UK Sustainability in Household Care Report 2025
Financial pressures continue to shape household care purchasing, with many consumers still feeling the effects of the cost‑of‑living crisis.
Trusted by leading global brands
Collapse All
-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Improve communication surrounding eco claims to bring consumers clarity
- Use convenience as a catalyst for eco adoption
- Dedicated eco ranges hold potential for private label
-
THE MARKET
- Financial wellbeing impacts spending habits
- Graph 1: the financial wellbeing index, 2017-25
- Sustainability claims frameworks aim to provide clarity
- Greenwashing concerns drive demand for transparency
- Most consumers perceive their lifestyles to be environmentally friendly
- Graph 2: consumer perception of own environmentally friendly lifestyle, 2025
- Responsible household care habits are well established
-
THE CONSUMER
- Mintel’s 2025 Household Care Personas
- Graph 3: Mintel’s Sustainable Household Care Personas, 2025
- Eco Warriors
- The demographic profile of Eco Warriors
- Eco Warriors: committed to sustainability
- Improve eco offerings in automatic dish and air care
- Graph 4: purchase of eco-friendly household care products, by sustainability persona, 2025
- Subscription models appeal to Eco Warriors
- Improve the penetration of eco certifications with more on-pack information
- Graph 5: purchase of eco-friendly care products with an eco-friendly label/certification, by sustainability persona, 2025
- Savvy Savers
- The demographic profile of Savvy Savers
- Savvy Savers: marry affordability with eco-friendly
- Streamlined shopping behaviours provide eco benefits
- Graph 6: purchase of eco-friendly household care products, by sustainability persona, 2025
- Improve consumer understanding of cost savings provided by eco cycles
- Product performance is pivotal for price sensitive consumers
- Reduce the risks associated with eco-friendly product experimentation
- Sustainable Sceptics
- The demographic profile of Sustainable Sceptics
- Sustainable Sceptics: appeal on other fronts
- Competitive pricing is essential to overcome scepticism
- Provide evidence to prevent greenwashing frustration
- Convenience matters
- Ensure the switch to eco‑friendly products feels effortless
- Laundry care brands have won over Sustainable Sceptics
- Graph 7: purchase of eco-friendly household care products, by sustainability persona, 2025
- Green Aspirers
- The demographic profile of Green Aspirers
- Green Aspirers: support their sustainable desires
- Paper products are an accessible sustainable choice for Green Aspirers
- Graph 8: purchase of eco-friendly household care products, by sustainability persona, 2025
- Leverage subscription models to attract Green Aspirers
- Eliminate confusion with guidance
- Make eco offerings more visible and widely available
-
PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Decline in eco-friendly claims highlights Green Claims Code impact
- Graph 9: share of household care launches carrying ethical and environmental claims, 2020-25
- Opportunities for responsible air care innovation
- Graph 10: share of household care launches carrying ethical and environmental claims, by sub-category, 2024-25
- Rekindle Earth helps consumers repurpose what would be considered waste
- Remove the convenience barrier among eco-friendly options
- Tallow + Ash launches first refillable on-the-go stain remover
- Sustainability on a budget
- Offer green alternatives at a lower price point
- Invest in probiotic innovation
-
APPENDIX
- Market definition
- Mintel’s 2025 UK Sustainable Household Care Personas
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Abbreviations
- Abbreviations and terms
Financial pressures continue to shape household care purchasing, with many consumers still feeling the effects of the cost‑of‑living crisis. Many are concerned about their financial situation in the year ahead, and 68% say high prices would discourage them from choosing eco‑friendly household care products. Competitive pricing or clear justification of value is therefore essential for brands aiming to drive sustainable product uptake.
Format and formulation innovation will be key to appealing to convenience‑driven consumers. Eco‑conscious formats, such as sheets and tablets, can streamline routines while reducing water use in production, delivering both ease and environmental benefits. Emerging technologies, including probiotic‑based cleaning solutions, also show potential by enabling more resource‑efficient manufacturing.
To encourage the adoption of these newer formats, brands need to lower the perceived risk of trying unfamiliar products. Samples or low‑commitment trial packs in mainstream retail channels give consumers a simple way to experiment without large spend. Evidence from adjacent categories shows that accessible, low‑cost trial formats can effectively introduce innovation. Together, these innovations can help brands meet consumer expectations, while supporting meaningful environmental progress.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The impact of legislation on launch activity and product innovation
- Types of eco-friendly household care products purchased
- Eco-friendly household care purchase behaviours
- Barriers to purchasing eco-friendly household care products
- Mintel’s 2025 Household Care Personas – The Eco Warrior, The Savvy Saver, The Sustainable Sceptic and the Green Aspirer (including how each persona engages with the category, shops for household care products, and how brands/retailers can target them effectively)
Market Definitions
This Report explores sustainability in the UK household care industry. It examines how environmental considerations influence the usage and purchase of household care products, which includes:
- Laundry detergents, fabric care and fabric conditioners
- Toilet and hard surface cleaners
- Air care
- Dishwashing products
- Household paper products
- Cleaning equipment
Throughout the Report the terms ‘green’, ‘environmentally friendly’ and ‘eco-friendly’ are used interchangeably to denote products that are designed to be less harmful to the environment. The Report also refers to ‘regular products’ or ‘non-eco-friendly’, which are defined as those that do not claim to be eco-friendly.
£ 2,195 excl. Tax
Secure direct checkout
Instant PDF download
Portal access included
Need help deciding?
Get in touch
Trusted by global industry leaders
At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.
Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.
Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.
Ngozi Ngonadi-Nkwoji, Senior Marketing Manager, Amazon
Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
Ben Zeidler, Director - Research and Analytics, Tenth Wave
We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.
Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.
Marie Stafford, European Director, The Innovation Group, VML
