Founded by Mark Sorensen and Ellie Brade in 2020, Cleanery’s inception was inspired by the pair’s attempts to reduce the use of single plastic in their home. With Sorensen’s background in engineering and business and Brade’s in journalism and communication, the pair’s combined passion inspired them to create a brand that could have a large-scale positive impact.
For the cleaning aisle, Brade said that sustainability was a concern when most products sold are chemical-based and packaged in single-use plastic bottles destined to end up in landfills.
This poses challenges for customers switching to greener products across several categories. This is further made difficult because eco-cleaners are often sold at a higher price point than traditional alternatives, which is particularly notable given the ongoing challenges of the cost-of-living prices.
“We wanted to reinvent the way these products were made and used, and designed and built our factory to do so,” said Brade.
Brade continued that Cleanery products are highly affordable, meaning consumers can do right by the planet while also looking after their wallets.
Cleanery has worked closely with New Zealand’s leading sustainable packaging experts when developing its packaging solution sachets, which produce 99 percent less waste and 99 percent reduced emissions than the traditional equivalents.
“We encourage people to use bottles they already have when mixing up our products, and also sell hardy reusable bottles that are designed to be used again and again.”
All Cleanery products have been developed in-house by our specialist team. They are plant and mineral-based, with no nasties or highly-toxic chemicals, and each formulation is carefully tailored to a different space, such as the kitchen spray is powerful on grease and cooking spills. In contrast, the bathroom is tailored to soap scum and limescale.
Brade explained that all these formulations are independently tested in external laboratories and put through rigorous testing using an international testing standard to be sure they perform to the highest standards.
Cleanery is a proud B-corp-certified brand that manufactures all products in New Zealand to support the local economy and reduce its reliance on supply chains. It also means that Brade and Sorensen have total control over production, can innovate quickly, and know exactly how products are made and by whom.
“From the beginning of our operations, we designed the business to be easily scalable.”
Cleanery’s low-energy, low-emissions factory in Auckland can be easily expanded or replicated in offshore markets as product demand grows. Cleanery’s products are fundamentally smaller than the traditional equivalent and, therefore, require significantly less space and resources than traditional alternatives.
The biggest challenge for implementing refillable as the norm is consumer education. With refill products, businesses are asking people to change their everyday habits and do things a little differently.
Once consumers try refill products, they quickly realise what an easy and effective swap it is. Moving forward, Brade emphasised that the importance will lie in encouraging people to give refillable products, such as Cleanery, a try. While this is the most crucial step, it is also the most challenging. Despite this, Brade said it had been great to see the support of supermarkets and supermarket buyers committed to making refill options readily available.
Cleanery will be launching a new dishwashing liquid and a toilet cleaner, as well as a fragrance-free multipurpose spray, in the near future.
“These have all been frequently requested by our customers, so we know they will be well received. We also have other new products, so watch this space.”
Read more about the Cleaning aisle in Supermarket News' Novemeber issue, starting on page 34:
