Hull green cleaning product manufacturer’s closed loop initiative hits major milestone, saving 10 tonnes of plastic from landfill

Hull-based green cleaning company Bio-D has helped consumers return more than 10,000 of its 20 litre refill containers as a result of its initiative to further reduce plastic waste.

The company’s ‘No Brainer Container’ scheme was launched in 2021 and encourages customers and suppliers to return their 20 litre Bio-D refill containers to be cleaned, refilled and used again. The 10,000 containers that have now been collected have saved 10 tonnes of plastic from going to landfill or incineration – saving the equivalent CO2 emissions as 1,330 trees would absorb in a year.

Lloyd Atkin, managing director at Bio-D, thanked customers and suppliers for their efforts in reaching the milestone target.

He said: “We are over the moon to have reached this incredible milestone so soon. We couldn’t have done this without our customers and suppliers, who are as passionate about sustainability as we are.

“This is a significant environmental achievement for Bio-D and the next step in our ever-evolving green journey.”

The independent company is the UK’s leading manufacturer of environmentally responsible, ethically sound, vegan cleaning products and secured B Corp Certification in 2022. Prioritising reducing plastic waste from the very beginning, it first introduced refill sizes for its products in 1998.

Its closed loop ‘No Brainer Container’ initiative dramatically reduces the amount of plastic used within the company. Each returned container is rinsed, washed, steamed, and dried, before being quality checked, refilled, and reused by Bio-D customers.

Heather Nixon, Bio-D’s sustainability, NPD and regulatory manager said: “One of Bio-D’s main business objectives is to minimise its environmental impact as much as possible. It is wonderful to see our refill containers, which in themselves were designed to reduce plastic use, make even more of an impact.

“We worked out the 10,000 containers weigh as much as two African elephants, and stacked one on top of the other would be the equivalent height of 11 Eiffel Towers! They would also reach halfway up the mighty Mount Everest.”

Bio-D has focused on creating powerful green cleaning products since it was founded in 1989. Awarded a King’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development in May this year, each year it publishes a Sustainability and Impact Report highlighting its latest environmental achievements. Earlier this year it revealed it has reduced its carbon emissions per single product it creates by 13% in just 12 months.

For more information on Bio-D, visit https://www.biod.co.uk or learn about the ‘No Brainer Container’ scheme here.