Giving cleaning the green edge

Bengaluru-based software engineer Roopa Hariharan’s eureka moment came at an environment workshop she attended at the World Economic Forum in 2019. An environmentalist at heart, she was concerned about water pollution, toxic emissions and climate change. Closer home, the frothing Bellandur Lake spurred her to do her bit to stop environmental destruction.

She started with making changes at home. She solar powered the house and switched her car from fossil fuel to electric. She then explored the possibility of using home cleaning products that were environment safe and did not pollute the water. The alternatives she found in the market were not good enough. “There are many eco-friendly products, but their efficacy left much to be desired. I wanted products that were absolutely ‘clean’, recalls Hariharan. After a year and a half of research, she and her co-founder Sumit Anand from Delhi came up with a dozen formulations, which today constitute the brand Purecult. It was launched on August 15 last year during the pandemic.

Purecult prides itself with being “zero sulphates, zero phosphates, zero bleach, zero artificial colour, zero artificial fragrance, zero harmful acids, zero animal testing...” Offering four categories of products — household cleaners, kitchen cleaners, laundry cleaners and essential kits — it says every product that goes into its cleaners is a combination of nature and science, and verified to make sure it has no harmful impact on the environment, or on animals and human beings.

The formulations it sells through Amazon, Big Basket and other online outlets include bathroom cleaners, laundry detergent, all-surface cleaners, vegetable and fruit wash, and dishwash liquids. The favourites among consumers are the fabric conditioner, tap and shower cleaner, floor cleaner and the essential kit, according to Hariharan. “It was a big challenge to produce formulations that are clean and green. The more you go towards clean ingredients using essential oils and nothing artificial, the price goes up; but, in the long term, if people begin to buy, the cost factor can be managed,” says Hariharan, who is getting the products certified by MADESAFE, which evaluates their eco-friendly and non-toxic quality.

The brand is also trying to make its packaging sustainable by using 50 per cent of post-consumer resin (PCR) plastic and introducing refill packs in the future.

It says the products are animal friendly. “I got a letter from a buyer that after using our floor cleaner her dog’s frequent allergy stopped. Besides, every bit of toxin that doesn’t enter the waterbodies is a step in the right direction,” says Hariharan with conviction.