When Seventh Generation was founded way back in 1988, the founders – a handful of dedicated Vermont entrepreneurs and activists – chose a name that they understood to come from the Great Law of the Haudenosaunee, from a passage which instructs that “in our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”
Now while they weren’t actually right about the origin of the quote (the Great Law does instruct that leaders must “Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people, and have always in view not only the present, but also the coming generations”, but doesn’t at all specify a set number of generations), they were absolutely successful in coming up with a name that describes the goals and core principles of their company.
You see, Seventh Generation is a company that has always had sustainability as its watchword. Their mission is to always consider the impact of everything they do, from product development through production, purchase, use, and disposal. That’s why they used plant-based ingredients, instead of ingredients derived from petroleum products. That’s why they use recyclable materials to design their packaging, and always design packages that are themselves recyclable – and they include “how to recycle” instructions on the backs of their packages, just to make sure things are going where they’re supposed to.
When it comes to product development, they formulate according to the precautionary principle; their scented products are always made with real essential oils and botanical ingredients, and their Free&Clear line is entirely hypoallergenic products made for sensitive skin, clinically tested and always fragrance free.
When it comes to sourcing products and ingredients, they hold suppliers to the same high standards to which they hold themselves (they have a strict Supplier Code Of Conduct that you can read on their website) and they have a detailed glossary of ingredients on their website explaining what every ingredient is, what it does, and where it comes from and its environmental impact.
It’s for reasons like these that what started as a small regional distribution company has grown into a international leader in sustainable cleaning products, recognized and awarded multiple times for their sustainability and stewardship, and why we’re so glad to partner with them to offer their clean, sustainable cleaning products. Put another way, we like Seventh Generation so much we don’t only sell their products – we use them ourselves!