Ecover
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| Private | |
| Industry | Consumer products |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Malle, Belgium |
| Products | Ecological cleaning products |
| Website | www |
Ecover is a Belgium-based company that manufactures ecologically sound cleaning products (made from plant-based and mineral ingredients).
The company was founded in 1980 by Frans Bogaerts to create phosphate-free cleaning products to reduce the environmental impact of cleaning agents. Following expansion to support sales through supermarkets, it ran into financial difficulties during the early 1990s. The business was sold to Bogaerts' son and rescued by Gunter Pauli, a member of the company's Board since 1990. Pauli, in turn, enlisted in 1992 the financial clout of now-deceased Danish investor,Jørgen Philip-Sørensen, through the private investment company Skagen. The company's relaunch commenced with the construction of an "ecological factory", followed by investments into research projects for the purpose of developing appropriate plant-based and renewable raw materials for cleaning products.
Ecover is part of the Skagen Conscience Capital, a global organisation. Aquaver and The Change Initiatives are other companies of Skagen Conscience Capital.
In 2012 Ecover bought Method Products, a San Francisco, United States headquartered manufacturer of biodegradable natural cleaning supplies with a focus on minimalist product design, to assist its entry of the North American market. The new group had annual revenues of $200 million at that time and were the world’s largest green cleaning products company by sales. Method had been founded in 2001 by Eric Ryan, a designer and marketer, and Adam Lowry, a chemical engineer. Method opened a factory in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago in 2015.
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