Ecover 100% recycled plastic bottles

Ecover has fulfilled its promise to use only recycled plastic in its washing-up liquid range by 2018 – with the launch of a bottle made from 100% post-consumer plastic.

The ecological household brand’s core washing-up liquid range across the UK and Europe is now packed in completely recycled and recyclable PET, featuring a new, transparent design and a lighter cap made from less plastic.

The sustainable bottle was made from PET that typically came from post-consumer drinks bottles and had a 70% lower carbon footprint than if it were 100% virgin plastic, Ecover said. It is available with four different fragrances of washing-up liquid – lemon & aloe vera, lily & lotus, pomegranate & fig, camomile & clementine – and a fragrance-free variant.

The launch comes after Ecover pledged in October to use only 100% recycled plastic in its washing-up liquid range by 2018 – and to have 100% recycled plastic across its entire household portfolio by 2020. The Belgian brand also intends to trial the use of alternative biodegradable and bio-sourced packaging.

The new bottle hadn’t “been without its challenges” said David Kennedy, director of product experience at Ecover. “We designed, modelled and tested multiple iterations until we were satisfied.” The resulting packaging was part of “doing what we can to put an end to plastic pollution”, he added.