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When a Little Bit of Cardboard (and Innovation) Goes a Long Way: Seventh Generation’s New Natural 4X Laundry Detergent Leads the Way for Sustainable Packaging

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Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of working with Seventh Generation, a leader in the green cleaning industry. I’ve always admired their brand for authentically wiring sustainability into everything they do, a strong commitment that has led them to develop their most recent – and I think most impressive – sustainable product. With the launch of their new Natural 4X Laundry Detergent, they’re not only raising the bar for their company, but for sustainable packaging as a whole.

At BBMG, we always talk about the Triple Value Proposition: our belief that sustainable businesses succeed when their products or services deliver a combination of practical, societal/environmental and tribal benefits. I believe that the power of this new detergent and its package design is how it clearly meets consumers on all three levels:

Practical: It doesn’t ask consumers to give up effectiveness, providing a powerful, concentrated, enzyme-driven formula that works on a wide range of stains. And since it was designed with all the functionality of a regular detergent bottle (easy pouring spout, measuring cap, grip-able design) it’s convenient and easy to use.

Environmental: Not only is it made with 100% post-consumer recycled content, it even makes recycling easier by eliminating tricky plastic recycling numbers and providing a bottle that can simply be flattened and lumped in with the newspapers. Instead of asking people to go out of their way to be more green, they make being green something that can easily fit into anyone’s lifestyle.

Tribal: The unique, distinct look of this product has the potential to connect people. If you see it at a friend’s home, you know that they share your values and make smart, sustainable choices. It’s a wink.

In my (humble) opinion, what works so well about this product is that it makes it easy for consumers to adopt new, green behaviors – without asking them to give up anything in return. To learn more about the motivation and inspiration behind this packaging innovation, I spoke with Seventh Generation’s Director of Packaging Development, Peter Swain.

1. Last time I was up at Seventh Gen HQ, we were shown some new packaging that used a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content, which was impressive to begin with. What was the motivation to go beyond plastic all together and embrace cardboard?

We are very proud of our high post-consumer recycled containers, but the challenge with them is communicating that these bottles come from recycled milk jugs – they barely look any different than conventional bottles. The other challenge is the fact that even though #2 bottles are highly recyclable and are accepted by over 99% of the material recycling facilities, they still only get recycled 29% of the time (per EPA). That leaves 71% that do not get recycled for a variety of reasons.

Along comes the molded pulp bottle containing our new Natural 4X Laundry Detergent. The consumer can immediately recognize it as something different. It uses two thirds less plastic than a conventional bottle and can be easily recycled along with newspapers and cardboard. The pouch liner may even be taken to the plastic bag recycling bin at your local grocer/ retailer (after it is rinsed out).

We hope that it will draw in people (and their kids) who may never have recycled, and make it a fun and engaging experience. Can’t you just imagine asking your child to rip open the bottle and to stamp on it to make it flat and then putting it in with your newspapers?

2. I was intrigued by this quote from the recent USA Today article about the new design: ”’The plastic cap remains so it looks like a laundry bottle,’ says Julie Corbett, CEO of Ecologic Brands, which makes the bottle. ‘If you change too much, you can end up scaring consumers from buying it.’” What’s your perspective on creating green products that don’t intimidate consumers?

A major aspect of keeping the conventional laundry look was to use the cap that we are currently using on our fabric softener bottle. It is the same cap and spout and looks and works just the same as other laundry products. The label is not much different than our other product labels and it has an image of a traditional jug across the top of the label where it states “66 Loads.” All this contributes to less consumer confusion about a totally new product package. The brown fiber bottle is certainly different, but not so different that it requires the consumer to change her washing routine.

3. The new look and feel really helps the detergent stand out on the shelf, but what are some other product benefits that you think will keep consumers coming back for more?

The innovative packaging does tend to overshadow our new detergent formula, but because it is our most technically advanced formula yet, we are confident that this detergent will be the driver of customer loyalty. It is constructed with a new multiple enzyme system that fights the toughest stains and the widest variety of stains.

The most obvious upfront advantage to the consumer is that it is a four times concentrated formula, double the usual two times concentrated formula commonly seen today. This means the consumer can use less detergent for each wash and has less to lug home from the grocery store. Other product advantages are:

  • There are no dyes, synthetic fragrances or optical brighteners
  • It is compatible in HE and standard machines
  • It is effective in cold water washes

4. How do you think this kind of product innovation — and this product in general — embodies Seventh Generation’s brand values?

This kind of innovative product supports the brand identity you see embedded directly in the name of our company. Seventh Generation comes from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy, “In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”

In other words, sustainability means being conscious about what we do today in all areas of our life in terms of how it will affect the lives of our descendants. We are a company that very much cares about sustainability and this new product  uses two thirds less plastic, encourages the consumer to be engaged in recycling and increases the efficient usage of a concentrated product – all of which embody Seventh Generation’s brand values.

5. And lastly – I love the idea of the cardboard cafe you created for Expo West. What was the inspiration for this?

In collaboration with the Expo West and Anaheim Convention Center teams and Richard Johnson Design in San Francisco, we created a root-system-like bench structure comprised of more than 400 Seventh Generation shipping boxes. It offered a place of respite in an otherwise overwhelming convention environment, inspired curiosity and created conversation about what it means to reuse common materials for the greater good.

Additional Resources:

To learn more about Seventh Generation’s Natural 4X Laundry Detergent and the Cardboard Cafe at Expo West, check out this video.

And find Seventh Generation’s Natural 4X Laundry Detergent near you by clicking here.

A special thanks to Peter Swain and the Seventh Generation team for taking the time to provide these thoughtful responses. Congratulations on moving the sustainable packaging industry many steps forward!


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