Launched in 2012 by Angus Grahame, Welsh-based company Splosh is on a mission to help us reduce the amount of plastic we consume when it comes to household cleaning products.
Angus says that the idea for Splosh came to him after a trip to his local Co-Op in Hay-on-Wye, to recycle old plastic bottles. Watching a family exit the same supermarket with a trolley full of new bottles, he was frustrated by the status quo so set out to disrupt the cleaning products market.
Up to half of the plastic bottles we use are not collected for recycling, with many simply placed in the waste bin. Due to their former contents, bottles used for cleaning products are generally not recycled but down cycled into lower grade products. Ultimately all of the plastic will find its way to landfill in the future.
Splosh says that if everyone in the UK switched to Splosh, 500 million plastic bottles would be saved every year. So even if Splosh gained a market share of under 1%, millions of plastic bottles could be diverted from landfill (or worse, our oceans).
Its current product range includes a laundry detergent, fabric softener and stain remover, washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, glass and floor cleaners, shower gel and hand wash.
How it works
Splosh’s range of cleaning products comes in the form of refillable, super concentrated refills meaning that the original bottles can be used time and time again. According to Splosh, this model reduces plastic waste by over 90%, and they are up to 70% lighter than bottles to transport.
Starter bottles range in price from £5.45 for laundry detergent, through to shower gel at £2.45 and a variety of cleaners at £1.75.
When you are running low, you simply order refills, which arrive in a box small enough to fit through your door. Pour the concentrate into the empty bottle, add hot water, and hey presto! Your next full bottle of cleaner.
The refill pouches are of course plastic, with a small plastic nozzle. You can return the pouches to Splosh free of charge for reprocessing, which Splosh say results in just 2.5% waste.
On the outside
Should you choose to dispose of your plastic Splosh bottles, they are recyclable but for the reasons above, as with other cleaning products, they will only be down cycled.
You will find that the bottles are pretty heavy weight, more so than some brands, but they are clearly designed to last and the lighter weight options may represent false economy as they would need replacing sooner.
Any triggers/similar are of course harder to recycle but can be donated to a local Terracycle scheme.
Helpfully, Splosh will replace any broken bottles or triggers free of charge for customers.
On the inside
Splosh’s ingredients are not yet 100% naturally derived but this is something that the company continues to work towards. Some also still contain Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLES), which is derived from Palm Oil, but Splosh is working on finding an environmentally friendly alternative. These ingredients are at least Roundatable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified as being sustainably sourced.
Their products are not tested on animals and they are Leaping Bunny certified and vegan friendly. They carry an environmental warning label but Splosh suggest that is simply a result of the concentrated nature of their refills, saying: that its products are “rapidly biodegradable” and “when back out in the environment, they are no longer classified as a health or environmental hazard.”
On a practical note, the products smell fantastic and come in a variety of fragrances.
Our verdict
We admire and applaud the motivation and inspiration behind Splosh and the fact that it is an independent and British-owned business.
Their refill concept is already proven and the environmental benefits, in terms of reducing plastic consumption, appear to be impossible to argue with. Splosh makes refilling easy and relatively affordable (two of the major barriers to making changes), and it opens up the option to those who are deterred by the cost of refilling at a local zero waste shop or indeed do not live near enough to one.
If you do live near a zero waste shop and can refill locally with 100% naturally derived products, then we’d advocate that, providing you ask questions like “do the large containers get returned and reused?” But, if that option is neither possible nor affordable, Splosh is the next best thing and a very good option.
Our main, and perhaps only, issue with Splosh remains the fact that the ingredients are not 100% plant derived, alongside the presence of SLES, derived from Palm Oil, in some of their products. We recognise though that the company continues to make significant progress in removing non-natural ingredients and SLES from its products.
We would be happy to endorse Splosh as a more environmentally friendly alternative to the major brands found on supermarket shelves. While some ‘eco products’ are criticised for costing more, Splosh have found a way to compete firmly on price while providing a potentially mainstream way to significantly reduce our plastic consumption. Bravo.
For further information, please visit www.splosh.com.
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