Our Promise to the Environment impacts on all stages of product development
Kiilto’s Brand Manager, Anna-Kaisa Tarjasalo, knows that our Promise to the Environment guides everything we do. Tomi Peltonen, RDI Manager, explains that it takes teamwork to fulfil stringent environmental goals.
Anna-Kaisa Tarjasalo has recently been involved in renewing the Serto laundry detergent brand.
“The environmental dimension has a fundamental impact on all our actions and choices. We take account of responsibility in everything we do. For example, environmental and sustainability criteria guide every development stage when designing a new product or packaging,” she says.
A consumer survey conducted for Kiilto's Serto brand revealed that many Finns do their laundry incorrectly.
“Many people are concerned about the environment, but use too much detergent in washing machines. To meet consumers' needs and provide them with more environmentally friendly alternatives, we concentrated our liquid detergent to make it more efficient, to be 98% biodegradable and to have a lower water content,” Anna-Kaisa says.In response to feedback from the consumer survey, Kiilto also developed the world's smallest laundry ball, to signal to consumers how little detergent they need.
Anna-Kaisa explains that the Promise to the Environment is integral to Kiilto’s consumer communications.
“We also renewed our brand marketing to reinforce this message and get it across to consumers. The key goal is to ensure that consumers learn how to use products correctly. In my own work, I have been able to focus more on ensuring that the entire product is environmentally friendly from start to finish. This is an inspiring, ongoing process that shows in every aspect of my work,” she says.
The consumer survey also revealed that consumers highly value the environmental friendliness of detergent packaging. That is why Kiilto transformed its Serto packaging.
“We reduced the packaging size to use 12% less plastic than before. Our plastic containers now have up to 69% less plastic than a similar sized bottle. Our bottles are recyclable and include instructions on how to recycle them properly.”
Teamwork towards greener solutions
Product Development Manager Tomi Peltonen says that even ambitious environmental goals can be met by taking account of the environment in all product development.
“I am involved in directing a team focused on green material selections. Our goal is to double our use of renewable, plant-based raw materials. We are continuously involved in high numbers of product development tests. For example, last year we succeeded in introducing plant-based substitutes for three large groups of raw materials,” he says.
Tomi is in charge of Kiilto’s laundry and household brands.
“The Nordic Swan Ecolabel requires us to commit to increasing the proportion of plant-based raw materials in production. In terms of packaging, we aim to use recycled plastic in all cases, and to stop using new plastic.”
Tomi's team is guided by strict criteria: because household detergents contain acidic and alkaline chemicals, not all recycled plastic is suitable for their packaging.
“On the other hand, I've noticed that meeting our objectives is far from impossible. Workable solutions can be found when you are genuinely motivated and prepared to make the effort. For example, packaging for Kiilto WC gel products is already 100% recycled plastic,” says Tomi.
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