UK market for greener contract cleaning?
March 1st 2006

With a new factory under construction to support UK growth, Ecover hopes to foster environmental responsibility among Britain's contract cleaners. With 85 products in its B2B range, the company says they are price competitive, effective - and ecologically sound

Launching its B2B range in the UK last year, Ecover is building a new ecological production plant in Northern France in order to support the expansion of its commercial range into the market.

The plant, under construction in Boulogne, will help the company deliver product to the UK with minimal environmental impact, inkeeping with the company's philosophy.

Ecover UK marketing manager, Clare Allman, says the company sees significant opportunity in the UK contract cleaning market, as government and corporate companies are placing increasing importance on environmental responsibility.

"All consumers are beginning to realise that they have a responsibility in achieving the maintenance and protection of the environment," says Allman. "With the launch of Ecover's B2B cleaning range, ecological cleaning is now no longer just for the home but is an easy and accessible step for contract cleaners too."

The range covers two areas: the Ecover Techno Green range consists o effective products suitable for industrial and institutional cleaning e.g offices, local authorities, schools, industry etc.; Ecover Professional consists of unscented and uncoloured cleaning products for use around food e.g. catering hotels, restaurants, cafes, industrial kitchens, food industry and agriculture.

Available in Europe for around five years, the company took the decision to launch the range in Britain in response to demand from existing wholesalers and restaurant clients. With 85 products in all, the B2B range is comprehensive, and Ecover sees serious opportunity in the UK - which, driven by its household products, sustained growth of 20% last year. "There is undoubtedly huge potential for truly ecological solutions to the needs of the professional cleaning sector in the UK," says Allman. "By avoiding certain ingredients that are common in conventional cleaning brands, Ecover B2B means a safer environment for both users and public," she says. "Schools, nurseries, nursing homes, hotels and restaurants will all benefit from this range."

However, with the professional market almost exclusively based on lowest cost, are ecologically-sound products going to be as cost competitive as they need to be? "Despite the higher costs of ingredients and from producing from an Ecological Factory (with ISO14001 accreditation) Ecover always aims to be competitive and accessible on price," says Allman.

Another hurdle for the company is a possible pre-conception from the contract cleaning sector that environmentally-friendly products will not be as effective as more aggressive chemical-based counterparts.

But Allman dismisses this stating the products are all tested following industry standards - and their cleaning efficiency is fully comparable.

Naturally, she says "all Ecover products are truly effective!"

More articles from Ecover UK: