Surface Care in New Zealand

2020 IMPACT

COVID-19 and a heightened desire for cleanliness drive demand in 2020

COVID-19 lockdowns and movement restrictions meant New Zealand consumers were home more often. The external pressure of water restrictions which placed downward pressure on demand growth in laundry care and dishwashing were not present within surface care and, as such, significant growth was observed in the category as New Zealanders were at home more often and creating more mess.

Growth in wipes has negative impact on sewage infrastructure

A by-product of the surge in demand for home care cleaning wipes in 2020 – with all purpose cleaning wipes, the strongest performer overall - was the increase in the amount of people flushing non-flushable wipes down the toilet, which resulted in severe strain being placed on the local sewage infrastructure, with pipes getting blocked and many local councils issuing statements urging residents not to flush wipes. As such, Water New Zealand – the local industry advocacy group for water infrastructure – began lobbying the government to urge for stronger restrictions on the sales of wipes on behalf of local councils.

Home care disinfectants reports strong growth after years of stagnation

One of the standout performers in surface care was home care disinfectants, which achieved significant sales growth in 2020, and was one of the leading performers. This is all the more remarkable given the effective stagnation that had enveloped the category over the review period, with little innovation prospects available to the category, which even saw leading brand Dettol brand off into other surface care categories.

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