The Evolution of soluCLEAN packaging

As the originators of water soluble cleaning pods, we've never stood still. We keep reviewing our range to develop better chemistry that delivers lower environmental impact, greater sustainability and optimum cleaning performance. And because our responsibility doesn't end with what's inside the pod, we work to minimise our carbon footprint and environmental load at every stage, from manufacture right through to the end user.

Today we're sharing the next step in that journey: a change to the packaging that holds our pods. Here's how we got here, and why we believe it's the right move.

Where we started

Our first packaging was purely functional. Pods came in 5-litre buckets, which used 5g of polypropylene (PP) per dose, with standard adhesive labels for branding.

From there, we moved to cardboard boxes. They looked better and used less plastic, but they needed a PE bag inside to give the packs a reasonable shelf life.

Next came foil-lined stand-up pouches, which cut the packaging down to 1.5g of composite material per pod, less than a third of what the buckets used.

• Stage 1: 5L PP buckets with adhesive labels. Functional, but 5g of plastic per dose.
• Stage 2: Cardboard boxes with a PE liner bag. Needed a plastic liner to hold shelf life.
• Stage 3: Foil-lined stand-up pouches. Just 1.5g per pod, but a hard-to-recycle composite.
• Stage 4: Compostable pouches with paper labels (2022). Certified compostable, but rarely composted in practice.
• Stage 5: PE/EVOH/PE mono-material film (now). Recyclable through established streams.

The compostable chapter

In 2022 we switched to compostable stand-up pouches with paper labels to reduce our impact further. The range is certified compostable, and we were proud of that step.

But certification is only half the story. For compostable packaging to deliver its benefits, it has to actually be composted, and in practice that rarely happens. Studies show that limited access to industrial composting facilities and low consumer participation mean most compostable packaging never reaches a composting stream at all.

So we asked ourselves a harder question: not "what could this packaging do in theory?" but "what will actually happen to it once our customers have finished with it?" Our answer was that improving recyclability, through material recovery streams that already exist and are growing, offers a far more practical route to circularity.

Introducing our new packaging: PE/EVOH/PE film

We're now switching our range to PE/EVOH/PE film (recycling code 4). Here's what that means:

• A mono-material pack. The film is made almost entirely of polyethylene (PE), with EVOH making up less than 5% of the structure, so it is treated as a single, recyclable PE material.
• No more labels on most of the range. By printing directly onto the pack, we can eliminate paper and plastic labels across the bulk of our products, so there's nothing to separate before recycling.
• EU-sourced materials. Our supplier uses materials sourced within the EU.
• Built for real-world use. The packs are resealable and waterproof, with the barrier performance needed to protect shelf life, so they stay practical on site and in the cupboard.

We believe this is the best solution currently available to us. It balances everything a good pack has to do: functionality, shelf life and recyclability.

Why PE/EVOH is recyclable

EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol) is used in an extremely thin, microscopic layer inside the film, where it acts as an oxygen and vapour barrier to keep the pods in perfect condition. Because PE makes up more than 95% of the total structure, the pack counts as a mono-material in the PE family and is compatible with PE flexible film recycling streams.

How to recycle your empty soluCLEAN pouches

We're realistic: not every local authority collects flexible plastic packaging from the kerbside yet. But there are already good routes available, and more are on the way.

• Supermarket collection points. Many major supermarkets offer front-of-store collection points for soft and flexible plastics. Empty pouches can go in alongside carrier bags and other films.
• Your council collection. Some councils already collect soft plastics at the kerbside, so it's worth checking your local authority's website. Kerbside collection is expanding: Wales is rolling it out from spring 2027, and English councils are required to follow by 2030.
• Commercial and industrial recycling. Many industrial recyclers provide a recycling stream for this material. If you're a business customer, ask your waste contractor about flexible PE film recycling.

Thank you for your support

Every packaging change we've made has been about getting closer to a genuinely circular solution, and this one is our most practical step yet. We hope you'll support us in this choice, and we'll keep reviewing our packaging as recycling infrastructure and materials continue to improve.

As always, if you have any questions about our new packaging, please get in touch.

Further reading

• What Plastics Can Be Recycled? UK Recycling Codes Explained (Envirowaste Management)
• APR Design Guide: PE Flexible Packaging (Association of Plastic Recyclers)
• Advancing Sustainability: PE and PP Mixed Structures Now Recyclable in the UK (ePac Flexible Packaging)