All Ecover formulas are biodegradable. That means that after use, the ingredients will break down into natural compounds in the wastewater treatment facility or a septic tank.

Ecover bottles are made from a blend of sugarcane-based plastic—Plantplastic®—and post-consumer recycled plastic. This plastic blend is HDPE or #2 plastic just like a milk jug, so it's easily recycled.

Surfactants are ingredients that enable the cleaner to lift away stains, oil or grease. You can think of surfactant molecules as having two sides—a tail and a head. The tail is hydrophobic, or water-hating. It surrounds the stain that you are trying to remove from your clothes. The head is hydrophilic, or water-loving. It sticks close to the water molecules and lifts the stain away.

Solvents are the ingredients in cleaners that allow a stain to dissolve into a solution and not back onto the fabric you're trying to wash. Water is known as the “universal solvent,” but since not everything will dissolve in water—like oil—we also use solvents derived from plants.

Our liquid dish and laundry fragrances are 100% natural as defined by the international standard (ISO 9235, if you want specifics). This means that all fragrance ingredients are derived from vegetable or microbial origin and were produced through drying or fermentation. These fragrances also meet the highest level (green) on the Green Seal / Whole Foods Eco Scale certification. This certification requires independent third-party verification and full ingredient disclosure.