Sustainability
Eco Safi - Our Sustainability Commitment
Clean for People. Clean for the Planet.
Grounded is East Africa’s first manufacturer of natural cleaning products crafted with African-grown ingredients, powered by renewable energy, and committed to a future where what we clean with doesn’t cost the earth.
Our Mission
“We manufacture 100% natural cleaning products from regenerative-grown ingredients, because the process is as important as the end product.”
Our Mission: To be the trusted brand for non-toxic cleaning products that are safe for humans and the environment, powered by African-grown ingredients.
In Swahili, iko safi means it’s clean. And in Nairobi, in slang it means “it’s cool.” We say “Eco-Safi” – because our eco-friendly cleaning products are also cool.
This is our public commitment to making that real, measurable, and transparent.
Business as a Force for Good — Certified B Corp
Grounded is a Certified B Corporation, part of a global movement of companies that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Our Articles of Association are legally amended to require consideration of all stakeholders in every business decision we make.
The B Corp assessment measures performance across five pillars, and we are proud to have earned certification across all of them! not because it’s a badge, but because it reflects how we run our business every single day.
B Corp Pillars: Governance | Workers | Community | Environment | Customers
Eco Safi - Our Four Commitments
Eco Safi is not a marketing slogan. It is our operational framework. A set of living commitments we track, report, and improve on every quarter.
The cleaning industry is one of the most chemically intensive consumer categories in the world. In the UK alone, manufacturing laundry products is estimated to produce the equivalent of 600,000 car emissions per year. Grounded exists to prove there is a better way.
Our Eco Safi product standard means every product leaving our facility passes a set of criteria that go far beyond legal compliance, criteria defined by the world’s most rigorous non-toxic and environmental bodies.
1. Clean Products - our products are biodegradable
Every Grounded product is formulated to the highest non-toxic standards -no hidden ingredients, no harmful shortcuts. What you put on your surfaces, your dishes, your body, and your children should not be a health gamble.
- 100% natural formulations, no petroleum or palm ingredients used
- 100% ingredient disclosure on every product
- Benchmarked against EWG & MadeSafe standards
- 100% biodegradable - safe for soil and waterways
- Powered by regeneratively grown African ingredients
2. We source our ingredients from nature, in Kenya!
We source our inputs locally in support of Kenyan farmers. This supports our local economy, adds value, and reduces our carbon footprint. Many of our inputs can be by-products from other production processes. We do not use SLS/SLES (sulfates) because of the sustainability issues around palm oil and petroleum (fossil fuels are often the base for detergents), and the way that it’s made (pollution!).
That being said, we are increasingly impacted by climate change, which has caused delayed rains and drought in Kenya which can severely affect harvests of our key inputs. Coconut oil prices went up by 300% in 2022/2023 due to the delay in rains. We are actively working with suppliers in the regenerative, and organic space - contributing to thinking around climate change.
3. Clean Production - our factory is green!
Our factory in Kenya is our laboratory for responsible manufacturing. We measure water, energy, and waste monthly because you can’t improve what you don’t track.
Only good vibes at the Grounded factory, where you’ll see our solar-powered building (thanks to Roam) rocking with tunes. No nasty smoke stacks in our production processes, which keeps our production team safe. When people visit us, they always comment on how nice it smells! No artificial nasty chemicals to be seen.
In addition, we partner with some great sustainability partners like:
- Chandaria for all paper waste.
- Mr. Green Africa for all plastic we cannot reuse (to be re-made into 100% recycled plastic).
- InsectiPro for all organic waste.
4. We use sustainable packaging
Recycled plastic is often imported from other countries, and comes at a premium. Instead of taking plastic out of Kenya’s waterways and landfills, they can add to it. We prioritize local value chains for sustainable packaging - using recycled HDPE plastic, 100% recycled paper, or reusable glass bottles for a majority of our packaging.
But working with partners like Mr. Green Africa and Dentex, we are proud to use 100% post-consumer recycled plastic for 80% of our packaging made in Kenya. This is why our packaging is dark grey. Not only does it protect our products from UV, it is made from the recycled HDPE that often goes unrecycled.
In addition, our products are also incredibly concentrated. Unlike conventional detergents that only contain 10 loads of laundry per 2kgs ours lasts you 66 loads. You don’t need to buy products, and therefore plastic, as often!
We also accept all of our own packaging for reuse, and anything damaged we cannot use goes right back to Mr. Green Africa. Check out our FAQs for more information on where to drop off packaging.
People & Community - Sustainability Starts with People
We believe the most durable environmental outcomes are built on strong, equitable human foundations. Our B Corp certification holds us accountable across worker wellbeing, diversity, and community impact.
Our Team
We are a women-led, women-majority-owned business. A significant portion of our workforce comes from populations that face systemic barriers to formal employment and we are committed to providing not just jobs, but careers with training, fair pay, and growth. See our careers page for open roles.
Our Community
We source our inputs from in-country suppliers, creating economic activity that stays in the region. We are active civic contributors through partnerships with charitable organisations, product donations to underserved communities, and advocacy for safer consumer product standards across East Africa. We also partner with our local community for recycling, upcycling and other community initiatives, in addition to employing over 35 people.
Certifications & Memberships
- Certified B Corp
- NEMA Certified
- KEPRO Member
We Are the First. We Won’t Be the Last.
Grounded is the first and only local manufacturer of non-toxic cleaning products in East Africa. We built this to prove it is possible and to make it the standard, not the exception. When you choose Grounded, you are part of that proof.