Green cleans up at home

Households are turning to eco-friendly products in increasing numbers. Photo / Chris Skelton

Consumers are turning to eco-friendly products in increasing numbers, but one Kiwi supplier says they are worried more about protecting their home environments than the rest of the world.

Household products firm Earthwise's sales have grown by almost 600 per cent in the past year. It has been in supermarkets for only two years but has grown from annual sales of $40,000 in 2010 to $700,000 this year.

Director Jamie Peters said a lot of that was driven by parents who wanted to keep chemicals out of their homes, rather than people worrying about the wider environment.

"I think we're pretty close to the day that choosing eco-friendly and people-friendly products is the default position for consumers."

He said a key thing for his company was making products affordable enough to be an option. "We price just above mainstream but below premium so it's authentic but also affordable."

Data from sales monitoring company Aztec showed in the year to June there was 7.7 per cent overall growth in supermarket sales in the category of "environmental cleaners". Primary growth was in the market for environmentally friendly "cleaning and bathroom" products (16.2 per cent).

Earthwise now accounts for almost a third of all supermarket sales of environmental cleaners.