Laura Harnett

Updated March 2024

Plastic cleaning tools harm the environment, but few sustainable options exist

Every year, UK consumers throw away more than 600 million cleaning tools, 80 percent of which are made from plastic and polyester materials that leak microplastics into the water system—even as they’re being used—and end up in landfill. Yet while there are many options for eco-conscious cleaning sprays and detergents, few alternatives exist for sustainable cleaning tools like sponges and brushes.

“Globally, we spend US$20 billion every year making our homes clean, but most of the products we’re using aren’t clean for the planet,” says Laura Harnett, founder and CEO of Seep. “The products you use with your detergents haven’t evolved since the 1980s. They’re old-fashioned and made of plastic, they don’t work very well, and they’re unattractive.”

Founder confronts a sea of plastic in the supermarket aisle

A 20-year veteran of large companies like the Selfridges department store chain, Laura hadn’t planned on becoming an entrepreneur. She remembers the exact moment that changed. One day, unable to find plastic-free sponges in her local supermarket, it struck her that there must be a way to create an alternative.

“I was standing in the cleaning products aisle, and it was a sea of plastic,” she recalls. “I remember wondering why this aisle felt so different from the others where alternatives exist. The idea just started to grow. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

Two events catapulted her into action: a breast cancer diagnosis and the pandemic lockdown. “I gave myself three months to analyze the cleaning tools market. The more I looked, the more I was convinced that there was an opportunity here. It felt scary, but also exhilarating, because I was taking some control back.”

In November 2020, Laura and her team founded Seep—which stands for sustainable, everyday, essential products—to offer a line of zero-plastic, high-quality cleaning accessories made from natural renewable sources like wood pulp, plant-based viscose, maize, and bamboo.

Seep products are designed to be serviceable longer than plastic products so that they produce less household waste. When they do reach the end of their useful lives, consumers can compost them. “The word ‘seep’ means that the products can soak back into the earth,” Laura points out.

Seep hopes to eliminate 1 billion plastic cleaning products from landfills

Now a Certified B Corp, Seep’s mission is to eliminate 1 billion plastic cleaning products from landfills by 2030. The company estimates that it has diverted 3.5 million items from landfills and has offset 864 tons of carbon since its launch in 2020.

In 2023, Seep introduced new 100-percent bamboo fiber cloths and a 100-percent compostable sponge cloth made from cellulose and waste cotton, and reduced the packaging required for its sponge scourers by 20 percent.

Looking forward, Laura hopes to scale the company to reach even more consumers. “Cleaning is one task that everyone around the world does multiple times a day,” she says. “If everyone can eliminate one plastic cleaning item, that's going to be good for the world.”