Green brands: Bio-D

Bio-D is a household cleaning brand rated as sustainable by 80% of respondents in our Which? member survey asking about sustainable brands.

Which? carried out a survey in February 2023 into our members' perceptions of brands and their sustainability. We asked people to rate how sustainable a brand was that they had bought from in the past two years, and then asked them to tell us why. We then took a further look at some of these brands to see whether the reality lives up to the high expectation.*

The top reasons people gave us for thinking of Bio-D as sustainable were its natural/non-toxic ingredients (71%), low environmental impact products (51%) and recyclable or minimal packaging (47%).

We've dug into whether the reasons given match up to the reality, so read on to find out more.

We also looked at the chemical use and sustainability initiatives and actions of cleaning brands Ecover, Method and Smol as these were the other cleaning brands that members viewed as sustainable in our survey.

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Why should we be worried about cleaning products' impact on the environment?

Chemicals often used in cleaning products can have an impact on water and aquatic organisms, soil health and indoor air pollution, as well as animal and human health.

Products that go down your drain should be treated at sewage treatment works. Most of the chemicals found in the product should biodegrade or be removed to prevent harmful amounts entering rivers and waterways. 

But this assumes that water companies are dealing with wastewater responsibly. Given that over recent years they’ve been found to be regularly discharging untreated sewage and wastewater into waterways, waste chemicals are increasingly ending up in our rivers and seas.

Studies have also found that these chemicals can be found in sewage sludge, which is sometimes used as fertiliser on farms. And the reality is that not everything fully breaks down.

Some of the potentially problematic chemicals that brands often declare themselves free from are:

• Parabens Used as a preservative and antimicrobial. They have been linked to endocrine disruption, but negative impacts of regular exposure at low levels have not been proven.
• Phosphates Were once widely used in laundry and dishwasher detergents, but their use has been severely limited to tiny amounts of no more than 0.3 grams per standard dose in the UK and the EU for some years now. Some brands have never used any phosphates.
• Phthalates Used for fragrance. Some have been linked to endocrine disruption and the risk of certain cancers, as well as developmental issues for humans and animals. Some phthalates have been banned in the EU. If you want to avoid phthalates, choosing fragrance-free is a good option.
• Triclosan Used as an antimicrobial or antibacterial. It can have negative impacts on aquatic environments, particularly algae. Studies have indicated that it is a potential endocrine disruptor in humans.

Other environmental issues to consider when buying cleaning products include the product's use of raw materials – are they grown and harvested sustainably? – as well as the packaging they come in. 

How well the product does its primary job is also important: an ecological product starts to look less sustainable if you have to use more than is recommended for it to work, if the water needs to be at a higher temperature, or you end up replacing it altogether.

Read our review to find out how Bio-D's dishwasher tablets did in our tests, or visit our reviews of laundry detergents and powders, and washing-up liquids.

Bio-D: in summary

It's worth bearing in mind that despite all brands having some inevitable shortcomings, the companies featured in this green brands guide have been selected by members as being more sustainable within their markets. 

These are generally brands doing significantly better than average in their sector and should be recognised as such.

Who owns Bio-D?

 Bio-D is a British company founded in 1989 which makes all its products in the UK. Products include hand wash, cleaning sprays and laundry detergents.

 You can find Bio-D in Ocado as well as Oxfam shops and independent retailers.

Chemicals and ingredients in Bio-D

All Bio-D products are hypoallergenic. The fragrances used are from essential oils, which means no need for phthalates.

It doesn’t use chemicals of potential concern such as phosphates, triclosan, optical brightener, parabens or chlorine-based bleach.

Bio-D’s ingredients are 100% naturally derived (aside from its dishwasher tabs, which are 93% naturally derived) and also don’t contain any liquid polymers (which do not biodegrade). Overall, its ingredients are lower impact than many alternatives.

It's approved by the Vegan Society (some other eco-brands are vegan friendly but don’t carry certification) and Leaping Bunny (a certification from Cruelty Free International).

It does use palm oil, but it is all RSPO-certified under what’s known as mass balance certification. This allows for the mixing of certified sustainable palm oil with ordinary palm oil in the supply chain. It's a weaker form of certification than what’s known as identity preserved or segregated (where certified palm oil is kept separate from other oil throughout the chain). 

According to Bio-D this is because of supply. It says there are no segregated/identify preserved palm-oil based ingredients available for liquid cleaners.

Bio-D’s packaging

65% of Bio D’s packaging range is made from 100% recycled bottles. It has a goal that less than 30% of all plastic it uses will come from virgin plastic by 2026.

It offers a closed loop recycling system for its 20-litre containers. Once you have two to return you can tie them together to make the correct dimensions for them to be processed as a ‘box’ by postal services. They can then be posted back to Bio-D for washing and refilling.

Its large bottles and boxes are a good option if you have space to store them. You can then use these to refill smaller bottles.

You may be wondering about the film that coats Bio-D dishwasher tabs. This is used by many brands for this purpose, as well as for things like contact lens lubricants. 

Bio-D’s film is made of pVOH. This is a biodegradable plastic that doesn’t release any microplastic as it breaks down. However, it is still a plastic and fossil-fuel derived, so it would be a stretch to call it an entirely eco-friendly material. There is some dispute from organisations such as Plastic Oceans International about how quickly these films biodegrade under less-than-perfect conditions.

Manufacturers must weigh up difficult choices when it comes to packaging. Using this wrapping means that each tab is protected in the box from any moisture getting in.

The alternative to this is to use individual plastic wrapping around the tabs, which is hard to recycle, or a heavier laminated outer box, which is also hard to recycle as it is a multi-layered material. So Bio-D says its film is the best option for its product.

Bio-D also has refill stations at independent shops across the country.

To find out more about refills and packaging read our guide on refillable products.

Other sustainability information

The latest Bio-D annual report has some information on its emissions reductions, including that it uses solar energy for manufacture where possible. It plans to conduct a full lifecycle assessment of its products in 2023.

Bio-D recently achieved B Corp status – a certification that looks at all aspects of social and environmental performance and sets a high bar. Achieving this shows a brand is taking its own sustainability seriously.

Other household cleaning brands rated highly by members in our survey were Smol (93%), Ecover (87%) and Method (77%)

*In November 2022 we asked our full panel of members which brands they had bought from or planned to buy from because they believed they were more sustainable than others in the market. The list of brands our members could choose from in this survey was based on the findings from this.

Interested in sustainable choices? Find out more about supermarkets and the environment, how to buy second hand online, or what makes a green energy supplier.