Hardly reassuring

RATHER than pour a sickly-coloured goo, also called detergent, into a washing machine, thousands of people now pop in a 'laundry egg' filled with cleaning pellets. The eggs are made without the usual chemicals and are thus gentler on clothes and consequently skin. They were the brainchild of Dawn White, a British entrepreneur. She suffered from skin ailments that reacted to detergents and spotted a gap in the market. Her company Ecoegg will have a turnover of more than 2m this year and sells all over the world.Ms White's success is good for eczema sufferers, and for British business. Moreover, Ecoegg has become a pin-up for the voguish policy of 'reshoring', attracting back to Britain manufacturers who had once moved their production offshore. Ms White, like many others, had put all her eggs in the Chinese basket, to take advantage of the lower costs and wages there. But, she says, 'it was a disaster'. The Chinese manufacturer used cheaper materials than it was supposed to, and the egg cases crumbled in the wash. So now all production has been brought to Britain. It is more expensive, she concedes. But as the quality of the egg is integral to its success she has learned that she cannot afford not to keep a close eye on the production process.The prime minister, David Cameron, would approve of the Ecoegg story. Reshoring is now an integral...Continue reading
Click here to read full news..