Ecover has launched its limited-edition Ecover Ocean Washing-Up Liquid Bottle, made from 50 per cent plastic waste collected from the sea, waterways and shores of Rio de Janeiro, and 50 per cent post-consumer recycled plastic.
The washing-up liquid is formulated using biodegradable and renewable, plant-based ingredients and will be available exclusively in the UK in selected Sainsbury’s stores from 16th September.
The Ecover Ocean Bottle design has been inspired by nature, using biomimicry technology which involves imitating elements of nature.
Ecover worked with a biomimicry expert to reduce the amount of plastic used by 15 per cent compared to its Ocean Bottle without the biomimicry design, resulting in a distinctive design inspired by the lightweight yet robust skeletal structure found in many ocean micro-organisms.
Matthew Jervis
Ecover says as part of its ambition to rethink the way we use plastic, the company will use 100 per cent recycled plastic (PCR) in all bottles by 2020, and trial the use of biodegradable and plant-based alternatives to plastic.
The company is also working with major retailers to find ways to offer consumers refill options in-store.
“Since 2014, we’ve collected over 11 tonnes of plastic as part of our Ocean Bottle campaign and recycled it back into our limited-edition Ocean Bottles making 425,000 bottles available for sale across Europe,” said Tom Domen, Head of Long Term innovation at Ecover.
“However, this is not a sustainable solution in the long-term. We believe that using virgin plastic is systemically wrong, which is why we have made it our ambition to stop our use of virgin plastic and trial alternative, bio-degradable materials by 2020.”