Ecover Switching to Algae-Based Laundry Liquid

Ecover, the green cleaning products company, will introduce an algae-based laundry liquid in Europe this year as part of its goal to end the use of palm oil in all of its products.

Palm oil, which is used in hundreds of packaged food and cleaning products, has been linked to deforestation as rainforests are cleared away for palm plantations.

Ecover uses only RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil, a more sustainable source for all of its products. However, the company says as demand for palm oil has increased it sought out an alternative that doesn’t compete with food or land.

Demand for traceable, deforestation-free palm oil is growing rapidly. In December, Unilever and Wilmar signed a “no deforestation” deal that commits the agribusiness to producing more sustainable products. The month before, Unilever pledged that all of the palm oil the company buys globally will be traceable to known sources by the end of 2014.

Last year, Unilever signed an agreement to buy at least 10,000 metric tons of algal oil from renewable oil and bioproducts company Solazyme. Unilver plans to eventually use the oil for its personal care products including Dove.