Seventh Generation is one of the larger producers of environmentally friendly household products. Their products have been featured on the Discovery Home network and are available at several large retailers, including Target. They produce everything from recycled paper products to natural cleaners to diapers with an emphasis on non-toxic, health effects, and environmental impact.
These products come at a premium though. I was able to compare prices on Seventh Generation’s offerings versus a major national brand while shopping at Publix this evening. Normally if I’m buying cleaners I’ll stick to the store brand so why not compare like that? This isn’t a comparison of national brands versus store brands, so I think it’s best to keep the playing field level and only compare Seventh Generation to a comparable national brand.
Seventh Generation was still more expensive across the board, sometimes by a significant margin. The largest margin was 60% and that was on automatic dishwasher detergent. On most products there was about a 20% premium for the Seventh Generation product. Here’s the breakdown:
So are Seventh Generation products better? It depends on your definition of better. They’re more than likely better for your health and the environment but they don’t always perform as well. I find this particularly true of the dish soap. I still have to keep some normal soap around for really greasy or caked up dishes.One thing is for sure though, their products are not cost effective which is unfortunate because they are about the only widely available off the shelf green cleaners.
