Full Circle has some exciting household products which use green materials and combine them with modern industrial design to create both functional and sustainable items for consumers.

I’ve tried a number of dish brushes over the years and many of them I don’t like either because of the design or the materials used.  Often these products are made entirely from plastic and are designed to be disposable.  That isn’t very green.

Along comes the Laid Back brush from Full Circle.  The first thing I noticed was the design and ergonomics of the wooden handle.  The angle is ideal for cleaning dishes.  The handle is made out of bamboo which has been triple coated using vegetable-based oils to protect it from water.  The interesting thing about the Laid Back brush is the part with the bristles is designed to be removable allowing consumers to replace the bristle head after it wears.  This makes the brush different from many others on the market in that it isn’t designed to be disposable.

The removable head is made from the plant-based plastic Bonterra and the bristles are also plant-based.  So when the bristles wear you remove and replace the head, not the whole brush..

Full Circle also makes a number of other products which like the Laid Back brush combine elements of modern design with green components.

One of their other products i’m particularly fond of is the stick ‘em magnet kitchen towel.  This super absorbent towel is made from bamboo and organic cotton and has a magnet inside so it sticks to a refrigerator or other metal surface.

Full Circle’s products are available online at retailers like GreenFeet and others even Amazon.

 

 

Here’s an interesting new product – with a built-in filter, WaterGeeks water bottles include a filter with the convenience of a portable water bottle.

Made from BPA-free plastic tops and stainless steal containers and available in a variety of fun colors, these bottles are a stylish way to implement or maintain a green lifestyle into your daily routine.

According to the company the filter removes contaminants including chlorine from water.

IQ Clean is a new product line launched by the Canadian company Planet People.  The new products include four different cleaning solutions and accompanying refill cartridges.

The idea is simple take a non -toxic cleaning solution made from corn and coconut based surfactants package the product in bold easy to use packaging and include a refill cartridge.

IQ Clean has an all-purpose, glass, bathroom and floor cleaning product in their new line, each color coded so consumers can easily identify which cleaner their grabbing.

The packaging is good.  The cleaners come in large durable highly recyclable #1 PET bottles with a very good spray top designed to last a long time.

The idea is consumers will continue to buy refill cartridges and reuse their original bottle.

IQ Clean has gone to great lengths to explain to consumer both through directions and visually on the packaging and their website how to use the refill cartridges.  I found the process extremely simple and easy to understand.

In the past a number of companies have tried the refill cartridge concept with varying degrees of success.  Most recently Arm & Hammer’s Essentials cleaners come to mind.  The Arm & Hammer products which I covered on SISG demonstrated an innovative approach to greener packaging but weren’t terribly well received by consumers over concerns of what was in the products and ease of use.

I found the IQ Clean products I tried to be both effective at their intended tasks and also pleasant to use.

US consumers can find the new IQ Clean products at many Hannaford grocery stores, SweetBay supermarkets in Florida and Spartan stores in Michigan.   The company is also working on relationships with major on line retailers so stay tuned.

The initial product which includes a full bottle of cleaner and one refill sells for $4.99.  Refill cartridges then sell for $1.99.

 

IKEA will begin voluntarily phasing out incandescent light bulbs in its US stores beginning August 1.  The Swedish company hopes to completely eliminate incandescent bulbs by January 1, 2011.

The aggressive IKEA US store phase out program exemplifies IKEA’s strong commitment to helping their customers live an everyday sustainable life. IKEA will be the first US retailer to completely phase out incandescent light bulbs.

“IKEA is committed to integrating sustainability into all IKEA strategies and practices in the entire product life cycle. We also believe our customers are looking for every day environmentally responsible solutions for themselves. Eliminating incandescents is a simple way to lead the charge for IKEA customers to use energy saving light bulbs, thus reducing energy consumption and reducing the amount of greenhouses gases. It’s a little step with a big impact on our planet,” commented Mike Ward, US IKEA President.

The IKEA phase out will come in advance of the federal legislation that will begin to phase out incandescent light bulbs in 2012. IKEA is taking the lead before this new legislation takes effect.IKEA customers will have a good choice of other effective energy saving bulbs. 

While the compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) is the most popular bulb, IKEA also offers a range of LED lamps which are 70% more efficient than using incandescent bulbs. IKEA Halogen lamps which consume 30% less energy are also a great ‘white light’ alternative.

And beginning fall, 2010, IKEA will offer a halogen bulb which can be used in a standard light socket. This is called a retro-fit halogen bulb.

IKEA also offers solar powered lamps including their SUNNAN desk lamp and their ‘SOLIG’ range of outdoor lights.

Preserve recently debuted their new mail back retail packaging for their popular line of toothbrushes made from recycled #5 polypropylene plastic.

The packaging innovation serves as the in store retail packaging for the toothbrush and then a mailer for the consumer to send the toothbrush back to Preserve for recycling. 

Preserve is covering the return postage on the first 250,000 toothbrushes sold, after that consumers will need only to provide a stamp to send their toothbrush back for recycling.

The mail back packaging is also made from #5 polypropylene with polyethylene for the perfect combination of weight and durability. 

Leave it to Preserve to develop innovations like this new packaging.  The company has been a leader in making products from recycled materials and have been focused on increasing awareness for reusing materials in consumer products.

Preserve recently debuted their new mail back retail packaging for their popular line of toothbrushes made from recycled #5 polypropylene plastic.

The packaging innovation serves as the in store retail packaging for the toothbrush and then a mailer for the consumer to send the toothbrush back to Preserve for recycling. 

Preserve is covering the return postage on the first 250,000 toothbrushes sold, after that consumers will need only to provide a stamp to send their toothbrush back for recycling.

The mail back packaging is also made from #5 polypropylene with polyethylene for the perfect combination of weight and durability. 

Leave it to Preserve to develop innovations like this new packaging.  The company has been a leader in making products from recycled materials and have been focused on increasing awareness for reusing materials in consumer products.

Umbria Olii International’s EcoLive laundry soap, made from 100 percent olive oil is now being sold in new compostable packaging.

The EcoLive laundry soap itself is unique compared to the laundry soap sold on most mainstream market shelves in the US.  We don’t see many natural “bar” type laundry soap products here in the US.

The new packaging for EcoLive is made from biodegradable Bio-Flex film from FKuR.

Umbria Olii is a leading Italian producer of products made from olive oil.  The company makes cosmetic, food and household products from olive oil.

When asked why the company choose the new bio-packaging, Sergio Montano, President of Umbria Olii International said “The high content of renewable resources and the appealing glossy surface along with the certified biodegradability of the multilayer bio-film (supplied via Cartotecnica & Poligrafica Veneta) has convinced us.”

We do not believe EcoLive olive oil laundry soap is available in the US market, however if we obtain additional information from the company we’ll post here.

O’BON is a company making eco-friendly stationary and related items based in Northern California. 

They’ve been selling in Australian and Asian markets for several years now and just recently have begun focusing on the US market.

“O’BON is designed specifically around kids, students and environmentally conscious schools, workplaces and individuals,” said O’BON’s Tom McHale.

“Our line of pencils, pens, erasers, notebooks, binders and folders bring something very different to the table: beautiful, vibrant colors, gorgeous designs, very affordable pricing and a sense of social responsibility as well.”

The company makes products including:

•          Pencils made out of recycled newspaper
•          Notebooks made from sugarcane pulp
•          Folders made from recycled paper
•          Binders made from recycled cardboard

I had the chance to try some of their products including their recycled newspaper pencils and sugarcane pulp notebooks.  The products are well made and come in a variety of fun exciting designs.  We tried both their wildlife colored pencils and their regular rainbow design pencils and found them to be perfect replacements for their conventional counterparts.  They’d definitely make ideal more eco-friendly choices for children. 

McHale said, “You will find that O’BON is committed to making only the highest quality products through using the best of materials, and we closely control our manufacturing process to minimize any affect on the environment.”

O’BON products are available online at www.myobon.com as well as at retailers across the country.  

O’BON is a company making eco-friendly stationary and related items based in Northern California. 

They’ve been selling in Australian and Asian markets for several years now and just recently have begun focusing on the US market.

“O’BON is designed specifically around kids, students and environmentally conscious schools, workplaces and individuals,” said O’BON’s Tom McHale.

“Our line of pencils, pens, erasers, notebooks, binders and folders bring something very different to the table: beautiful, vibrant colors, gorgeous designs, very affordable pricing and a sense of social responsibility as well.”

The company makes products including:

•          Pencils made out of recycled newspaper
•          Notebooks made from sugarcane pulp
•          Folders made from recycled paper
•          Binders made from recycled cardboard

I had the chance to try some of their products including their recycled newspaper pencils and sugarcane pulp notebooks.  The products are well made and come in a variety of fun exciting designs.  We tried both their wildlife colored pencils and their regular rainbow design pencils and found them to be perfect replacements for their conventional counterparts.  They’d definitely make ideal more eco-friendly choices for children. 

McHale said, “You will find that O’BON is committed to making only the highest quality products through using the best of materials, and we closely control our manufacturing process to minimize any affect on the environment.”

O’BON products are available online at www.myobon.com as well as at retailers across the country.