Detergents are one of the most common pollutants that affect the environment that decrease the breeding ability of the aquatic organisms by releasing toxins and depleting oxygen in the water. However, this remains to be an overlooked pollutant and the environmental impact continues across the world. To put an end to this, a UK-based startup smol has come up with an eco-friendly detergent subscription service.
Innovative laundry, dishwash products on offer
UK’s leading detergent subscription service smol is the fastest-growing laundry brand as well. It was founded in 2018 by Paula Quazi and Nick Green (both ex-Unilever employees) to make it evident that little things can make a huge difference. The startup delivers high-performance and sustainable laundry capsules and dishwasher tablets at almost 50% of the cost of similar products from leading brands. Its products are vegan, eco-friendly and cruelty-free and come in a plastic-free packaging.
smol’s laundry capsules cost £4.50 for a box containing 24 capsules. Also, it provides new customers a nine-wash free trial. The fabric conditioner from this startup is priced at £10 for a starter twin pack that can last up to 128 washes, which is roughly up to five months. Its products are affordable as smol avoids middlemen by providing timely door delivery of the orders.
Sustainable, plastic-free packaging
In March 2020, smol launched what is touted to be the world’s first 100% plastic-free, child-lock packaging for its dishwash and laundry products. With this move, the company saves over four tonnes of plastic waste each week as compared to other brands. The bottles of its fabric conditioner are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, which is completely recyclable. Also, smol offers returns scheme for reuse and refill wherein every four bottles returned will, the company will donate 24 laundry washes to charity.
smol has spent a couple of years to devise a clever way to use fewer chemicals across its range of homecare products to reduce chemical usage by up to 5 tonnes per week sans any compromise in the cleaning performance. This way, its laundry products are kinder to clothes, skin and the planet despite being affordable.
Picks up €8.8M funding
Now, the UK-based eco-friendly detergent subscription service that has revolutionised the household cleaning market has secured £8 million (nearly €8.8 million) Series A funding led by Balderton Capital along with participation from JamJar Investments. The company that has received over 15k five-star ratings across multiple platforms will use this investment to venture into new product categories, bolster its team to stay customer-focused and further expand its presence.
“With our busy lives, laundry, and particularly shopping for laundry detergent, is hardly something the majority of us look forward to! Having seen how the industry has barely innovated in over a hundred years we launched smol to take the hassle out of washing for families whose laundry needs have been ignored for decades. To give everyday people like us one less thing to worry about, while keeping a keen focus on sustainability and affordability. We’re delighted that Balderton and JamJar share our vision, and believe in our potential to revolutionise how we wash our clothes, dishes and beyond!”, said Paula Quazi, Co-founder of smol.
“When people think of technology disruption, it is normal to think of digital products and internet tools. However, technology has the power to make life better for us in the most unexpected ways and we believe Paula, Nick and their amazing team have tapped into just such an opportunity at smol. Every day, smol’s products are used to wash the clothes and dishes of a quarter of a million households across the UK. Each time, the company saves customers money, cleans more effectively and leaves less of a mark on the planet.”, said Suranga Chandratillake, Partner at Balderton Capital. “Household cleaning is a great example of a product category where giant incumbents have ignored potential innovation. smol has exploited that complacency, built a product people actually want and, as a result, got people excited about laundry and dishwashing all over again.”
“We feel very fortunate to have both Balderton and JamJar join our team. They bring great knowledge and expertise that is invaluable as we look to accelerate our growth. It’s an exciting time for smol. With scale comes even more opportunity to have a positive impact.”, said Nick Green, Co-founder of smol.
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