Concentrated cleaning materials reduce pollution and waste

Dutch company aims to reduce plastic waste and CO2 emissions from transport by removing the water that makes up 80 per cent of cleaning products’ ingredients.

Designer Mirjam de Bruijn’s Twenty line of household cleaning products get their name from the amount of ingredients that remain when the 80 per cent of water each one contains is removed. Dishwashing liquid, household detergent and shampoo are her first three creations and all come in recyclable cardboard packaging. Each Twenty cleaning material is a dry tablet, capsule or granule.

Users drop the dry ingredient in the accompanying reusable plastic bottle, and fill it with water. Once the product has dissolved, it can be used like any other liquid version bought in a store. By asking users to add the water at home rather than buy the cleaner in its traditional form, vast amounts of carbon dioxide pollution can be prevented by requiring far less transport. Plastic production also can be greatly reduced by reusing a single container for each type of cleaning.

Helping households reduce waste and work more smartly is an ongoing challenge being met in a variety of ways by innovations using new designs and materials. Examples include tableware made from recycled ocean plastic and a solar-powered robotic weeder for the garden. What other aspects of home sustainability could be improved by a new approach to an everyday activity?