Ecover was one of the first green brands I discovered when changing my lifestyle.  We had the very old tall blue and white bottle forever.  We constantly refilled it with bulk soap for many, many years.  A friend once commented on how old school the bottle was. Unfortunately, we no longer have it, but Ecover has moved on to greener bottles anyways.  The new bottles are made with 100% PlantPlastic.

By harnessing the power of nature and applying a little clever science, we’ve implemented an innovative new PolyEthylene (PE) – a green plastic we call PlantPlastic that’s 100% renewable, reusable and recyclable – and made from sugarcane! We’re so pleased with it that we’re making our bottles 100% PlantPlastic. It’s also good to see that some other well-known brands are now thinking of following our lead – even if they initially only intend using up to 30% renewable plastic.

Manufacturing our new PlantPlastic is unbelievably simple. Sugarcane is harvested to produce sugar, which is then fermented and distilled to produce ethanol. This ethanol is dehydrated to create ethylene, which is polymerized into PlantPlastic. That’s really all there is to it.

PlantPlastic is impressive in so many other ways. Because the sugarcane is grown and harvested in harmony with its natural environment, the nearby Amazonian rainforests remain unaffected. The entire production process is so efficient that we need only harvest 15 hectares of land to make a year’s worth of Ecover packaging.

As part of the Naturally Savvy Blogger Program, we were sent a bottle of the new flavor of Natural Dishwashing Liquid, Pomegranate & Lime:

Complete ingredients list:

• Aqua
• Sodium laureth sulfate
•  Lauryl glucoside
• Sodium chloride
• Sodium benzoate
• Citric acid
• Fragrance
• Limonene (allergen)

The fragrance is 100% natural. Sodium Laureth Sulfate can irritate my son’s skin, but he doesn’t do the dishes yet.

Ecover was identified by the Center for Health and Environmental Justice as one of the “so-called green products contain hidden toxic chemicals that are not on product labels.”  I don’t know if this is one of those products or not.  I still use Ecover for our dishwashing needs, and I like this product.  I just don’t really know who to trust anymore.

disclosure: The products described above were sent to us as free samples. Prior assurances as to the nature of the reviews, whether positive or negative, were not given. No financial payments were accepted in exchange for the reviews. The reviews reflect our honest, authentic opinions.