Making a green sweep cleans up
Sales of cleaning products labeled natural - such as those made with vegetable- and fruit-based ingredients - have steadily risen as consumers have become more chemical-phobic.
Among recent high-profile promoters of limiting exposure to toxins is renowned heart surgeon and "The "Oprah Winfrey Show" health guru Dr. Mehmet Oz. He and co-author Dr. Michael Roizen caution consumers to steer clear of chemical cleaners in the latest book, out Oct. 30, in their healthy living "You" series.
"Be smart and use non-toxic products to clean your home," they write in their now best-selling book, "You: Staying Young." The book encourages readers to do all they can to improve their personal environment and lists several Earth-friendly brands to buy, including Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyers Clean Day.
This latest caution comes as sales of natural household cleaners hit $105 million for the year ending Oct. 6. That's up 23 percent over the previous 12 months, according to Spins, market researchers and consultants focusing on the natural-products industry. Spins tracks sales at natural and conventional food, drug and general merchandise retailers excluding Wal-Mart Stores, which does not release sales data.
Early makers of such products were predominantly small, niche companies. But that kind of sales growth potential has prompted mass marketers of traditional products such as Clorox to create lines of natural cleaners. Clorox's line under the Green Works brand will launch in January.
The success of smaller players in the industry "is waking up the big guys," says Lynn Dornblaser, senior new products analyst at Mintel.
Dornblaser will address the rise of eco-friendly products in a speech to cleaning company executives in January at The Soap and Detergent Association annual conference. The theme of the meeting will be Going Beyond Green, and it is the first time in the convention's 82-year history that it will have a theme centered on the environment.
For years, people have talked about a "green revolution," says Dornblaser. "But I think we really are going to see it now. We've reached that tipping point."
A third of consumers say they feel much more concerned about environmental issues today than a year ago, according to a study released in summer from research firm Yankelovich.
A 2006 study from researcher Mintel found that 60 percent of consumers agreed with the statement: "I'm concerned about the impact cleaning products have on the environment."
Yet, it's not easy to be green for consumers who want to scrub their homes with natural products.
No labeling standards
There are no universally recognized label rules for "green" cleaners. Consumers must rely on makers' individual standards for their labeling and advertising.
"At its core, green cleaning is a marketing term, not a scientific term," says Brian Sansoni, spokesman for The Soap and Detergent Association. "Manufacturers need to ensure that their packaging, manufacturing and advertising is truthful and not misleading."
If they want to make sales, however, it is not enough to be green: Their cleaners also have to work as well as the chemical cleaners, says Sansoni. "The product must perform. If not, consumers are not going to buy it again, no matter how green it is."
Putting the green in clean:
- Small, eco-focused companies. Niche companies that led the charge in natural cleaners - such as Seventh Generation and Method - are reaping the rewards. Sales at Seventh Generation, which makes other green home products, such as toilet tissue from 100 percent recycled paper and chlorine-free diapers, have grown 25 percent to 40 percent annually over the past few years, says spokeswoman Chrystie Heimert. By the end of 2008, the company expects to top $100 million in sales.
Sales at competitor Method rose from less than $90,000 in 2001 to more than $15.3 million in 2005, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI) data provided by trade consumer goods researcher Packaged Facts. Current annual sales are about $77 million, says Method spokeswoman Katie Molinari, also citing IRI data.
- Mainstream marketers. Clorox's Green Works line is the bleach maker's first new brand in 20 years. Products will include a plant-based glass cleaner and a toilet bowl cleaner and will sell for $2.99 to $3.39 - about 20 percent more than Clorox's traditional products.
CEO Donald Knauss has said that he hopes to get 20 percent of the natural-cleaner market with Green Works.
- Office and housekeeping services. Candace Mills, owner of Memphis' "non-toxic" cleaning service 2 Chicks and a Broom, says she now has more than 500 clients.
Arlington, Va.-based service The Green Mop, which uses natural cleansers such as lemons, vinegar and baking soda, launched in 2003 and has 25 employees and more than 260 clients. "We are very busy," says owner Mia Gallina. "We were overwhelmed (after Al Gore's 2006 film, "An Inconvenient Truth"), and from then on, it just grew."
For some companies, however, promoting green cleaning isn't only about making green. It's also about doing good. Royalties from "Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning" (written by four authors, including Seventh Generation CEO Jeffrey Hollender) go to Healthy Child Healthy World to help the group's educational efforts about environmental toxins.
Deirdre Imus, wife of radio host Don Imus, donates profits from her recent book, "Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning," and Greening the Cleaning household products to the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer.
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