Environmentally friendly cleaning brand Ecover has launched a new fund to provide over £500,000 of support innovative projects that can cut greenhouse gas emissions through nature-based solutions.

Dubbed 'Fertilise the Future', the fund was launched yesterday with the company explaining that it will be financed through the windfall the brand has enjoyed as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

While many industries have faced huge disruption as a result of the pandemic and accompanying lockdown, Ecover explained that the market for cleaning products has grown as people have taken a more thorough approach to cleaning.

The company said it did not want to keep all of the resulting revenue boost and as such has launched the new fund to encourage more organisations to step up efforts to curb their emissions.

As such the brand is now calling upon activists, innovators, business owners, and "anyone with a passion and desire to help the planet with a nature-based solution" to apply to become a grantee of the fund. 

"For the last three months, we have focused on handling an increased demand for our products, ensuring we can provide Ecover to the people that need it, while protecting the health and wellbeing of our colleagues and communities," said Tom Domen, Ecover head of innovation. "But now is the time to start thinking about how we want to rebuild our society. 

"Though restrictions start to lift in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, going back to business as usual is not an option. We believe this is a reset opportunity - a chance to identify original concepts that will help solve the Climate and Ecological emergency we face. This is why we're calling on all organisations that have radical new ideas to apply to our 'Fertilise the Future' fund. We're extremely excited to see what innovative solutions we can support as we know that that we can achieve so much more when we work with others."

Organisations can apply to the fund online until September 1st. The company said it was looking for applications that can enhance the conservation and restoration of forest or terrestrial ecosystems; improve the conservation and restoration of freshwater resources, including marine & ocean ecosystems; develop sustainable agriculture and food systems; or help end the loss of biodiversity and optimise nature's contribution towards resilient livelihoods, green infrastructure, sustainable settlements and just rural transitions.

The launch of the fund was announced alongside the result of new survey commissioned by the company, which found over three quarters of the public "hope the climate crisis will receive renewed focus and attention in the wake of the current pandemic", while 89 per cent want the environmental benefits of lockdown to continue, even as lockdown restrictions lift.

Moreover, 75 per cent said they planned to reduce the amount they drive and fly, and 61 per cent said they were keen to reduce their food wastage.