Sweden's number one laundry brand is bidding to make its mark in the UK with the launch of its eco-friendly products.

Footprint is a range of washing powders and a fabric conditioner produced by Preston-based Footprint International. The company was founded by Gemma Clarke, who has travelled the world as an environmental consultant, investigating the damage caused by pollution and climate change.

The range has been available in Scandinavia for eight years and Clarke believes the UK market for 'green' products will grow over the next few years in the same way Fairtrade has done.

"Leading retailers are now really getting behind the whole 'green' issue," said Clarke. "You sense we've reached some sort of tipping point.

"In the past, going green suggested some sort of compromise - use less, give up something, pay more, take longer to do something, get poorer performance," she said. "I thought: what if going green meant better performance, lower energy costs, less packaging, less waste, more convenience, and you felt good about it as well? Now we've got it."

The Footprint range includes colour care and whites washing powders, claimed to be the world's most concentrated detergents.

They come in smaller, lighter packs, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 50%, and are non-toxic, with used powder breaking down harmlessly. Ninety-five per cent of the ingredients come from sustainable sources.

The colour powder has been certified as the first climate-neutral product in the world by Respect Europe, an environmental charity set up by the late Body Shop founder Anita Roddick and her husband, Gordon.

Footprint is the latest niche green household brand to be launched in supermarkets this year, following on from Acdoco and Aquados. Larger companies, including Reckitt Benckiser and P&G, are rumoured to be working on ranges of environmentally friendly detergents, but until now the fmcg giants have been reluctant to dip their toes into the water.