Change the World 2024
For almost as long as humans have had washing machines, we’ve grappled with the impact of laundry on the environment. Packaging is part of that struggle: Each year about 1 billion plastic laundry jugs get sold in the U.S., and only about 30% are recycled. Tru Earth, which debuted in 2019, packages its detergent as a sheet called an eco-strip rather than as a liquid, so it can be sold and distributed in recyclable envelopes instead of jugs. So far the results are promising: Tru Earth estimates it has prevented more than 185 million detergent bottles from winding up in landfills and oceans. Tru Earth is also fighting hygiene poverty by donating eco-strips to many in need; it’s on track to donate 100 million strips by 2027.