Cassiopéia is Brazil's pioneer in the development of natural cleaning products. With a mission that states they "provide natural products that offer well-being to people without harming nature", Cassiopéia has come up with a series of eco-friendly cleaning products that go further than required by the Brazilian law according to which only the surfactant of cleaning products has to be biodegradable.
What is so important about natural cleaning products?
Petrochemicals are some of the main substances of cleaning products which, however, are not easily biodegraded and cause harm to the environment. By contrast, products made of vegetal sources don't cause this damage, as is explained by the IDB – Brazil's Biodynamic Institute.
The development of technology for appliances such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers has made life easier in many ways and as a result cleaning and washing is done with a higher frequency, which from a hygienic point of view is a positive development. However, as this technology spreads further over the world the amount of residue that pollutes our waters and soil increases at a worrying rate.
Saving the environment doesn't mean we should stop cleaning. A company such as Cassiopéia shows that it is possible to maintain our hygienic standards without polluting the earth. All BioWash household products, as well as the Auxi industrial cleaning products are based on natural products, without the addition of any synthetics.
Where to Buy Household cleaning products of BioWash
Cassiopéia’s BioWash Line has two lines of eco-friendly cleaning products for sale:
- A series of BioWash 620 ml bottles is for sale in supermarkets and natural [food] stores and costs between 7 and 12 reais a bottle [4-9 US dollars]. The BioWash Line includes, among other things, a bathroom cleaner, degreaser, dishwasher detergent, house and kennel-cleaning product, detergent for washing machines, fabric softener, as well as shampoo.
- BioWash also comes as a concentrated, multipurpose cleaning product. With this concentrated substance you can make ten to twenty bottles of the above mentioned product by diluting them with water. This product for sale in natural [food] stores but not yet in supermarkets. At 16 reais [9 US dollars] it is excellent value for money.
- Both lines are available in different scents.
- Both lines are for sale in Brazilian stores as mentioned above, as well as online. Purchases from abroad are no problem.
After having used the multipurpose cleaning product for several weeks and for different purposes, I conclude to be content with it. The multipurpose bottle is especially practical for travellers and offers a good alternative to the much more expensive natural cleaning products for sale in Europe and the US.
The downside is that as yet it isn't for sale everywhere in Brazil and you really have to search for it – a good alternative would be to buy it online. Other than that, there are not really downsides to this the BioWash product line. I hope that other producers follow suit so the world gets rid of polluting products, and that the market will have a healthy competition between natural cleaning product producers, which benefits us all.
Industrial eco-friendly cleaning products of Auxi
The Auxi industrial line also comes in two series: a selection of ready-made cleaning products as well as a concentrated version. Both can be bought through one of Cassiopéia's representatives, as well as online.
Cassiopéia's website explains, "The Auxi Industrial line is formulated through the composition of tensoactives [surfactants] derived of vegetable oils, natural extracts, raw materials of renewable sources, without petroleum derivatives. They have a high cleaning power and are indicated for the removal of grease, organic residue, dust, etc. The products do not harm any type of material. They are biodegradable and do not contain phosphates, thus being eco-efficient products."
For more details on the BioWash and Auxi product line, check Cassiopéia's website.
What makes a natural, eco-friendly or biodegradable cleaning product?
There are several other producers in Brazil that sell an "ecological cleaning product line". However, the word "ecological" is a term not protected by law and it can be used by anybody for anything. According to Cassiopéia, who carefully follows developments in this industry, these products may still contain chemicals.
A popular term nowadays is biodegradável, biodegradable. Since 1998 Brazilian law has stated that the contém tensoativo [surfactant content] has to be biodegradable, but there is no further specification on how biodegradable a product has to be. If it contains petrochemicals that need a year to break down they are still considered biodegradable, which makes the term somewhat vague.
Becky Weltzien, associate director of Cassiopéia explains, “According to this law, other elements such as dyes, aromatic substances and preservatives, don't have to be biodegradable and, as a result, pollute the environment. With Cassiopéia's products not only the surfactant is biodegradable but the entire formulation."
What is unique about BioWash and Auxi natural cleaning products?
Cassiopéia is the only producer of natural cleaning products in Brazil certified as such by the IDB. Becky Weltzien explains, "We provide products that neither harm the body, for example by irritating skin or causing breathing problems, nor hurt nature. At the same time it is a good product, which cleans just as well as the petrochemicals-based cleaning products." Besides natural cleaning products, Cassiopéia also produces biodynamic Aloe Vera products.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
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