Most conventional laundry detergents contain hundreds of harmful chemical ingredients. Not all are required to be listed on the label and can include fragrance, phthalates, artificial colors and Nonylphenol Ethoxylate (NPEs).

Beware of a product listing itself as “natural” without any “solid” information to confirm the claim. A laundry detergent's eco-friendly description may refer to the product’s ingredients or the process in which the ingredients were created. It can also refer to harmful ingredients purposely left out during manufacturing or even the recycled content of the packaging.

Look for Eco-friendly detergent with these words on the label: 
• Non-toxic.
• Hypoallergenic.
• No VOCs, dyes, or synthetic fragrances.
• Without optical brighteners.
• Biodegradable.
• Chlorine-free.
• Powered with enzymes, minerals and/or mineral-based ingredients.

And government approved certifications:
Both Canada and the U.S. have product certifications that indicate when a product abides by eco-friendly, government-approved standards, which can include:

Canadian EcoLogo: Identifies products and services that have been independently certified to meet strict environmental standards, from manufacturing to disposal.

Leaping Bunny Seal of Approval: This seal indicates that a product is certified cruelty-free, not tested on animals, and contains no animal-based ingredients.

USDA BioPreferred®: This seal indicates that the product has been certified by USDA to contain the percent biobased content as shown on the label.

Want to know more about different certifications? Treehugger offers a great online guide. Click here.