Taking place online from March 23-25, the Third North American Sustainable Cleaning Products Summit will discuss COVID-19 impacts, consumer behavior, digital marketing opportunities, circular economy, green surfactants, sustainability metrics, sustainability innovations and related topics, according to organizer Ecovia Intelligence. 

Eight topics that will be covered at the Sustainable Cleaning Products Summit: 

1. Growing Popularity of Green Cleaning Products. Joey Bergstein, CEO of Seventh Generation, will kick off the event with a keynote on green cleaning products. He will give details of the company’s pioneering sustainability initiatives: use of plant-based chemicals, ingredient transparency, recyclable packaging and certification schemes. 

2. Changing Consumer Behavior. Lockdowns and homeworking during the pandemic have made hygiene and cleaning products prominent. The frequency of cleaning has increased, while we are asking greater questions about products and their chemical compositions. Kathleen Kemmet from IRI will present some of the latest consumer research. The marketing implications of behavior change to brands & retailers will be discussed. 

3. Ethical Sourcing of Raw Materials. The growing use of agricultural raw materials in personal and home care products raises questions about ethical sourcing. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps will share its experiences in setting up sustainable supply chains for coconut oil (Sri Lanka) and olive oil (Palestine). The company is sourcing organic and fair trade ingredients to make natural soaps & cleaning products. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil will give an update on the use of sustainable palm oil in detergents and home care products. 

4. Preparing for a Circular Economy. There are calls for cleaning products to be designed for a circular economy. Henry Pino, president, Ecopod, will share the company’s innovative business model. Ecopod places vending machines in residential and retail locations which dispense laundry detergents, dishwashing gel and all-purpose cleaners in refillable packaging. Customers can then refill using the same packaging. 

5. Closing Packaging Loops. Anthony Rossi from Terracycle will show how the organization is helping cleaning product companies close their packaging loops. It is working with NGOs to collect waste plastic from water streams so it can be used in product packaging. An update will also be given on the Loop shopping platform, which aims to make single-use plastic packaging redundant. Initially launched in the US in spring 2019, the Loop platform has just been introduced in Canada. 

6. Sustainability Metrics. Professor Miguel Brandao from KTH University (Sweden) will host a workshop on sustainability metrics for home care and cleaning product companies. He will show how companies can measure sustainability indicators, such as carbon footprint, energy use and waste emissions. Case studies will explore successful deployment of sustainability metrics, as well as their use in circular systems.

7. Digital Marketing Opportunities. Online retailers have been some of the major winners during the pandemic; many consumers are now purchasing home care and cleaning products from dedicated e-tailers. Stuart Landsberg, CEO of Grove Collaborative, will share the experiences of his ecommerce platform for sustainable home care and personal care products. Last year, Grove Collaborative home care products received the Safer Choice Partner of the Year award from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

8. Sustainability Innovations. The summit will present case studies of cleaning product innovations spurred by sustainability. One such example is Dropps, which is marketing laundry detergent in pods made from water-soluble films. Another case study is of a brand using cartons as refillable packaging for its green cleaning products. 

More info: Sustainable Cleaning Products Summit, www.sustainablecleaningsummit.com