New laundry strips eliminate detergent bottles and throw-away plastic scoops

A new environmentally aware business aims to shake up the clothes cleaning industry by eliminating the need for bottled detergent and boxed powders with plastic scoops.

Tru Earth pre-perforated strips are made of ultra-concentrated laundry detergent that is used in the same way as a liquid or powder.

They fully dissolve in the wash and reviews suggest they are just as good, if not better than, traditional methods.

Adam Petty from Eco-Products Ltd said he was looking for a laundry product that had less of an environmental impact than plastic bottles of detergent and throwing away the plastic scoop provided with powders every month.

"I thought about the transport emissions from transporting heavy boxes of powder and the huge waste of the plastic bottles and scoops and thought there must be a better way.

"Tru Earth means no more plastic, the packaging is recyclable and biodegradable and it works really well, it's a fantastic product."

The Napier-based family-run business imports the laundry strips from Canada but uses local stockists and online stockists to distribute.

Petty is in charge of marketing and his uncle Mike Wynands takes care of logistics.

The Tru Earth laundry strips eliminate the need for bottles or powders and plastic scoops. Photo / Warren Buckland

Petty started his research when New Zealand first went into lockdown in 2020 and launched here in January.

"I thought this was something revolutionary that New Zealanders would be really passionate about," Petty said.

"It has the environmental and sustainable elements that we support here."

A thin envelope of Tru Earth contains enough strips for 32 washes. In comparison, a 2kg box of powder has 30 washes.

The strips are paraben and phosphate-free, have no added dyes and do not include any animal products or ingredients tested on animals.

Tru Earth first launched in Canada in April 2019.

"It has been doing amazingly overseas and there has been 30 per cent growth month on month even during the lockdown," Petty said.

It is estimated that since it launched Tru Earth had averted the purchase of more than 1,800,000 plastic bottles.

"We have it in all of the Bin Inns and other eco-friendly stores around the country," Petty said.

"We are the exclusive New Zealand supplier."

Petty also has plans to bring disinfectant strips to New Zealand that work like household spray cleaners but without single-use plastic bottles.

The strips are dropped in a spray bottle of warm water and given a shake until dissolved.

The spray lasts around a month.

Strips can also be cut in half and dropped in a bucket of water to wash floors.

Tru Earth is one of a growing number of businesses launched with sustainability and zero-waste in mind.

In January this year, Mt Maunganui Brothers Nathan and Jacob Buchan introduced Dazz cleaning products to New Zealand.

Dazz works by dropping a specially formulated tablet into a bottle of tap water.

Once dissolved, the cleaners, which come in all-purpose, glass, and bathroom, work like any other brand.

Well-known New Zealand-made solid-shampoo and conditioner brand Ethique has also expanded over the years and now includes kitchen sprays, handwashes, and body lotions.

The business was launched from the Christchurch kitchen of entrepreneur Brianne West in 2012.

Now thousands of retailers in 22 countries stock Ethique products.

West said she set out with the goal of saving one million plastic bottles by 2020 - she has managed to save 10 million bottles in that time.