What's in your products?

You want the products you use in your home to be safe for the environment and your family. That’s why all of our products are biodegradable, non-toxic, and utilize naturally derived surfactants and essential oils for greater sustainability.You can breath easier knowing that our products have been designed with both you and the environment in mind. None of our green products contain any of the known carcinogens identified by the International Agency for the Research on Cancer (IARC).

In we think it is important to point out that we do not use:

artificial dyes
artificial perfumes
optical brighteners
petroleum solvents
chlorine
phosphates
ammonia
phenol ethoxylates
EDTA(ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid)
d-limonene
SLS (sodium laurel sulphate)

Learn more about our FORMULATIONS

What is greenwashing?

We know what you're thinking, “I’ve heard these claims before but are they really true?” You are right. Many products on the market claim to be the safest products you can buy. How can you as a consumer differentiate between fact and fiction? It can be very confusing. You are not alone — we found ourselves asking the same questions.

With all of the buzz about green products today, it is difficult to sift through all the information and make the right choice. Many of the products on the market provide incomplete or irrelevant information about the “greenness” of their products; this is called “greenwashing.”

Green-wash (green'wash', -wôsh') “the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service” — TerraChoice.com

The TerraChoice website is a great resource to educate yourself about true green products vs. those who use greenwashing to sell you something that may not be good for your family or the environment. Before you become overwhelmed by the information out there, take a deep breath, we have good news for you. All of our green products and packaging have been independently reviewed by TerraChoice and certified greenwashing free.

We back up everything we make because your trust and our commitment to the environmental are important.

What’s the deal with dyes?

The sole purpose of dyes is to increase the visual appearance and marketing impact of a product. Glass cleaners, for example, are typically blue and all purpose cleaners are often orange or yellow. While these dyes make products look different they do not aid their performance.

Most dyes are derived from petroleum or coal tars, which can contain a variety of toxins and some are considered to be skin irritants. In addition, many dyes are slow to biodegrade and can be toxic to aquatic life. So why do we need dyes if they can be both bad for the environment and for our families? We don’t need them at all! That’s why you will not see any artificial dyes in our green products.

What does biodegradable mean?

Biodegradability is the ability of products to be broken down into their smallest component parts by micro-organisms, light and water. This is an important measure of how a product will affect the environment in the long term after it has been used. All our Green products are readily biodegradable as per OECD 301D, an internationally recognized test for ultimate biodegradability.

The term “readily biodegradable” means that the product will easily and completely breakdown in a variety of conditions, including those most commonly used for disposal, such as washing them down the drain.

Here is how biodegradability is tested: A sample of our product are incubated in a mineral salt mixture with a small amount of micro-organisms originating from a municipal wastewater sewage plant. The test product is the sole available source of carbon and energy (food) for the micro-organisms to survive on. The carbon found in the test product is used by the micro-organisms for cell growth and to multiply and create more micro-organisms. Biodegradation is measured by the amount of carbon dioxide created and oxygen consumed by the micro-organisms, a process known as mineralization.

In even simpler terms, we test to see how fast and how much our friendly micro-organisms digest the cleaning products that we flush down the drain. The faster and more they can eat the more biodegradable a product is.

Contrary to what marketers tell you, it is impossible for any product to be tested as 100 percent biodegradable because a significant portion of the carbon dioxide is used to create new micro-organisms. As a result, not all of the carbon dioxide from the microorganisms can be recorded.

Fortunately, professional environmental scientists widely agree that 60 percent or more mineralization of the product in 28 days under the strict 301D test conditions reflects the highest level of biodegradability. Beware of products claiming 100 percent biodegradability, as it is not scientifically possible to back this up. Along with the 301D series of testing, there are a host of other tests used to measure biodegradability. For more information about biodegradability testing visit oecd.org.

Why don’t you use artificial fragrances?

Artificial fragrances have been fooling consumers for decades. We all love the sweet smell of vanilla, cinnamon, and green apples. Would it surprise you to learn that you are unlikely to find real vanilla in vanilla fragrance, real cinnamon in cinnamon fragrance, or real apple in apple fragrance? In most cases, you won’t. Traditional cleaners use various artificial compounds to mimic these scents.

In reality, you are breathing in a mix of chemicals that can be irritating or harmful. Remember that potpourri or candle that you got too close to? The one that made you feel dizzy, or gave you a headache? According to the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, artificial fragrances can contain many toxic chemicals capable of causing breathing difficulty, allergic reactions, multiple chemical sensitivities, neurological damage, and other serious illnesses.

This is why all of our scented products contain oils that are extracted from 100 percent natural sources. They are extracted directly from the plant material itself; allowing you to enjoy a pleasant, natural, scent while cleaning your home. Our green products are designed with the health and safety of your family in mind.

What does non-toxic mean?

What does the “non-toxic” claim on our product label mean? Does “non-toxic” mean that that the product is safe to drink? Before we go too far here, we think it is important to clarify a few details.

WARNING: Non-toxic does not mean safe for human consumption. All ingredients are toxic if you are
exposed to an excessive amount. Water itself can be toxic if you consume too much. Just because an ingredient is natural, does not guarantee it is safe. For example, arsenic and formaldehyde are both natural and both are very toxic. It depends on the amount consumed of a particular compound.

Fortunately there is a scientific rating system for this, called LD50 (Lethal Dose 50). LD50 is the amount of a substance that, when administered by a defined route of entry (e.g. oral or dermal) over a specified period of time, is expected to cause the death of 50 per cent of a defined population. The higher the LD50, the less toxic the substance is.

Take a look at the chart to the below for some measurements of common substances to help put things in perspective. In addition to a very low level of toxicity our products do not contain any known neurotoxins, developmental, or reproductive toxins or carcinogens identified by the International Agency for the Research on Cancer (IARC) All of this means that our green products are safe to use around your family daily. We only make products that we feel are safe for use around our own families.

Common substances:	Here is how our products compare:

What are phosphates and are they harmful to the environment?

Phosphates found in many household detergents contribute to the overgrowth growth of blue-green algae in our lakes and rivers. As a result, our water ways are choked through a process known as eutrophication, decreasing the quality of our water. Lakes and rivers contaminated by bluegreen algae can be toxic to humans who drink the water. Manitoba and Quebec are taking steps to implement a ban on phosphates.

Is your packaging recyclable?

Packaging is the most overlooked component of green products today. It is easy to focus on the benefits of the ingredients used in a green product, and to overlook the challenges that the package itself creates. In 2006, it was estimated that more that 17 million barrels of oil were consumed to produce water bottles alone (Pacific Institute). This example gives you a glimpse at the scope of this problem.

If we are to truly succeed in our struggle for a better environment, we have to address the packaging issue. It is our belief, that in any design challenge, you must act with the end goal in mind. The goal is to produce packaging that creates zero waste after use, and does not require new natural resources to be created. We feel we have taken some important steps in the right direction.

We use only PET (#1) and HDPE (#2) plastics in our bottles, both of which are very easily recycled.
HDPE Bottles contain 25% Post-Consumer Content, growing to 100% by 2009. All PET plastics are dye-free to maximize recyclability
The use of adhesive-free, heat-shrink labels has a dual purpose. Firstly, because they are adhesive-free, and are made of plastic, they can also be recycled. Secondly, the labels are extremely durable, allowing the packaging to be refilled without the worry of erasing/smudging critical usage or caution instructions.
Shipping boxes are made from 100% post-consumer content whenever possible.

Why are your products certified by TerraChoice?

With all of the research and development we have done, you may wonder why would we require our products to be independently certified? Many other products on the market claim to have their own standards, why wouldn’t we do the same? The answer is simple: your trust. How do you know a company’s standards are credible? Do they bend the rules in favour of profitability? Are their standards truly green? We know our products are green, and we are willing to have an independent certification organization prove it to you. Look for the Environmental Choice Program (ECP) symbol on ALL of our products. Environmental Choice Program Certification (ECP).

TerraChoice is North America’s leading independent third party environmental certification agency. They provides consumers with assurance that products bearing the EcoLogo, ECP’s symbol of environmental excellence, meet stringent environmental criteria. ECP’s analysis includes, biodegradability, toxicity, known carcinogens and performance.

For more information about TerraChoice and the Environmental Choice Program please visit www.terrachoice.com