Grove Collaborative Launches The Grove Co. 5% Collection

Rhea-AI Summary

Grove Collaborative (NYSE: GROV) has launched a satirical 'April Fools' marketing campaign with their new Grove Co. 5% Collection. The edition collection features miniature versions of their regular products, intentionally sized at 5% of their normal size and packaged in virgin plastic.

The campaign aims to highlight the ineffectiveness of plastic recycling, noting that only 5% of plastic actually gets recycled. The collection mockingly promotes 'benefits' such as rock bottom prices due to using cheap virgin plastic and 'guaranteed recyclability' due to the miniature size, while pointing out the impracticality of needing to purchase 20 times more units for the same quantity of product.

This Earth Month initiative serves as a critique of current plastic recycling systems, using satire to educate consumers about plastic waste issues while maintaining Grove's position as the world's first plastic-neutral retailer.

Positive

• Creative marketing campaign raising awareness about plastic recycling issues
• Reinforces company's commitment to sustainability education

Negative

• Campaign is purely promotional with no direct business impact
• No material financial or operational developments announced

Just in time for Earth Month, the world’s first plastic-neutral retailer debuts new limited edition miniature collection to educate customers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GROV) (“Grove” or “the Company”), the world’s first plastic neutral retailer, a leading sustainable consumer products company, certified B Corporation, and Public Benefit Corporation, announced the launch of its new Grove Co. Limited Edition “5% Collection.” As Earth Month kicks off, Grove Co. is debuting the new miniature collection — which is roughly 5% of the size of its normal sustainable everyday essentials — featuring the same trusted formulas in updated packaging with a twist: virgin plastic.

Grove Collaborative launches the Grove Co. 5% Collection in time for Earth Month. This limited edition miniature collection features the same trusted formulas in updated packaging that's 5% the normal size and made from virgin plastic - a first for the brand. Because only 5% of plastic is recycled, Grove Co. decided to reduce the size of its products for the collection to guarantee that the packaging would be recycled - while also highlighting how laughably, pointlessly small the impact of plastic recycling is. Go Beyond Plastic with Grove (and April Fools!)

“This collection delivers a number of firsts for Grove Co. — not only is it our first miniature collection, leaning into an existing and growing trend, but it’s also our first collection packaged in virgin plastic,” said Alex Bede, Sustainability Director at Grove Collaborative. “We’re a sustainable brand and are committed to helping our customers move Beyond Plastic™. By shrinking these products to just 5% of the size of normal products and packaging them in virgin plastic, we ensure that our packaging will be recycled — since only 5% of all plastic actually gets recycled¹.”

Benefits of the 5% Collection

This collection meets the needs of consumers while supporting a plastic recycling system that has never actually worked by lowering the bar. Some of the key benefits include:

• Rock Bottom Prices: A first for Grove Co., creating the 5% Collection in virgin plastic means the brand can deliver rock bottom prices by choosing the cheapest, most universally available material. Though the vast majority of virgin plastic ever produced sits in landfills or the environment (if it hasn’t been incinerated, contributing to climate change)², at least it’s cheap!
• Guaranteed Recyclability: By reducing the size of the products to an inconveniently miniature level, Grove Co. is able to guarantee that the packaging will actually be recycled. Every product comes with tradeoffs, but the smaller size means you don’t need to worry about the environmental impact — as much. Don’t pay attention to the fact that you’ll need to buy 20 times more units for the same quantity!
• Efficacious Formulas: The collection features the same trusted, bio-based formulas that get the job done and are beloved by customers in full sizes, featuring natural origin fragrances and safe ingredients. While the formulas work, you’ll need to stock up or pick and choose which sock needs to be washed or which corner of the counter needs to be cleaned the most. Trying to make virgin plastic recyclable is tricky!

About the Collection

The 5% Collection features five powerful, bio-based formulas in virgin plastic packaging that you can trust is actually going to be recycled — because it's only 5% of the normal size and 5% of plastic gets recycled — in customers’ favorite natural origin Grove Co. scents:

• The 5% Hand Soap: This gel formula cleans and softens skin with aloe, but keep in mind — the tiny bottle can only clean up to one finger, making it about as impactful as plastic recycling itself. $0.29 in 0.65 oz virgin plastic bottles in the Orange & Rosemary scent.
• The 5% Dish Soap: Can banish stuck-on crumbs from up to 1,000 (really tiny) dishes! Plan on eating a full-size meal? The plant-derived formula packs a punch, but with bottles this size, you’ll really need to stock up. $0.29 in 0.8 oz virgin plastic bottles in the Citron & White Rose scent.
• The 5% Multipurpose Cleaner: Wood, tile, countertops — this formula, packaged in the 5% of plastic that gets recycled, can clean 5% of any sealed surface. Less plastic and (a very little) less mess. $0.29 in 0.8 oz virgin plastic bottles in the Lemon & Eucalyptus scent.
• The 5% Glass Cleaner: With a few spritzes, you’ll be singing “I can almost see clearly now!” At 5% of the normal size, this bottle delivers a streak-free shine on 5% of your windows and mirrors. $0.29 in 0.8 oz virgin plastic bottles in the Lavender Blossom & Thyme scent.
• The 5% Laundry Detergent: Removes tough stains with just one small dose of liquid detergent — which is about all you’ll get with this bottle being just 5% of the normal size. $0.59 in 1.2 oz virgin plastic bottles in Sunshower scent.

For more information on the collection, visit The 5% Collection Page.

Ok ok, April Fools.

This is a fake collection — Grove Co. would never produce anything in virgin plastic. Plastic waste is one of the biggest crises affecting both environmental and human health. At Grove, we believe it’s imperative to spread the word that the recycling system is broken. Here’s what we do know:

• It’s estimated that a staggering 27 million tons of plastic packaging is landfilled every year in the U.S.³
• Only 5% of plastic is recycled.⁴
• The 95% of plastic that isn’t recycled breaks down in landfills, the oceans, and our environment, creating microplastics and nanoplastics that have been found throughout the human body, including breastmilk,⁵ the placenta,⁶ blood,⁷ and the brain.⁸
• The presence of plastics inside the human body can be troubling because, unlike other pollutants, plastics can contain 10,000 different chemicals, many of which are linked to diseases like diabetes and cancer.⁹

This means that, no matter how much you put in the blue bin, 95% of plastic is unlikely to be recycled. This April Fools, Grove Co. is highlighting that the amount of plastic that gets recycled is laughably, pointlessly small. If the average person wouldn’t use products this little, why would society continue to rely on a recycling system that has just as little impact?

The only way to reduce the amount of plastic waste piling up in our homes, oceans, landfills, and even our bodies is to Go Beyond Plastic™. That means choosing home essentials in other materials — paper, glass, aluminum, tin, steel — or formats that reduce plastic by being reusable, refillable, or compact in design.

Sustainability is the only future and Grove is committed to helping customers Go Beyond Plastic™ today and every day. Consider shopping sustainably with Grove, including our flagship brand Grove Co. for home cleaning and personal care products.

About Grove Co.

Grove Co.™ is an innovative sustainable home care brand revolutionizing the products you use every day to help the world Go Beyond Plastic™. Driven by the belief that everyone has the power to create meaningful change for the planet through their daily choices, Grove Co.™ consciously creates everyday essentials for every room in your home to make the sustainable choice the easy choice. Think: fresh outdoors-inspired scents, hardworking bio-based formulas, ethically sourced products, and thoughtful packaging and systems that help you Go Beyond Plastic™. Ready to take your next impactful sustainable step? Shop Grove Co.™ products at Grove.com.

About Grove

Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GROV) is the one-stop online destination for everyday essentials that create a healthier home and planet. Explore thousands of thoughtfully vetted products for every room and everyone in your home, including household cleaning, personal care, health and wellness, laundry, clean beauty, kitchen, pantry, kids, baby, pet care, and beyond. Everything Grove sells meets a higher standard — from health to sustainability and performance — so you get a great value without compromising your values. As a B Corp and Public Benefit Corporation, Grove goes beyond selling products: every order is carbon neutral, supports plastic waste cleanup initiatives, and lets you see and track the positive impact of your choices. Shopping with purpose starts at Grove.com.

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¹ https://storage.googleapis.com/planet4-usa-stateless/2024/11/7287b658-gpus_finalreport_2022.pdf
² https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1700782
³ https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-01/documents/2018_ff_fact_sheet_dec_2020_fnl_508.pdf
⁴ https://storage.googleapis.com/planet4-usa-stateless/2024/11/7287b658-gpus_finalreport_2022.pdf
⁵ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9269371/
⁶ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33395930/
⁷ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35367073/
⁸ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11100893/
⁹ https://www.5gyres.org/newsroom/how-microplastics-corrupted-our-planet

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250401054997/en/

Media Relations Contact

Ryan.Zimmerman@grove.co

Source: Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc.

FAQ

What is the Grove Co. 5% Collection and why did GROV launch it?

The Grove Co. 5% Collection is an April Fools' campaign featuring miniature versions of products at 5% normal size, launched to critique plastic recycling inefficiency, highlighting that only 5% of plastic gets recycled.

How does the size of GROV's 5% Collection products compare to regular versions?

The products are exactly 5% of their normal size, requiring 20 times more units to achieve the same quantity as regular-sized products.

What type of packaging is GROV using for the 5% Collection?

The collection uses virgin plastic packaging, marking a satirical departure from Grove's usual sustainable packaging approach.

What message is GROV trying to convey with this Earth Month campaign?

GROV is using satire to educate consumers about the ineffectiveness of plastic recycling systems and highlight that only 5% of plastic actually gets recycled.