At SmartSolve, we measure success not only by the materials we engineer but by the impact our partners create with them. This year, that impact reached an exciting new milestone through our collaboration with Grove Collaborative, specifically through the launch of the Grove Co. Toilet Bowl Cleaner Pods, available exclusively on Grove’s marketplace at Grove.co.
Released on August 21, 2025, this product represents far more than a new addition to Grove Co.’s home cleaning lineup. It marks a significant advancement in sustainable product design, materials science, and packaging innovation, one that pushes the entire category forward.
A Smarter Way to Clean the Toilet
Grove Co.’s Toilet Bowl Cleaner Pods redefine the toilet bowl cleaning experience. Instead of bulky plastic spray bottles or messy liquid cleaners, each pod is precisely pre-dosed and designed to dissolve cleanly in water. Customers simply drop a pod into the toilet bowl, let it dissolve, and clean, with no measuring, no spills, and no packaging left behind.
This unit-dose format delivers consistent results every time while eliminating the need for traditional plastic bottles. The result is a cleaning experience that is easier for customers and significantly lower-waste by design. Toilet bowl cleaning has never been simpler or more intuitive.
Flushable, Drain-Safe Innovation by Design
The innovation behind the Grove Co. Toilet Bowl Cleaner Pods is driven by three key design priorities:
- Flushable, drain-safe sachets that dissolve fully in water
- Precisely pre-dosed pods for effortless, mess-free cleaning
- Reduced synthetic material compared to traditional pod formats
To achieve this, Grove selected SmartSolve’s cellulosic-film-based sachet, a flexible packaging material designed to disperse in water while remaining durable throughout storage, shipping, and everyday handling. Grove applies its own branding and fills the sachets with its proprietary toilet bowl cleaning formulation to create the finished pod product.
Reducing PVA While Maintaining Performance
Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) is commonly used in water-soluble pods to provide strength and durability. While it is biodegradable and not considered a microplastic, Grove is committed to minimizing synthetic materials wherever viable alternatives exist.
SmartSolve’s cellulosic-film-based sachet enables that reduction. The sachet dissolves effectively in water while maintaining the strength required for real-world use. PVA is used only in the seal, and only in the minimal amount necessary to ensure product performance.
This new structure uses ~0.28g of PVA per pod, compared to the ~0.45g common in traditional pods, a 38% reduction. For a format that must stay intact until the moment it hits the toilet bowl water, this reduction is a meaningful step toward lower-waste home cleaning.
Watch Grove’s toilet bowl cleaner pack in action.
Home Compostable Packaging: Built for Protection and Circularity
Choosing SmartSolve’s flushable, unit-dosed pod packaging was the first step in reducing waste for Grove Co.’s Toilet Bowl Cleaner Pods. From there, Grove took a holistic approach to sustainability by evaluating the entire system around the product, including how the pods would be protected, stored, and shipped.
Historically, Grove Co. packaged pod products in metal tins, which are recyclable but also carbon-intensive. For this launch, Grove worked with additional packaging partners to introduce a paper-based stand-up pouch designed to provide the moisture barrier required for water-soluble sachets while reducing overall environmental impact.
The outer pouch, which is not supplied by SmartSolve, is made using a combination of FSC-certified paper, cellulose and biopolymer laminate films, and a compostable PLA zipper. This structure delivers the durability and humidity protection needed throughout manufacturing, fulfillment, transport, and use in the home. According to Grove, the use of this biopolymer laminated paper pouch results in an estimated 83% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to equivalent metal tins, a dramatic improvement in sustainability.
A Better Cleaning Experience for Customers
Each pouch contains 8 pre-dosed pods, delivering consistent usage comparable to a traditional 16oz spray cleaner bottle, without guesswork or waste. Taken together, the pods and pouch eliminate about 67% of virgin plastic compared to a plastic spray bottle, thanks to reduced PVA content and compostable packaging.
At $11.99 per pack, the Grove Co. Toilet Bowl Cleaner Pods offer customers a high-performing, low-waste cleaning solution with a clear environmental advantage.
Partnering for a Healthier Home, and a Healthier Planet
For SmartSolve, this collaboration reflects exactly why we innovate: to make packaging no longer trash. For Grove, it’s one more step toward fulfilling its commitment to building a healthier home for every customer and scaling this new technology across its portfolio.
Together, we are demonstrating what is possible when thoughtful material selection and mission-driven product design come together to create a better cleaning experience for homes and a lower-waste future for the planet.