bleach "does not work quite as well as Clorox -- but nor does it poison the environment."

In response to the growing visibility of green products, some mainstream companies are redesigning packaging and adding fruity fragrances or natural ingredients to their products. Last month, Procter & Gamble launched Cascade Orange dishwasher detergent and Ivory Gentle Blossoms dishwashing liquid. And although a recent trip to Target in Gaithersburg revealed no shelf space devoted to natural cleaning product lines, plenty of the mainstream brands emphasized fresh-sounding names or fragrances, such as green apple and ocean breeze.

Environmentalists applaud any mainstream company's move toward a greener product. "The green companies are pushing conventional ones toward safer products and making them think about them," said Richard Wiles, spokesman for the D.C.-based Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research group. He said the bigger the economic niche created by the natural product companies, the more likely mainstream ones will move in, which should lead to more research and development on the safety of products. Wiles noted that this is what has been happening in the food industry, as large multinational firms started buying organic food companies and marketing products hailed as natural.

Natural cleaning company leaders such as Caldrea's Nassif know they have a tough road ahead to compete with the industry's major players in large chain stores. But they have the optimism of the truly committed. "Target has to think en masse, but I think we'll be there in a couple of years," she said.