Ecoegg’s story

We have been so impressed with Kene and the speed in which they put together our claim, without compromising quality. From the initial conversions to collaborating with the team, it was all seamless.

Who was the client?

Since 2008, ecoegg have led the way in sustainable laundry and cleaning solutions. Their ground-breaking product, the Laundry Egg, replaces the need for traditional laundry detergent and fabric conditioner, whilst still maintaining peak cleaning performance.

ecoegg products are made without harsh chemicals and enzymes, holding Allergy UK’s ‘Allergy Friendly Product’ award since 2011. Their products are available in leading supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

“Our business was born out of innovation. Everything we have done has been brand new to the market in the last 7-8 years. We didn’t know what to expect from R&D tax credits but the prospect of more money to invest in new products was exciting.”

What was the challenge?

Like many innovative businesses, ecoegg were unaware of R&D tax credits and their potential.

“Coming from a much larger business in the F&B sector, I was not aware that the credits existed. All investment for R&D had previously come from our shareholders who are very supportive of ecoegg’s vision. When our auditors, Creaseys, learned more about the new products we were working on, they introduced us to Kene.”

Once introduced, it was clear that there was a strong opportunity for ecoegg to claim. From the initial discussions with the team, we were able to identify eligible R&D activity happening within the business.

As ecoegg had been innovating for years, we were able to claim retrospectively. This meant looking back at all the projects that had been conducted over the last two years. Speed also needed to be considered in order to meet HMRC’s deadlines, meaning we would need to turn the claim around in record time.

It’s a shame we couldn’t go back further as ecoegg have been innovating since the start, but at least now we know we can claim for future development work.

Identifying the R&D

We visited ecoegg at their office to meet the teams involved in the innovation and product development.

The consulting team at Kene were outstanding and got stuck into the technical side of the businesses very quickly. They really know their stuff and were a tremendous help throughout the whole process.

By speaking to the technical consultants and other relevant people within ecoegg, we were able to identify qualifying projects from the last two years. Collecting this information was vital so we could translate it into a concise report for HMRC and summarise key R&D projects. This was then submitted alongside ecoegg’s claim.

As it was our first claim, there was a bit of work involved to gather the information from the last two years. Our team worked closely with Kene to provide the necessary information on the various products we had worked on during that time. Regardless, it was absolutely worth the effort.

Sustainability plays a central role in all the development work carried out by ecoegg. Innovation for this claim included:

• Improved mechanisms of product device
• Developing a high-spec product without harsh chemicals
• Finding alternatives for hard-to-source materials

“The timing of our business has aligned well with the increasing awareness of the climate crisis. Consumer habits have changed, with convenience, value for money and sustainability being top priority; our products manage to tick every box.”

We have been so impressed with Kene and the speed in which they put together our claim, without compromising quality. From the initial conversions to collaborating with the team, it was all seamless. We look forward to going through the process again with Kene to reward future development work.

team look forward to working on future claims with ecoegg and seeing where their mission takes them next.

“At the moment, we have four products on supermarket shelves and are in process of expanding our range. The money that we receive from R&D tax credits will be vital to help support new product development and secure the future of the business.”