green living
The Greening of Packaging CLEANING AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS GO ECO
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by Sheryl DeVore
H
ealth-conscious consumers have been purchasing home cleaning and personal care products with nontoxic ingredients for years. Now they’re demanding these products come in environmentally friendly packaging that reduces waste and plastic use. “It’s green movement 2.0,” says Tim Murphy, CEO of BranchBasics.com, a Minneapolis company that sells nontoxic cleaners. “First there was the green movement 1.0 to eliminate the toxins from the conventional products like bleach. Now green 2.0 is about the removal 28
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of plastic and waste reduction.” Today, consumers can find refillable, concentrated cleaning products; eco-laundry sheets; reusable cleansing face pads; eco-toothbrushes made of bamboo; zero-waste toothpaste bits; plastic-free, refillable deodorant; and refillable lipstick. These and a host of other innovative products designed to be healthy and eco-friendly are available online via manufacturers’ websites or Amazon.com, and can also be purchased at certain big-box stores like Target.
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Consumer Demand A December 2020 Mintel Trends survey showed nearly all of the internet users 18 and older that shop for household items say brands should consider the environment when creating packaging. Many respondents said they wanted products that had easy-to-recycle packaging and were refillable to reduce waste. “There’s a clear preference for lightweight packaging, plastic-free packaging, refillable and reusable products,” says Danielle Jezienicki, director of sustainabili-
