15 Eco-Friendly Products That Were on ‘Shark Tank’

When Shark Tank premiered in 2009, many of the products pitched on the show were pretty wasteful. But in recent years, as consumers have become more aware of the climate crisis, there’s been an uptick in eco-conscious pitches on the show. From zero-waste cleaning products to plant-based dog food, we’re big fans of these 15 eco-friendly Shark Tank products — some of which scored major deals, and some of which walked away with nothing.

Blueland is a household cleaning company that sells reusable “forever” bottles and concentrated dry tablets. Simply mixing the tablets with water results in a full bottle of hand soap, dish soap, household cleaner, and more, which reduces both packaging waste and emissions from shipping. Kevin O'Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, gave Blueland a $270,000 investment in exchange for a 3 percent stake and a 50-cent royalty until his investment is recouped. 

“To maximize our environmental impact and drive widespread adoption, it was important to us from the very beginning to flip conventional notions of ‘eco’ on its head since consumers believe it’s more expensive, less effective and more work,” Blueland’s CEO and co-founder Sarah Paiji Yoo told Green Matters last year.

Wild Earth makes sustainable vegan dog food that’s filled with plant-based protein and works well for dogs with various food allergies. According to the company, dogs are omnivores, not carnivores, which “means they need protein, and that protein can come from anywhere” — so why not opt for plant-based protein, which has a far lower environmental impact than animal-based dog food? Mark Cuban invested $550,000 in Wild Earth in exchange for 10 percent of the company. 

The Eco Nuts founders appeared on Shark Tank to pitch their soap berry laundry detergent, which are whole organic berries from the Himalayas that naturally produce soap. Just place a few of them in the cotton wash bag, and throw it into the washing machine to clean your clothes. Each soap nut can be reused about 10 times.

The founders didn’t score a deal on Shark Tank, and as of February 2023, it appears that Eco Nuts has sadly gone out of business — but fortunately, there are plenty of other zero-waste laundry detergents out there.

The founders of Numilk came on Shark Tank seeking a bold $1 million investment in exchange for 5 percent equity in their company. Numilk manufactures large machines for grocery stores so customers can buy fresh zero-waste non-dairy milk, which dispenses into a reusable glass bottle “at the push of a button.” The company also makes smaller countertop machines that can be used in coffee shops or at home.

Mark Cuban wound up investing $2 million in the company with a few caveats, which will essentially boil down to Cuban gaining a 10 percent stake in the company, as per CNBC.

Stasher bags are plastic-free Ziploc alternatives that are made of silicone, safe to use with various appliances (including the microwave, dishwasher, and oven), and endlessly reusable. Mark Cuban made a $400,000 investment in Stasher in exchange for a 15 percent stake in the company with a $400,000 line of credit.

Beyond Sushi is a chain of vegan sushi restaurants in Manhattan, and on Shark Tank, the company asked for an investment to help open its first West Coast restaurants. Shark Lori Greiner and guest Shark Matt Higgins made a deal to give Beyond Sushi $1.5 million for a 30 percent share of West Coast business and a 15 percent share of East Coast business. Shortly after appearing on the show, Beyond Sushi founder Guy Vankin decided to turn down Greiner and Higgins’ offer, as per Diced. 

Peter Arlein’s mountainFLOW eco-wax is a biodegradable plant-based ski wax, which is an alternative to conventional petroleum-based ski wax, which constantly contaminates the snow on ski mountains, and therefore the drinking water. When Arlein appeared on Shark Tank, Kevin O’Leary and Barbara Corcoran partnered up to invest $300,000 for a 20 percent stake in mountainFLOW, which also makes other sustainable products for skiing and biking.

Everything Legendary appeared on Shark Tank last year, giving Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods a run for their money. Everything Legendary is a Black-owned business that makes delicious plant-based burgers, which have a far lower environmental footprint than beef. The company scored a $300,000 investment from Mark Cuban in exchange for 22 percent equity.

Bite is best known for its toothpaste bits, which come in a glass jar, helping reduce packaging waste from traditional toothpaste. Simply bite down on one of the tabs, which look like mints, and start brushing with a wet toothbrush. The founders brought Bite tabs to the tank, seeking a $325,000 investment for a 5 percent stake in the company. Both O’Leary and Cuban made offers, but Bite turned them down, as per Forbes.

Rocketbook makes smart notebooks that essentially work like dry erase boards. You’ll feel like you’re writing in a regular notebook — but when the page is full, use the Rocketbook mobile app to scan your notes, which will be uploaded to the cloud service of your choice so you can refer to them later. Then, erase the Rocketbook page, and you can use it over and over, endlessly.

Rocketbook didn’t make a deal when the founders asked for a $400,000 investment for a 10 percent stake on Shark Tank a few years ago, but in December 2020, pen giant Bic bought Rocketbook for $40 million, according to CTPost.

Bambooee’s bamboo unpaper towels are completely reusable, and each one can be used to clean your home hundreds of times. The founders made a deal with Lori Greiner, scoring a $200,000 investment in exchange for 10 percent of the company.

In 2022, Stacy Grace and Jeff Grace of the sustainable clothing brand KENT appeared on Shark Tank, pitching their compostable underwear. The underwear is made with organic plant-based materials, and can break down in a composting setting in 90 days.

The Graces ultimately made a deal with Daymond John, who offered the entrepreneurs $200,000 in exchange for 15 percent of KENT.

In early 2023, Russell Gong and Achal Patel appeared on Shark Tank, pitching the sharks on their sustainable medicine company, Cabinet Health. The startup sells over-the-counter medicines in compostable pouches along with refillable glass jars, and has plans to expand into prescription medications — and overall, to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry, which reportedly produces 190 billion single-use plastic medicine bottles every year.

Gong and Patel made a deal with Kevin O’Leary and guest shark Tony Xu, who offered Cabinet Health $500,000 for 7 percent equity and 2 percent royalty.

Black-owned, woman-owned business Atlas Monroe makes seriously amazing vegan fried chicken — and it's some of the best vegan fried chicken out there.

On Shark Tank, Atlas Monroe owner Deborah Torres passed on a $1 million offer from Mark Cuban and guest shark Rohan Oza.

And in a 2021 interview with Green Matters, Torres explained that she is passionate about her business for a number of reasons.

"The fastest growing group of vegans is the Black community," Torres told us.

"Our lives are at stake," she added. "A lot of it has to do with food, but veganism is so much bigger than that. We're in it to save the animals, we're in it to save the environment ... we're not only saving our bodies and saving our health and saving our families, but we're saving our future and our community. And I just really feel like that's so much bigger than Atlas Monroe, and it's so much bigger than food."

Brandon Karam and Jessica Karam Oley founded Pristine Pristine Cleansing Sprays, which makes a product called Pristine Toilet Paper Spray: something you can spray onto a piece of toilet paper before wiping, basically transforming any piece of toilet paper into a wet wipe. Then, it can actually be safely flushed — in contrast to regular wet wipes, which have caused many horrifying fatbergs in sewers.

When the business partners appeared on Shark Tank in January 2019, they made a deal with Lori Grenier, who invested $50,000 in exchange for 25 percent of the company.

This article, originally published on June 21, 2021, has been updated to include more companies that appeared on Shark Tank.