As consumers become more aware of the vast array of products available, many make decisions based on why one is more sustainable than another. Current trends seen in marketing, use key words such as green and sustainable. It is up to the consumer to ultimately decide the intention behind the development of a product. Let’s look at two examples: the Swiffer and the OMop. In an interview with Inhabitat, the developer of Swiffer, Gianfranco Zaccai says -by doing a lot of research and observation in people’s homes— on the average, kitchen floors are washed once a week, and that requires a lot of hot water and detergent for washing - then more hot water for rinsing. People spend more time cleaning the mop than cleaning the floor.

Zaccai says the company worked hard to come up with a profitably sustainable solution rather than a profitable, but more harmful solution. His, was to create a mop that has dry and wet cloths, that are thrown “away” after each use - refills sold seperately.

Another offering in the the mop category was developed by Method. The Omop, comes with a starter kit containing a washable, microfiber mop pad, 3 compostable sweeping cloths, and non-toxic floor cleaner.

While we all seek convenience, the challenge is to weigh the cost. Swiffer is more covenient then the traditional mop, however the disposible cloths and petrol based chemicals that this product leaves behind leads to the important question- where is “away”? The Omop, takes sustainability a step further by providing washable mops and compostable cloths and biodegradable cleaner, leaving less questions about the environmental impact.

Still what’s wrong with a bucket and a mop?

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