From the end of September, South Africans looking for household cleaning and personal care products that are kind to their families as they are to the environment will have to look no further than Woolworths extensive new Earth Friendly range. The introduction of more than 60 different environmentally friendly products is another first for South Africa’s most innovative retailer and marks another milestone in Woolworths Good business journey. Says Head of Woolworths Foods, Julian Novak, “Awareness of the possible hazards posed by many generally available household cleaning products has been growing, but until now, South African consumers looking for environmentally friendlier household cleaning and personal care products have had few options. Our goal in launching this new range is to make these products easily accessible and to offer products to meet virtually every household cleaning or personal care need.” Made with naturally derived, plant-based, biodegradable ingredients and containing no petrochemicals, no animal ingredients and no artificial colours, the new range has been benchmarked against the world’s top environmentally friendly and conventional branded chemical products to ensure they are as effective as they are gentle to the skin and the environment. What’s more, every product carries the endorsement of Beauty Without Cruelty. It’s not just the products which are environmentally friendly, either; where possible, Woolworths has used recyclable bottles which themselves are made from at least 30% recycled materials. “More and more consumers are becoming conscious of the possible harmful effects that the products they use every day around the house could be having on their families as well as on the environment. At the same time, they expect the alternative products they select to be as effective as the conventional branded products they’re replacing,” Novak explains. “In formulating our new Earth Friendly range we have ensured that the products meet even the most demanding customer expectations in this regard.” He adds, “Our research has shown that there is a perception among South Africa’s consumers that ‘green’ does not equal ‘clean’. Our technologists and suppliers have been working hard and we are absolutely confident that our new Earth Friendly range will go a long way towards countering that perception.” As far as prices go, Woolworths is striving to keep them as low as possible. “We believe it is our responsibility to offer our customers this kind of choice, and are committed to making it an affordable one. We are, in fact, hoping that eventually customers will choose to replace their old products with the new, comparable Earth Friendly range.” Everyday household cleaning The new Woolworths Earth Friendly range offers almost every product imaginable for every room in your home. There are antibacterial bathroom cleaners, toilet cleaners, window cleaners, kitchen surface cleaners, multi-purpose cleaners, carpet cleaner, oven cleaner, floor cleaner, dishwashing liquid, carpet freshener and furniture polish, as well as stain removers and cleaners for marble & granite and stainless steel. For added convenience, in addition to spray-on cleaners, Woolworths Earth Friendly range also offers a wide variety of handy cleaning wipes to help keep windows and kitchen and bathroom surfaces sparkling clean. There are even natural furniture wipes with cedar oil, lavender and sweet basil to help care for wood furniture. When it comes to the laundry, Woolworths offers a choice of two ultra-concentrated, pH neutral, 2-in-1 laundry detergents made with soy fabric conditioner, as well as an even gentler chamomile and lavender-fragranced detergent for baby’s laundry. The laundry detergents are suitable for either top-loading or front-loading washing machines. Personal care In addition to caring for your home, Woolworths also offers a wide range of Earth Friendly personal care products, including products specially developed for baby’s sensitive skins, moms and teens. Carefully formulated using naturally derived, biodegradable ingredients, containing no petrochemicals, no artificial colours and no animal ingredients, all Woolworths Earth Friendly personal care products are dermatologically tested and suitable for sensitive skins. Like the household cleaning products, Woolworths Earth Friendly personal care range is endorsed by Beauty Without Cruelty. The initial launch will include hand washes and body washes for the whole family as well as a choice of three different hand wipes in handy, carry-along 10-packs, foaming facial cleansers, body lotions, nourishing body butters and hand creams. Additional products are scheduled to join the range in future. For babies & moms Carefully formulated to be kind to baby’s delicate skin, the dermatologically tested baby care range includes a soothing baby bath wash, baby powder, baby lotion and barrier cream as well as a massage oil with sweet almond oil and a baby calming oil with lavender and chamomile. There are also handy lavender-scented wipes, including a convenient carry-along 10-pack. Expectant moms are sure to appreciate Woolworths new rich, nourishing Earth Friendly stretch mark cream with jojoba and inca inchi oils, as well as soothing, gentle Earth Friendly tissue oil formulated with jojoba, inca inchi and soya oils. Especially for teens Woolworths has also created a special range to help teens deal with some of their particular skin-care issues, including specially formulated facial cleanser, toner, moisturiser and exfoliator, body wash and body lotion, as well as spot-control cream and stick. Launching 29 September, Woolworths Earth Friendly household cleaning and personal care range products will initially be available in over 120 stores nationwide, by the end of October. “We are incredibly excited to be able to offer the South African market what we believe is an amazing range of products and are looking forward to adding even more products in the future,” says Julian Novak. ENDS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Why has Woolworths introduced this new range? There are a number of reasons. Firstly, innovation has always been a driving force behind product development at Woolworths. Secondly, we know that, with the growing awareness among South African consumers of the potential hazards associated with many everyday household cleaning products, more and more of our customers are looking for alternative products that are better for their families, their homes and the environment. Thirdly, as part of our Good business journey, we are committed to helping to protect the environment and preserve our natural resources. What is the Good business journey? Woolworths Good business journey is a comprehensive 5 year plan announced in April 2007 to help people and planet. It incorporates a series of challenging targets and commitments centred on four key priorities: accelerating transformation, driving social development, enhancing Woolworths’ environmental focus and addressing climate change. How has the new range been formulated? We have taken exceptional care to ensure that all the ingredients we have used are both gentle and effective, and have benchmarked our formulas against leading world brands. The Woolworths Earth Friendly range is made with naturally derived, plant-based, biodegradable ingredients. Only natural fragrances have been used. There are no petrochemical ingredients, no animal ingredients and no artificial colours. Furthermore, all the products in the personal care, teens and baby toiletry ranges have been dermatologically tested. What does dermatologically tested mean? All the ingredients used in the formulations of the products have had extensive testing with regard to skin sensitivity and are ideal products for sensitive skins especially babies. What kind of certification do your Earth Friendly products have?

From the end of September, South Africans looking for household cleaning and personal care products that are kind to their families as they are to the environment will have to look no further than Woolworths extensive new Earth Friendly range. The introduction of more than 60 different environmentally friendly products is another first for South Africa’s most innovative retailer and marks another milestone in Woolworths Good business journey.