This is: Seepje
A natural washing and cleaning product
Seepje makes laundry and cleaning products from soap nuts and other ingredients of natural origin. In 2013, Jasper Gabriëlse and Melvin Loggies founded the company. The two entrepreneurs started importing Sapindus nuts and developed their own product for the Dutch market. The soap nuts (Sapindus Mukorrosi) come from a tree that grows in Nepal and India. The peel of this fruit has cleansing and antibacterial properties. This cleans well and is better for the skin than the prevailing synthetic petroleum-based detergents.
~ The peel of the fruit has a cleansing effect~
A wide range
Meanwhile, Seepje is cleaning the world with a wide range of products. From detergent and fabric softener, to washdisher liquid and hand soap. And not just liquid but also in new solid blocks to further reduce the transport of water and use of plastic. Customers can find the products in major Dutch supermarkets such as Albert Heijn, Jumbo and Plus, as well as at Picnic and Etos. In Germany, Seepje can be found at DM and in Belgium at Colruyt subsidiaries Okay and BioPlanet. And that’s important. Because the more people are able to use Seepje, the bigger the impact.
Challenging the sector
Seepje is keen on showing others in the sector how to clean in a sustanainable way. In spring 2022, the company shared its recipe for the natural all-purpose cleaner in Dutch newspaper The Volkskrant. Now multinationals can no longer claim that they do not know how to produce and market natural cleaning products. In this way, Seepje aims to create much more impact than by just selling its own products.
Seepje makes a difference
Seepje’s mission is to replace as many synthetic laundry products as possible with natural alternatives, and at the same time operate in a fair, social way.
Replacing regular synthetic detergents is important because they e.g. contain upto 10 percent petroleum and/or natural gas. Equivalent to the production of one disposable plastic bag. Seepje denonstrates it can be done differently. Its’ products contain more than 99 percent natural ingredients. Every Seepje product sold makes a difference. In 2022 Seepje will have sold more than a million litres. And as the company grows, that contribution grows. Seepje pays a fair price for ingredients from Nepal and India and provides for the planting of thousands of new soap trees to provide farmers with sufficient income in the long run. Packaging materials are selected that minimise environmental impact. The bottles are almost entirely made from recoverd plastic. And with the next step towards solid products, plastic consumption will be greatly reduced. Finally, for packaging, Seepje works with people with a disability. It contributes to their independence, responsibility and social contact.
