green products come from green companies

(pictured above: our biodiesel truck)

from the start of method's existence as a company we've been focused on how to do good through our business. from both social and environmental perspectives, we've tried to ensure that we leave things better than we found them - hopefully radically better. when making our products, we've focused the design process on the greenest chemistries, materials and formats around and constantly push to raise the bar. and this has been successful - we are fully confident of the health of the materials from which we make our products and stand behind our record of innovation in designing products.

now we are taking the next big step – using this same design mindset to redefine the processes that are used to actually manufacture the products. the trick is, we don’t own any of these facilities. this means intense collaboration with all our supply chain partners, helping them develop green manufacturing as their bread and butter so that our processes improve in terms of the materials, water and energy they use.  we are making the leap from product design to process design.

we are gearing up to start into this in earnest in the coming months, and will share our tales of blue collar sustainability as we make the transition from designing green soap to designing green processes to make the soap.

what other companies do you admire for their ability to design a process for operating green in addition to making a green product?

new product line – comment to win pro chef!

whether you’re a serious cook or you think cooking involves a phone and a take-out menu our newest pro chef line will be sure to please you. kitchens tend to be the central gathering place in the home and pro chef is just the right line to get your kitchen ready to greet guests or make a sandwich.

the pro chef line is now available exclusively at Bed Bath and Beyond stores.

 

the line includes a stainless steel cleaner that is a whopping 28 oz. of superpowered formula to avoid  leaving any streaks behind. so not only can you purchase less often you can also finally wipe those nasty fingerprints off the fridge. 

also included is a 28 oz. spray bottle of granite cleaner, specially designed for granite, marble and other natural stone countertops and surfaces.  natural stone is classic and durable, but it needs special care to be sure you don’t strip the sealer and allow water to get in the stone.  

lastly, we have a special multi-surface cleaner to get rid of grease and food splatters while leaving behind a yummy citrus cilantro scent. it smells so good people will think you’ve been chopping fresh herbs and lemon wedges with a touch of lime.    

comment below about your love of a clean, green, kitchen and we will randomly choose a winner to receive our new pro chef line! contest ends 10.2.09 at noon pst.

A talk with our own Drummond Lawson and GreenerDesign.com

So if you’ve been keeping up with us, you know we recently became certified as a Cradle to Cradle business. This morning, one of our very own Greenskeepers, Drummond Lawson, spoke to GreenerDesign.com on the process and what’s involved.

 In the article, Drummond shares how 20 of our products received silver certification and that we’re currently in the process of certifying another 20 more. The criteria for this certification involves examining our materials to see if they’re environmentally safe, designing for material reutilization, using renewable energy, water and energy efficiency, and company social responsibility practices. A few of our practices that comply with the certification standards include using label adhesives that don’t clog up recycling systems, utilizing bottles that are made from 100% recycled plastic, and purchasing carbon offsets to make up for emissions from manufacturing and employee corporate travel to name just a few.

If you’re interested in checking out the full article, be sure to check it out here.

what being a Cradle to Cradle business means

We recently had the honor of being endorsed as a Cradle to Cradle^SM company by some pretty inspiring people – green architect Bill McDonough and environmental chemist Dr. Michael Braungart, who literally wrote the book on green product design (called Cradle to Cradle). This endorsement comes after a few years of working with these two, and shows that running a company in an environmentally intelligent way is just as important as making a green product. What does that mean? It means we’ve been recognized for being a green and sustainable company in ALL that we do - not just the products we create. We’ve been recognized in being green as a whole (rather than just having green products) and that we don’t take part in practices that aren’t environmentally sustainable. Everything we do meets the C2C standards even if  we don’t choose to certify every single one of our products.

So why did method get named a Cradle to Cradle^SM company? Well, all the work we’ve been doing with Dr Braungart’s team at EPEA to assess each and every material that go into our products means that everything we make literally has the C2C principles built into them.

But this recognition is because Michael and Bill also saw that how we do things as a company strives to be truly good for the environment: from how we make and ship our product, to the office we work in, to the environmental innovations we create with our suppliers and partners, we are seeking to drive change in the system of how things are made.

This reminds us that a green product is a reflection of a green company – of the vision and goals of the people working there, and not a one-off to satisfy a trend that some forecaster observed. Everything we make at method reflects the belief that we can create a better functioning, more beautiful, and greener product, and change the way that industry works in the process.

Adam goes to TED

One of our co-founders, Adam Lowry just got back from attending the TED conference down in Southern California. When he got back, we asked him how the experience was.

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Late last week I got to go to the TED conference for the first time.  TED stands for “Technology, Entertainment, and Design”, and is basically a conference about the bleeding edge of everything. The attendees are a who’s who of business, film, television, and design, so I was super excited when I got the invite.

   
In a nutshell, some of my favorite highlights were: 

• chatting with Al Gore face to face about how to combat global warming using the power of consumers
• having dinner with Robin Williams and laughing hysterically as he put on impromptu show for our table
• seeing the looks on peoples’ faces when Bill Gates released live mosquitoes into the crowd during his talk about malaria

In the technology area, I was blown away by Bonnie Bassler’s ability to determine how bacteria talk to each other, and engineer that speech to get them to do almost anything.  Watch out, because this is one we’re going to bring to method.  Using antibacterials means using chemicals that kill bacteria - all bacteria, including those that are actually good for you and help you stay healthy.  The next generation is probiotic products, where you use bacteria to get the job done instead!

There were other fascinating talks by Ed Ulbrich on how he created Benjamin Button out of Brad Pitt; Dan Ariely on why people cheat; and Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert on creative genius.  And many, many others….

It’s not often with today’s crazy schedules that we get to take time out to get truly inspired, and that’s exactly what I was last week.  My head is brimming with innovative ideas to bring to method’s products, the way we do business, and how we create good in this world through that business.  Just wait, even bigger things to come!!!

Mr. Lowry Goes to Washington

Earlier this week, Adam Lowry, co-founder and head Green Giant, was called upon the Obama-Biden Transition Team to participate in something very cool. Adam got to speak among a panel of other sustainable businesses about the future of green business and a green economy. We asked Adam what the trip was like...

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Last week, I got a call from the Obama-Biden Transition Team.  They wanted me to come to Washington and present method’s policy priorities and recommendations to the Administration.  After briefly lamenting the extra travel and subsequent carbon emissions (offset, of course), I realized I was being an idiot, and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  So off I went to Capitol Hill!!

After a morning getting prepared with other members of the sustainable business community and my friend Jonathan Greenblatt, founder of Ethos Water and GOOD Mag CEO, who is running the Transition’s Social Innovation Team, we headed over to Transition Team HQ.  Apparently, the man himself was in the building, as evidenced by the black SUV’s out front with peculiar appendages and the men in suits talking to their sleeves (and no, I didn’t meet Obama).

 

After goofing around in the green room, we were escorted up to a conference room to get down to business.
 

In the room were 15 of us – some sustainable business practitioners like me, Seth Goldman from Honest Tea, Gary Hirschberg from Stonyfield Farm; some public policy specialists; and some of the leaders in the green jobs movement (like Melissa Bradley-Burns from Green for All).  We spent two hours hearing about the priorities of the Administration, and sharing our thoughts and wish list for policy over the next 8 years.


For method, our recommendations included nationwide recycling infrastructure and green chemistry policy, a new corporate form for sustainable business, and increasing transparency in the supply chain.  Incredibly, many had similar themes, and the Administration walked away with some action items to put to work. 


While it’s hard to walk out of a meeting like that feeling that something concrete has happened, it was clear that we are entering a new era.  The Obama Administration understands that the deck has been stacked against businesses trying to do the right thing, that government has been padding the coffers of polluters, and we need to rebalance the playing field.  The feeling in the room that change was coming was palpable. 


I don’t know if any history was made on Monday, but it sure felt like one small step that represented the first step in a change toward a sustainable economy that uses business to help, not hinder, our environmental and social condition.  I’m incredibly excited for what comes next….

honored by the EPA

We were recognized last week by the US EPA at the SDSI awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. Our Good Cop, Ryan, happened to be speaking at a green cleaning products conference in Alexandria, VA and swooped into the event to receive our plaque, commemorative pint glass, and cash in the two drink tickets!

The Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative is a program through the EPA's Design for the Environment that recognizes industry leaders who voluntarily commit to the use of safer surfactants. That means they use ingredients that break down quickly to non-polluting compounds and help protect aquatic life in both fresh and salt water. We are honored to be recognized at the Champions level, the highest level for this award.

If you're looking for more info, be sure to check out the EPA website that also has a full list of DfE certified products.

Thanks Ryan!

Biodiesel is how we roll

Something big and special has been rolling down the highways since April. We recently rolled out with a new transport truck. It’s running on biodiesel fuel and is one of the ways we are decreasing the carbon footprint of method shipments within the US. The addition of our new biodiesel truck will save an estimated 62,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 686 tons of carbon dioxide annually. That's like planting 3,400 trees a year!

Trendspotting with our own Danny Alexander

Our very own Danny Alexander, official shape shifter here at method, was featured on JoshSpear.com last week. Check out his interview with Josh Spear as he talks about method and where his design inspiration comes from.

Click here to read the article.

Omop's New Look!

When we launched the omop last year, hundreds of you called and emailed us to tell us about your newfound floor love.  That’s right, mopping the floor was actually fun, thanks to the ergonomic design, compostable sweeper dusters that grabbed everything in sight, reusable microfiber cloths, and yummy-smelling non-toxic floor cleaners.  Some of you even said the omop was “sexy.”  Imagine our delight!