Dropps is making a name for itself in the sustainable industry. If you’re on the market for sustainable products or any kind of detergent pod then you’ve probably seen some of their advertisements on social media. Dropps made a name for itself with their industry leading dissolvable pods full of fiber-friendly detergent. But as a sustainably-minded consumer (some might say eco-conscious), you probably also want to know if Dropps is actually eco-friendly.
This article is like a product review, but instead of looking at a product I’m looking at a brand. I do have product reviews for Dropps pods though, you can access anything I’ve written on Dropps here. In this article I look at the background of Dropps, their stakeholders, transparency, and more. It’s a deep dive into how the company addresses important things like their ingredients and how they share that information with consumers. I’ve done the research so you don’t have to.
So let’s start with…
Do I recommend Dropps?
I recommend Dropps, yes. But, I think there’s some important stuff you should know. Dropps is great in a lot of ways but they seem to have some serious weaknesses too. I saw that right away when I looked into their website content and then started digging into their sourcing. So even though I recommend them, I think you’ll really be interested in some of the ways Dropps can improve.
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Background & Origin Story
Jonathan Propper and his mother, Lenore Propper Schwartz, developed a laundry detergent way back around the 80’s called Cot’N Wash. They both produced cotton in a factory and needed a detergent that cleaned but wasn’t harsh on their natural fiber materials. So they made Cot’N Wash!
Since that initial detergent, they’ve always stressed the importance of fiber-friendly detergents. Today, Dropps is just as fiber-friendly but instead of coming in a jug it comes in the dissolvable pac that we all know as pods. Jonathan Propper is known as the founder and current CEO of the Dropps company today. If you’d like to know more, you can find more of Dropps history on their story page.
Do they have a mission statement, vision statement, or core values?
In short, mission, vision, and values help us get to know a brand, hold them accountable, and more. If you’re new to Sustainably by Andrew Baldino, or if you’re just not familiar with what these terms are, read this post to get the full scoop on why these matter. For brief definitions, you can open this page as a reference when you need it.
When I research a “sustainable” brand, I expect to find at least one of these three things. Dropps does a meh job with giving me the information I want to see. Under “Why Dropps” they offer a link that says, “Our Mission.” But then, the first thing that pops up says, “Our Core Belief.” When a company starts talking about beliefs, it signals that they’re probably going to cover company values. Instead, Dropps then says, “We have a vision…”
My sole job here is to analyze the writing Dropps provides about their company. And so far, trying to find the vision, mission, and values is giving me whiplash of the literature variety. I thought I was getting the mission, then the values, and then I ended up getting a vision statement.
What makes it worse is that their vision statement is a little loose. A vision statement should tell you about what the company’s goal is for the future, their future, the world’s future, some kind of future. What Dropps says is that they believe you can have it all. They don’t specifically say they want to be the ones to provide “it all.” (And I have to assume “it all” stand for effective, eco-responsible, and convenient products.)
I call that loose because you can’t really pin the brand to anything if they don’t make a strong direct claim, and Dropps hasn’t done that really at all. On top of that, what they do provide isn’t super clear. I think they’re listing their values on that “Our Impact” page but even those aren’t clearly labeled as they’re “values” so you’re just left to assume and jump to conclusions as the reader.
Under their “core belief” statement they list different sections as follows: Our Ingredients; How We Do It; Eco-Responsible Packaging; and Carbon Neutral Shipping. I think it’s possible that ingredient transparency, sustainable packaging, carbon neutral shipping, and being made in the USA are their company values. But they don’t ever say that, and those aren’t traditional values so it’s really just not clear.
For a sustainable brand, I really want to see much more clarity. I want definitive statements. And those just aren’t there. Ben & Jerry’s is an excellent example of a clear presentation of values. They even have their values listed on the main menu, you can check them out here to compare.
But I obviously recommend Dropps for a reason. The vision, mision, and values might be a bust for right now, but there’s more to them than just those things. So let’s continue.
Dropps Stakeholders
I didn’t find any red flags when looking at investors or stakeholds for Dropps. The most relevant information is that Jonathan Propper is the founder and current CEO of the company and he founded/developed the original detergent with his mother.
Transparency
Dropps Ingredient Transparency
Dropps seems to be very transparent when it comes to their ingredients. If you’re looking to find the ingredients for any of their products, you can find a full list under the product listing. You’ll also find an ingredient disclosure and that disclosure also links to a safety data sheet. As you can tell, there is information on top of information when it comes to ingredients. That’s what I want to see when I’m looking into a brand.
But it doesn’t stop there! You can find even more information on the ingredient page of their site. Or if you want to find it yourself then, hover over “Why Dropps” at the top right of their website, click ingredients, and then navigate to “View All Ingredients” under ingredient transparency.
The ingredient page lists all of their ingredients. They tell you what each ingredient does, what it’s function is, the ingredient source, and even link to more information. I looked into some of the big name brands I used in the comparisons for my Dropps reviews (laundry pods and dishwasher pods). The big name brands definitely did not link to outside resources like the EPA. And, I couldn’t even find the ingredients for one of the major brands.
Dropps is undoubtedly a leader in ingredient transparency when it comes to laundry and dishwasher pods. But there’s one more area that I want to look into when thinking about transparency.
Drops Sourcing Transparency
Sourcing refers to where the ingredients came from. If we’re talking about metals then sourcing would be the country of origin and where exactly they were mined. For Dropps sourcing could mean a bunch of different things.
Because Dropps has a lot of biobased ingredients, that means their ingredients are coming from living things (probably plants). We all know plants can be grown and harvested almost anywhere in the world. So sourcing could take place anywhere in the world, in almost any country, on almost any farm.
Dropps has this to say about their sourcing: We set high standards and expectations for our suppliers to manage their businesses and employees in a responsible, ethical manner (link for source).
That’s it. Unlike with their ingredients, they don’t have any third-party groups verifying their sourcing ethics or sustainability. At least they had a little backup from the EPA safer-choice award for the ingredients. Dropps also isn’t a B Certified Corporation so there’s really no easy way for people like you and I to verify that they get their ingredients from ethical and sustainable sources.
And they don’t link to anything that explains exactly how they verify their high standards are met. Maybe even worse is that they only say they “set high standards.” There is actually no mention of verifying or confirming those standards with their suppliers. So transparency for sourcing is pretty absent at this time.
Special Achievements
Dropps was the EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year back in 2017. They received it for, “outstanding achievement in formulation and product manufacturing of both consumer and institutional/industrial products” according to their ingredients page.
Inconsistencies
I think the primary inconsistency for Dropps is their website content. I obviously weigh the mission, vision, and values pretty heavily. Those are serious statements that we, as consumers, can hold companies to. Consider them a kind of social contract. They’re also just supposed to be easily accessible information for people to find if they want to learn more about a company.
I think Dropps is doing great work and is indeed sustainable in a lot of ways. But at best, they make great products and are headed in a great direction. At worst, they are headed in a direction that isn’t clearly defined and we have to kind of hope and assume a lot of things about how they operate today and how they plan to get to their undefined future goals.
I hope to see stronger values, a clear vision, and a distinct mission in the future. I especially want to see those things when considering the lack of B Certification and 1% for the planet. Both are increasingly common things for sustainable brands to take part in.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- They are transparent with their ingredients. You can easily find a full list of their product ingredients, with data reports, and more.
- Their packaging is zero waste.
- Shipping is carbon neutral.
- They’re made in the U.S. So even though shipping is carbon neutral, you’ll likely still have less of an impact because of shipping if you live within the contiguous U.S.
Weaknesses
- I have to figure out who the company is, what they stand for, and who they want to be on my own.
Why I Recommend Dropps
I know, my brand review might sound negative. If I didn’t disclose that I recommend them at the beginning you might have thought I wouldn’t recommend them. But, I actually do recommend Dropps and here’s why.
Dropps is the kind of company that we need. We need more transparency when it comes to ingredients, more recyclable and compostable packaging (less plastic), and more carbon neutral initiatives.
While I think the brand could use some muscle and definition in it’s identity, Dropps is still a great sustainable brand. And I really think this brand review is a great example of how you can be critical of brands and companies (and should be) while still supporting them.
I want to see more Dropps products and innovation. And, I want to see other companies follow Dropps’ lead. If you’re interested in seeing what a Dropps shipment looks like, checkout my unboxing video below!