GUANGZHO EKO TRADING DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD., often referred to as EKO, is a vertically integrated Chinese company founded in 1997 and headquartered in Guangzhou, China. The EKO Group includes Guangzhou EKO Development Limited and a factory, Inox Bin Products Factory, in Jiangmen City. EKO is a private company with subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The company states that as of 2021, it had sold over 160 million waste bins worldwide and produces approximately 1.5 million garbage bins per month from its EKO 4.0 intelligent industrial park.
EKO specializes in the design, engineering, manufacturing, and product development of smart housewares, with a focus on waste bins. Their product portfolio includes intelligent sensor bins, pedal bins, touch bins, and commercial-grade bins. Beyond waste bins, EKO also offers other household items such as ironing boards, step ladders, cloth dryers, and home and office improvement items. EKO products are sold in over 100 countries and territories. The company holds over 200 domestic and international patented technologies.
GUANGZHO EKO TRADING DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD. is involved in patent litigation as a plaintiff. The company has one tracked case, filed in 2025, in which it is the plaintiff at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB): GUANGZHO EKO TRADING DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD. et al. v. Nine Stars Group USA Inc. This indicates a posture of asserting its intellectual property.
The notable case, GUANGZHO EKO TRADING DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD. et al. v. Nine Stars Group USA Inc., involves EKO as the plaintiff against Nine Stars Group USA Inc. (and other defendants including EKO Group Ltd., EKO North America, Inc., and EKO USA LLC). Nine Stars Group USA Inc. is known for manufacturing and selling automatic (infrared) motion sensor trash cans and other waste receptacles. The lawsuit, filed in the Patent Trial and Appeal Board on August 19, 2025, concerns patent infringement.