Now that greenwashing is all the rage, more and more companies are trying to capitalize on the trend, not by adopting more eco-friendly practices, but by flat-out lying to you.  Plastics are “partially recyclable” (which usually means they’re not) and paper towels are suddenly a green choice, because “they’re made from trees – a natural resource!”  (Yes, that’s a real tag line.  I know, I can’t believe it either.)

Everywhere I go, I see more and more ugly brown-and-green scratchy packaging.  It’s like these companies think that wrapping a toxic product in something green – literally – will dupe us into thinking that because it looks natural, it must be natural.

Imagine my surprise when I first saw method, a brand of cleaning and home care products that got its start with corporate giant Target.  methodis pretty and clean-looking, and boasts the words “all natural” on all its aesthetically-pleasing, colorful bottles.  It looks more marketing-conscious than eco-conscious, but after I did the research, I found out that method is the read deal: green, through and through.  

Green tea and aloe: my favorite method scent.  

When Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan founded methodin 2001, their goal was simple: to “turn the consumer packaged-goods industry on its head.”  Between Lowry’s chemical engineering skills and environmental degree, and Ryan’s high-end marketing resume (think Saturn and Gap) they’ve found a way to do it, too.  Every product methodmakes uses nontoxic ingredients that are assessed and scored by the Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency, as well as recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency as safe for people and the environment.

So where does all this fancy packaging and mass marketing come in?  As many of us know, there’s an unspoken rule among green companies: solidarity.  We’re taught to buy from small shops, not big boxes, to support our local community.

Lowry and Ryan see it differently, and made the decision to launch method in Target, a national chain, instead of in small, local stores.  They’ve had to defend that decision again and again: 

If you want to use your business to create change, you need to create change where the change is needed. … We’re trying to show people that if they had a misperception that green had to cost a lot of money or green had to be difficult or green had to be penance-oriented or [can't come in bright colors, that] you can do it, and it’s actually really easy. Because if it’s not easy, people aren’t going to do it.  

–Lowry, when asked why method was launched in mainstream stores

When you’ve already researched how to go green, it’s easy to find the products you need, in the styles you want, at prices you can afford.  If you haven’t ever shopped at Trader Joe’s, though, or if your only access to clothes, housewares and food are major chain stores, just the idea of green products sounds scary.  Isn’t it all granola and dirty feet?  If I buy green cleaning products, will my house smell like patchouli?

That’s the misconception that method is trying to quash.  Nontoxic cleaning products can be pretty; they can smell really good; and they can look great on your kitchen counter instead of being stuck under the sink.

Green can be pretty, and green can be cheap.

 That’s not to say that method is skimping on quality just to make a pretty container.  All of their packaging is recycled and recyclable, which means there’s literally no waste product to be had.  They even design the shape and weight of their packages to ensure that they’re more easily recycled or composted (depending on the product).

Not only that, but method is continuously making efforts to further its carbon neutrality.  The company has purchased wind and solar energy credits to combat their factory emissions, and has added financial incentives for suppliers (hi, Target) that have their own sustainability initiatives.  (Corporations, take note: this is the good kind of bullying.)

Did I mention that all of their products are paraben-free, phthalate-free and vegan?

Laundry: pretty?  Apparently so.

I’m always on the hunt for fashion designers, websites, and local boutiques that offer beautiful things that are made with a conscience.  Clothes, bedsheets, even dog collars: I want these things to be good for the planet, but I also want them to be kind to my eyes.  I’ve always believed that going green is about adding another kind of beauty to your life, not about sacrificing that beauty to save the planet.

It is heartening to see that method agrees.

More information:
An interview with Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan: Grist.com.
method’s Homepage. (Check out the Company Info.)
Images via MethodHome.com and Amazon.com -
click the image to be taken to the product’s listing.  

Tags: green cleaning, method, method brand cleaning products, target