{"id":10712,"date":"2022-05-24T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/?p=10712"},"modified":"2022-06-30T06:15:27","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T14:15:27","slug":"household-products-their-need-to-go-green-or-go-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/household-products-their-need-to-go-green-or-go-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Household Products: Their Need to Go Green or Go Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Empty shelves and $10 bottles of hand sanitizer\u2026.ah, those were NOT the days. But working from home, learning to cook for ourselves, and becoming increasingly more aware of how dirty the world can be has created a need for more household cleaning products. COVID-19 turned cleaning brands<\/a> into lifestyle brands and built disinfecting habits consumers won\u2019t soon forget. Even TikTok\u2019s viral hashtag #CleanTok<\/a> glamorized cleaning by teaching millions of viewers how to clean things they didn’t even know needed to be cleaned (think washing machines) and made  products like sponges and stain removers go viral overnight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the entire consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, we saw e-commerce and value-driven purchasing take off since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This drove awareness for sustainable products<\/a> across categories, especially household goods. Household products and brands centered around sustainability gained popularity, especially with retailers focused on delivery and subscription options. Read on to learn more about what makes a product sustainable and a few of the green alternatives in today\u2019s household goods market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes a product sustainable?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A product is considered sustainable<\/a> when it does no harm to the environment or the person using it. This includes everything from the ingredients and packaging to its recyclability and manufacturing process. While nothing manmade is going to be 100% sustainable, here are three things we recommend keeping an eye out for when looking for sustainable products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Grove<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A lot of household supplies (especially cleaning products) are filled with harsh, unpronounceable, and unnecessary ingredients. These can be harmful to the environment and the surfaces being cleaned, as well as to the health of the people and pets living in the household. Leaders in the sustainable household products industry, such as Grove Collaborative<\/a>, are eager to show customers how truly green their products are. Grove advertises many of its products as biodegradable, plant-based, naturally fragranced, and bottled in reusable or recyclable materials. While many well-established distributors are the real deal, the EPA<\/a> warns consumers to be on the lookout for potential greenwashing<\/a>; companies advertising their products as sustainable when they really aren’t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Packaging<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s 2022 and sustainable packaging is all the rage. Retailers (and their shoppers, stakeholders, and governments) are telling suppliers to go green or go home. In the case of packaging, less is more. With a little creativity, there are easy ways to cut down on the amount of packaging a product needs to sit on a shelf or during the transportation process. It\u2019s also important to understand what materials are being sourced, where they are coming from, and how they could become more sustainable or even reusable. Eco-friendly packaging should be a top priority for suppliers looking to boost sales<\/a> or get onto retail shelves this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brand transparency<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Seventh<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Consumers understand it takes time and resources to fix flaws, especially when it comes to everything happening beneath the surface, such as sourcing, manufacturing, and supply chain logistics. Consumers are simply seeking assurance that brands are putting in the work and being transparent about their efforts. For brands passionate about the environment, this is a great opportunity to gain an emotional connection with consumers. Cleaning product company Seventh Generation<\/a>, for example, promotes their climate change activism across their website, social media, and packaging so customers can quickly recognize the brand\u2019s mission to create a healthier world for generations to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green product certifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the best ways for suppliers to set themselves apart<\/a> is through brand and product certifications. On RangeMe, buyers often use our certification filter<\/a> to source products that are certified. As we learned during ECRM\u2019s 2022 Global Market: Spring Buying Days\u2019 educational sessions<\/a>, sustainably certified products are growing three times faster than the rest of the CPG industry as consumers now recognize, trust, and are willing to pay more for products with these certifications. Click here<\/a> if you want to read more about the CPG industry\u2019s most popular certifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have an interest in learning about the power behind sustainability certifications, check out a recording of our webinar, \u201c<\/em>The Power Behind Good Food Month: How Sustainability Certifications Are Leading the Way\u201d featuring speakers from Fairtrade America, Marine Stewardship Council, and The Non-GMO Project <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable alternatives to common household products<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bamboo toilet paper isn\u2019t the only sustainable household product on the market anymore. After taking inspiration from the clean beauty industry<\/a> and a push from a global pandemic, we finally have plenty of options to choose from. The sustainable household industry is exploding with new product innovation, from reusable paper towels and plant-based laundry detergent to chewable toothpaste tablets and natural shampoo bars. Here are a few of our favorites that can be found on RangeMe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toilet paper and paper towels<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cloud Paper, who sells paper products such as toilet paper and paper towels made from bamboo, describes their brand as \u201ca sustainable solution to an antiquated product category.\u201d With tons of bamboo paper products popping up online and in-stores, Cloud Paper isn\u2019t the only brand to come to this realization. While toilet paper probably isn\u2019t a product you want to be reusable, paper towels certainly can be! From simple colors to fun design, many sustainable sellers are creating paper towels you can simply throw in the wash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n