Building a Plastic-Free Future,
One Bottle at a Time

The global cleaning products industry generates approximately 600 million kilograms of plastic packaging waste every year. Most of it is single-use, most of it is not recycled, and most of it ends up in landfill or ocean environments where it will persist for centuries.

At Dilween, we've made a binding commitment: zero virgin plastic in our packaging by 2027. This is what that actually means — and why it's harder than it sounds.

The Problem with Recycled Content Claims

"Made from recycled plastic" sounds like a solution. It isn't. For every kilogram of plastic that gets recycled, many more kilograms are produced from virgin petroleum. Recycled content reduces the demand for new plastic production incrementally — it does not solve the systemic problem of plastic proliferation.

The more honest goal is to stop creating demand for plastic at all — and the best way to do that is to redesign packaging around materials that either don't involve plastic or that close the loop completely.

Our Three-Track Approach

We're pursuing plastic elimination on three simultaneous tracks:

Track 1: Concentration

The most impactful thing we've done so far is dramatically increase the concentration of our formulas. Our laundry detergent now delivers 64 washes in a bottle that previously delivered 20. Our all-purpose cleaner tablet dissolves in 500ml of water to produce a full 500ml spray bottle.

Higher concentration means fewer bottles per year, per household. We've reduced our plastic output by 62% relative to our 2020 baseline through concentration alone — without changing any materials or formats.

Track 2: Refill Systems

Our refill program allows customers to buy a durable glass or aluminum bottle once, then purchase concentrated refill pods that arrive in a minimal amount of water-soluble film — no hard plastic required.

This approach is more challenging to communicate than a simple bottle swap, but it's the correct solution. The durable container has amortized environmental costs over 5–10 years of use. The refill pod contributes negligible material to the waste stream.

Track 3: Alternative Materials

For products where concentration and refill aren't viable format changes, we're transitioning to alternative materials:

• Aluminum bottles — infinitely recyclable, with a well-established recycling infrastructure
• Glass bottles — for premium product lines where material density is acceptable
• FSC-certified cardboard — for powder detergents, tablets, and solid bar formats
• PHBV bioplastics — for closures and caps where no alternative exists yet

The Hard Parts

I want to be honest about the challenges in this transition, because the industry has a long history of making plastic commitments that quietly fail.

Cost. Aluminum and glass cost significantly more than PET plastic per unit. This increases our cost of goods, which either reduces margin or increases price. We've chosen to absorb most of this cost in our margin rather than pass it fully to consumers.

Supply chain. Bioplastic cap suppliers are few, their minimum order quantities are high, and their quality consistency is variable. We have experienced delays in our timeline for this reason and have been transparent with our production team about the challenges.

Consumer behavior. Refill systems require a behavioral change from consumers — remembering to reorder concentrate, storing the durable bottle, using the right dilution ratio. We're investing in design, packaging copy, and customer education to make this as frictionless as possible.

Where We Are Now

As of May 2025, 70% of our product line by volume ships in packaging that is either plastic-free or made from post-consumer recycled material only. Our target is 100% by December 2027.

We'll publish a packaging report every six months until we hit that target — with real numbers, not marketing language. You can hold us to it.

"Zero virgin plastic by 2027. Not a goal. A commitment — with public reporting every six months."