Eco-Mate Cleaning Products: A Planet-Positive World First

Every now and then, an eco alternative product comes along that has been made entirely without compromise, by people who really care. Eco-Mate cleaning products are one of those.

If their innovative paper bottle doesn’t get your attention, their ocean cleanup pledge will: a whopping 20% of Eco-Mate’s profits are given to charities removing plastic from our oceans. This small British startup, based in rural Rutland, is doing what many so-called eco companies fail to meaningfully do: give back.

We’re going to do a deep dive into Eco-Mate products, explaining how and why their cleaning liquids are different to the ones you get in the supermarket. Plus, we’ll go into detail about that iconic paper bottle.

Plant-based cleaning

Eco-Mate products represent natural, safe alternatives to your usual laundry detergent, fabric conditioner, washing up liquid and rinse aid. Wondering why that’s better than the supermarket brands? The harsh chemicals in normal synthetic cleaners can harm the environment when they enter our waterways – and many of them never biodegrade.

Eco-Mate only use gentle, biodegradable, plant-based ingredients in their cleaning products. They’re certified vegan, 100% cruelty-free and hypoallergenic – so if you find your skin gets irritated by many cleaning chemicals, why not try a natural alternative?

Here’s a few things Eco-Mate leave out of their products:

Parabens
Sulphates
Phthalates
Triclosan
Enzymes
Chlorine bleaches
Petroleum additives
Lanolin
Solvents
Synthetic perfumes
Optical brighteners

These synthetic or animal-derived products are all common ingredients in mainstream cleaning products, many of which are highly polluting. To keep a close eye on their supply chains, Eco-Mate also make all of their products and packaging here in the UK, which keeps their carbon footprint small too.

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The world-first paper bottle

For Eco-Mate, packaging an eco-friendly product in plastic wasn’t an option. Instead, they decided to make the world’s first 100% plastic-free, metal-free paper bottles. The paper is sustainably sourced from waste sugar cane pulp (so no trees were cut down to make it), and the lids are crafted from bamboo and recycled cork. Incredibly, they’re entirely home compostable.

But how can a paper bottle hold a liquid product? The answer comes in the form of a super-thin latex lining, which is derived from fully biodegradable plant sap. What’s more, both the paper and this latex lining contain a seaweed extract, which has specifically been added to help the materials break down more easily.

The fact is, many of the ‘biodegradable’ products that you see sold today will only break down under very specific conditions. These conditions won’t be met in landfill, in nature or in your compost bin. Some plant-based plastics will even leach nasty chemicals into the ground as they degrade.

This is why Eco-Mate’s packaging is so revolutionary. There’s no greenwashing here – just simple, naturally-derived materials that will genuinely revert back to nature safely, whether they end up in your compost heap or the ocean.

Disposal and storage

So – you’ve used the last drops of your lovely-smelling Eco-Mate cleaning product. What’s the best way to dispose of the bottle? It’s simple – you can either put it in your regular paper recycling, or compost it. During the repulping part of the recycling process, the natural latex liner will simply break away for natural or industrial composting.

To compost Eco-Mate bottles, just wash them out and you’re good to go. You can help things along by cutting the bottles up into small pieces (the bamboo lid can be broken up with a hammer), and putting them deep into the warm part of the rotting mulch.

Because Eco-Mate products are designed to biodegrade easily, they should be kept in a cool, dry place away from moisture. They’re designed to have a shelf life of 3 months, though they’ll be fine for a while longer. After 5-6 months, the bottles will slowly start to break down – which is why they’re sold in relatively small amounts!

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20% for ocean cleanup

Often, you’ll see sustainable businesses committing to giving 1% of their profits to charity – which is a fantastic pledge to make. But Eco-Mate don’t do things by halves. Since their inception, they’ve been giving an incredible 20% of their profits to ocean cleanup charities, to help fight the growing issue of plastic waste plaguing our oceans.

The three charities Eco-Mate donate to are:

Sea-Changers, a UK marine conservation charity
Just One Ocean, which aims to preserve the oceans through science, education and communication
Plastic Oceans, a non-profit working to end plastic pollution

The Eco-Mate range on SaveMoneyCutCarbon

Here at SaveMoneyCutCarbon, we stock a comprehensive range of Eco-Mate products for your home. Choose from a small selection of naturally-derived scents, which are beautifully fragrant without being overpowering.