our story
meet adam and eric
meet adam lowry and eric ryan, proud brainparents of method® and the very first people against dirty®. despite founding one of the fastest-growing private companies in america, and single-handedly turning the consumer-packaged-goods industry on its head, these two former roommates are quick to tell you that they’re no heroes. and that’s true. they’re super-heroes. and like every great superhero, they gained their powers after being exposed to toxic ingredients. cleaning supplies, to be precise. but rather than turning them green or granting them the ability to talk to fish, eric and adam’s toxic exposure gave them something even better. an idea.
eric knew people wanted cleaning products they didn’t have to hide under their sinks. and adam knew how to make them without any dirty ingredients. their powers combined, they set out to save the world and create an entire line of home care products that were more powerful than a bottle of sodium hypochlorite. gentler than a thousand puppy licks. able to detox tall homes in a single afternoon.
2000
eric’s wondering why cleaning products are so poorly designed, and adam’s dreaming of green cleaners that actually work and aren’t stinky. together, these two childhood friends come up with an idea to revolutionize the cleaning world with stylish, eco-friendly products.
2001
method is born and eventually lands its first sale: four cleaning sprays to Mollie Stone’s grocery store in burlingame, california. note method’s primitive early invoicing process, held by adam. also note tie worn by adam. both items have improved over time.
2002
after enlisting designer karim rashid to help design packaging, method convinces Target to test its cleaning sprays and dish soaps in 90 stores. seven months later, method launches in Target stores nationwide.
2003
method debuts its first hand wash in the brand’s iconic teardrop-shaped bottle.
2004
method launches the first triple-concentrated (3x) laundry detergent in the US mass market.
2005
method launches in the UK + Canada.
2006
Inc. 500 ranks method as the 7th fastest growing private company in America. and eric + adam are named PETA People of The Year.
2007
method becomes a founding B Corporation formally making social and environmental change a company objective.
2008
method begins making bottles from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic. g’day mate. method launches into Australia.
2010
method launches method laundry detergent with smartclean technology® a powerful, patent-pending, plant-based detergent that’s 8x concentrated and packaged in a handheld pump bottle. say hello to our little friend at methodlaundry.com.
bonjour + konnichiwa! method launches in France and Japan.
2011
adam + eric write the method method. business will never be the same. method celebrates 10 years in business, with thanks to everyone who made it possible.
2012
method ties the knot and joins forces with Ecover to create the world’s largest green cleaning company.
2013
method reincorporates as a public benefit corporation, codifying that its corporate governance meets the highest standard of social and environmental ethics.
we look at the world through bright-green colored glasses.
we prefer ingredients that come from plants, not chemical plants.
we see that guinea pigs are never used as guinea pigs.
we’re entranced by shiny objects, like clean dinner plates, floors you could eat off, nobel peace prizes + tasteful public sculptures.
we’re an e.o.m.e.d. (equal opportunity movement for environment and design) method is our way of keeping the movement, well, moving.
we make role models in bottles.
we’re the kind of people who’ve figured out that once you clean your home, a mess of other problems seem to disappear too.
we always see the scent glass as half full, and assume everyone we meet will smell like fresh cut grass or a similar yummy, nothing-but-good fragrance.
we exercise by running through the legs of the giant. and while we love a freshly detoxed home, we think perfect is boring, and weirdliness is next to godliness.
it’s everybody into the pool! (we believe in spontaneous bursts of enthusiasm.)
we also believe in making products safe for every surface, especially earth’s.
we consider mistakes little messes we can learn from; nothing that can’t be cleaned up and made better.
we embrace the golden ylang-ylang rule: do unto your home as you would do unto you. (your shower doesn’t want to have morning breath any more than you do.)
we believe above all else that dirty, in all its slime, smoggy, toxic, disgusting incarnations is public enemy number one.
good always prevails over stinky.