People are demanding to know the ingredients in every day household items, and the home cleaning industry is the latest to reveal themselves to consumers. Green-minded Seventh Generation has always disclosed their ingredients both on their products and in their marketing materials, but now more mainstream companies like Clorox, SC Johnson, and P&G have followed suit. The effort is in response to both sophisticated eco-conscious consumers who do their research before buying products, and also to activist groups who campaign against certain ingredients.
Green-minded consumers are trained to look at labels on food and clothing, to avoid long, chemical-sounding names and seek out easy-to-identify natural ingredients. “If I can’t pronounce it, I shouldn’t eat it,” is a mantra for certain health and environmentally aware consumers, who are now applying the same logic to cleaners, detergents and household sprays. Activist organizations such as the Environmental Working Group and Women’s Voices for the Earth have campaigned against certain ingredients, like phthalates in baby toys, and now cosmetics and household products.
The best path for companies to take, both large and small: those that choose to reveal their ingredients first prove that they can stand by their products, and what they’re made from.
