Refillable aluminium bottles of Clean Cult’s cleaning and laundry products are now available from Costco – a move set to offer an affordable and effective replacement to plastic packaging in home care.
Over 300 Costco locations in the United States now sell filled and refillable 20 fl. oz. bottles of All-Purpose Cleaner Variety Pack products, as does the Costco website. Clean Cult’s laundry collection is also available on Costco.com.
Product refills come in paper-based cartons, with the products themselves described as plant-based and biodegradable.
Apparently, this marks the first time the home care category has launched an aluminium bottle in a club store environment; it is hoped to expand the brand’s retail footprint and make alternatives to single-use plastics more accessible to consumers.
In turn, Costco’s bulk purchasing options are believed to lessen overall waste – aligning with reported statistics that three in four American consumers are concerned about the environmental impacts of plastic waste, while 72% want companies to stop producing and using single-use plastics at their current rates. 57% are said to support national policies to cut down on single-use plastic consumption.
“Clean Cult was founded on the belief that cleaning should be better for people and the planet,” said Ryan Lupberger, CEO of Clean Cult. “Launching in Costco proves that sustainability and affordability are not mutually exclusive.
“By bringing our zero waste solutions to a retailer known for value and bulk purchasing, we’re making it easier than ever for households to reduce plastic waste without compromising on efficacy, convenience or cost. This expansion is a major step toward reshaping the cleaning aisle and accelerating the shift to more sustainable home care at scale.”
Costco’s own packaging goals take the form of its Six Rights of Packaging Sustainability strategy, which includes reduction – i.e., conserving natural resources and cutting down on water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution.
In 2024, Costco claims to have reduced 23.5 million pounds of plastic packaging from its fresh produce and Kirkland Signature lines.
Earlier this year, Ball Corporation revealed its minority investment in Meadow to drive the production of fully recyclable aluminium cans – set to be used as pre-filled refill cartridges for soap, shampoo, and other personal and home care products.
Unilever has also acquired personal care brand Wild, which provides deodorant, body wash, hand wash, lip balm, and mini deos in reusable aluminium packs. Product refills are delivered directly to consumers’ doorsteps in bamboo pulp packaging, which is said to be recyclable or home-compostable – and the system is thought to have diverted over 750,000 kg of single-use plastic since Wild was founded.
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