You may have seen this Seventh Generation cardboard detergent bottle in your local grocery store aisle and thought 'good idea.' However, the ingenious cardboard vessel does more than meets the eye — it streamlines the path from recyclable good to consumer product. We look at just how efficient this new bottle is, and where else you can expect to see it.
You might be familiar with the basics of the recycling process...
- Items get picked up (usually single stream).
- Items are sorted at a recycling center (usually through a series of conveyor belts, magnets, and optical sorters).
- Individual components are baled together and shipped to different industrial facilities for reuse.
You may not, however, be so familiar with the details of the production process involved in turning that recyclable material into something seen on store shelves. A great graphic, published in Fast Company, details the many facilities involved in recycling a typical plastic laundry detergent bottle. This is then compared against the new cardboard casing from Seventh Generation — showing how the packaging technology omits a few processing steps, along with being more efficient in the others.
All in all, 81% of the cardboard bottle is recycled (compared to 29% of the old plastic one), and about half as much water is used in production of new containers. It's great to see this type of innovation being put to real world use, and we can't wait to see it extend to other products we commonly see in plastic containers — fabric softener, household cleaners and the like. Knowing the work and energy used to create recycled goods also underscores the importance of reuse and repurposing.
(Images: Chris Perez, Graphic: Kelli Anderson)
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If only the better options weren't so darn expensive! It may be better for the planet, but it's not better for my wallet. *sadface
They really need to make the green save your green, too....
There is a step missing in the cardboard production - how and when do the halves (which take up less space in a truck) become one whole bottle?
Also, is that thin plastic liner in the cardboard bottle fully recyclable?
MADEJANE, I agree. I wonder if these so called green products cost more to make or do they charge extra because they simply can.
@MonicaK: in this case since those new bottles should absolutely cost way less to produce than the plastic version, and assuming their detergent doesn't cost twice as much to produce as the regular stuff - I'd say it's because they can.
We've tried and love these new bottles. In our area, they are only available at Whole Foods. The big box stores still carry the older bottles which are also less concentrated. This version is even more concentrated so you need a really small amount for a large load of clothes.
It takes a minute to understand the process of taking it apart but it works easily and simply and nothing leaks. Great product.
I'm glad this is recycled but it's worth noting that, ONE the waste stream for cardboard is not an infinite loop; virgin wood will be needed often and TWO it's a real no brainer that this could easily be put into a permanent refillable glass bottle and just be done with it. Remember, recycling plants create greenhouse gasses as well.
Sound like greenwashing to me, the graphic does not include the process of making and disposing (is it even recyclable?) of the plastic liner...
Why don't they just make the refill bags? I can pick what kind of container I put it in.
The plastic liner and spout are recyclable in LDPE/soft plastic recycling -- if your city doesn't collect that you can take it into most grocery retailers for recycling with plastic bags.
Sadly though plastic cannot be recycled, it can only be downcycled into cheap, short-lasting junk like tiny kid toys.
I was wondering about these bottles, but until they put Mrs. Meyers basil scented laundry detergent in these, it just doesn't really matter to me.
I'm with Adora- the point of those cardboard bottles surrounding the refill bag is lost on me. FWIW, you can buy Method cleaning products in refill bags (I've seen the hand soap and laundry detergent in this option) without the extra packaging...
I agree with Adora.
But then again that would make too much sense.
They wouldn't be able to show that fancy new and improved packaging design and advertizing at a filling station.
Heck it's hard enough to get us in the US the recycle a bottle let alone use reusable/refillable bottles.
I vote with my wallet. At the same price for the same quantity, I'll buy green. Otherwise I buy whatever is cheaper. Tragedy of the commons, blah blah blah; save the planet, blah blah blah- I have student loans to pay, and at 5-8.5%, my money means more to me than my conscience. Sorry earth.
There's always the option of making your own laundry detergent--that's a LOT cheaper than the 7th Generation stuff. And you can recycle the boxes that the ingredients come in.
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2012/01/19/make-your-own-powdered-laundry-detergent-18365/
@STH totally agree with you. I've been making my own laundry detergent for a year now and store it in a recycled container.
Green products...particularly this one are more expensive not because Seventh Generation charges more but because retailers work on higher margins than conventional brands like Tide which are considered lost leaders. So yes, your choice to support sustainable / responsible brands costs you more but not because the companies behind the brands charge more. The packaging in this bottle is made from 100% recycled paperboard...think about all those cardboard boxes that we ship everything in. Brands like Method that use plastic pouches is not a more sustainable option...these are made from virgin plastic, cannot be recycled and end up in as landfill.
Why puchase laundry soap and other household cleaners in packaging at all? We buy our laundry soap in bulk, bringing our own glass or cardboard containers to the store and re-filling them from the bulk bin (if your local store doesn't sell in bulk, agitate for it). Washing soda (baking soda) also works well and comes in a cardboard box (no plastic liner). Our only cleaners are a mixture of distilled vinegar and water in the re-used vinegar bottles, baking soda, and lemons (in their own natural 'packaging'). We keep our entire house sparkling using just these three items. Paper towels are another unnecessarily wasteful item - use rags made from old clothes (flannel works best). These can be washed and re-used for years. The flannel pajamas I wore 14 years ago live on as cloths for cleaning the floors, bathroom, and kitchen
My big question - what happens when this thing gets wet?
It looks like even a minor washer overflow would make it floppy ...or the dog shaking himself dry... or the 5yo splashing at the sink ... or even an unexpected rain shower when the pallet of bottles is being delivered to the store.
I'll stick with my big cardboard box of dry laundry soap.