Over the past five years, Seepje has grown by a staggering factor of ten. This latest investment is aimed at recording a sustained annual growth of fifty percent or better. The company hopes that its mission of sustainability will be the deciding factor. “A clean future: that’s what we want, but it will be impossible unless we all work together now to become more sustainable. We want to get rid of pollution from housekeeping and personal care products, which are crammed full of unnecessary fossil ingredients. This capital injection will help us to become the world’s most impactful soap brand,” explains Seepje co-founder Jasper Gabriëlse. “Besides money, our investors will also provide input to make our supply chain more transparent, by increasing the professionalism of our impact measurements and reports, which will help us to make an even greater impact. We want to have a positive impact on everyone involved, for example by paying fair prices at the start of the supply chain. We’re challenging other operators to follow our example.”

Sustainable investments

Seepje’s track record shows how capable the company is of attracting leading impact investors, such as social investment company DOEN Participaties (founded by the Dutch National Postcode Lottery) and Muiden-based Fair Capital Impact Fund. The ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund is the latest to follow, at the same time as a new investment by Fair Capital Impact Fund. “For almost a decade now, Seepje’s founders, with their detergents and cleaning products, have been making a positive difference in the struggle to stop the planet’s natural resources from being exhausted,” comments Michelle de Rijk on behalf of Fair Capital Impact Fund. “We’re proud to help further boost the organisation and make a vital contribution to the company’s mission.”

Investment Director Erick Buckens of ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund adds, “Seepje is a real gamechanger, capable of substantially influencing the sustainability transition in the housekeeping and personal care market. The radical shift towards adopting natural ingredients and fair pay in the supply chain not only benefits the planet, it also fills the surging demand from increasing numbers of conscious and sustainability-minded buyers. This slots in perfectly with ABN AMRO SIF’s vision, which is to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable and inclusive society. Our goal is to achieve both sustainable impact and financial returns.”

Consolidation and growth

Already Social Enterprise of the Year in the Netherlands, Seepje will now use this capital injection from leading impact investors to expand its position in its existing markets in the Netherlands and Belgium, and to further explore new markets. Following the company’s successful launch in Switzerland, for example, Gabriëlse foresees rapid growth there. “Our impactful innovations, such as the recent introduction of hand soap refills, will help reduce carbon emissions along the entire supply chain, for example, as well as reducing the volume of plastic waste. Coupled with the fact that 99.8% of the ingredients that we use are organic, this makes us the most sustainable product in the market. We’re going to make sure that even more people start moving towards a clean future with Seepje, in the Netherlands and beyond!”