Making a green sweep cleans up

ByABC News
November 26, 2007, 2:02 PM

— -- Makers of "green" laundry detergent, dish soap and other home-spiffing products are cleaning up.

Sales of cleaning products labeled natural such as those made with vegetable- and fruit-based ingredients have steadily risen as consumers have become more chemical-phobic.

Among recent high-profile promoters of limiting exposure to toxins is renowned heart surgeon and The Oprah Winfrey Show health guru Mehmet Oz. He and co-author Dr. Michael Roizen caution consumers to steer clear of chemical cleaners in the latest book, out Oct. 30, in their healthy living "You" series.

"Be smart and use non-toxic products to clean your home," they write in their now best-selling book, You: Staying Young. The book encourages readers to do all they can to improve their personal environment and lists several Earth-friendly brands to buy, including Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyers Clean Day.

The success of smaller players in the industry "is waking up the big guys," says Lynn Dornblaser, senior new products analyst at Mintel.

Dornblaser will address the rise of eco-friendly products in a speech to cleaning company executives in January at The Soap and Detergent Association annual conference. The theme of the meeting will be Going Beyond Green, and it is the first time in the convention's 82-year history that it will have a theme centered on the environment.

For years, people have talked about a "green revolution," Dornblaser says. "But I think we really are going to see it now. We've reached that tipping point."

A third of consumers say they feel much more concerned about environmental issues today than a year ago, according to a study released in summer from research firm Yankelovich.