Holy cleaning crap, Batman! Big news on the method front. They've just completed a merger with eco-cleaning brand, Ecover! method attempted to sell their brand a few years ago, before deciding against it. Looks like they decided to make the jump.
Update + Here's method's official statement pertaining to the merger:
Method and Ecover Join Forces to Create the World’s Largest Green Cleaning Company
Method, leaders in premium planet-friendly and design-driven home, fabric and personal care products, today announced its acquisition by European-based, eco-pioneers Ecover to create the world’s largest green cleaning company.
Joining forces on a mission to rid the world of dirty, the acquisition will see the two companies benefit from combined scale, skills and knowledge and an extended distribution network spanning Europe, US, Asia and Australia. Collectively delivering sales of $200m and employing around 300 staff, Method and Ecover will continue as separate brands with a shared ambition to bring as many new consumers as possible into the green cleaning and personal care market.
Method and Ecover are both deeply rooted in the use of plant-based and sustainable ingredients as well as innovative packaging. The combined product range and global distribution reach, as a result of Ecover’s comprehensive supply chain in Europe which is matched in the US by Method, will ensure that there is a worldwide platform for both brands. There will also be a combined approach towards innovation and research and development, aspects that both companies feel hugely passionate about as they support the foundations of their brands.
“This is a very exciting milestone in Method’s 11-year history, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Ecover to bring even more consumers into the green cleaning market,” said Drew Fraser, Method CEO. “The marriage of our two brands makes perfect sense, as we are both companies rooted in a deep heritage of sustainability, innovation, and making people’s lives healthier and happier. By coming together, our two brands will only serve to strengthen each other by providing complementary capabilities, an unrivalled opportunity for category-changing product development, and a united effort in building on our combined vision.”
Ecover CEO, Philip Malmberg, added: “With the acquisition of Method, we are acquiring much more than just a brand. This is the start of a fantastic, long-term partnership with a company that has a track record for innovation, an unwavering commitment to green products and a professional team with a real passion for what they do.
“The merger of these two businesses provides us with a strategic position in the US market – the largest and fastest growing market in the green cleaning category – and Method with a European partner with an unrivalled heritage, robust environmental credentials and ecological manufacturing facilities.
“I am personally very excited about this acquisition as it will not only create the world’s most dynamic and visionary green cleaning company, but also establish a great platform for growth for both brands. By leveraging each other’s strengths, this partnership will support the elevation of the green cleaning category as a whole.”
+
An article from Inc.com gives a bit more information:
Green Merger: method bought by Ecover | Kathleen Kim, Inc.com
The companies say their union creates the world's largest green cleaning company.
Green cleaning company Method has found a new home: European manufacturer Ecover has purchased the home-care products maker for an undisclosed sum from San Francisco Equity Partners. "This transition marks a new chapter in the evolution of our business," said Method co-founder Eric Ryan in a statement released on Tuesday.
The new union would forge the world’s largest green cleaning company, with a combined $200 million annual revenue, reports by The Financial Times. The outlet also reports that while sharing the same green vision, the two companies will continue to run as separate brands.
With the tagline “people against dirty,” Method first made a splash in the green cleaning market in 2000 with its line of nontoxic and biodegradable cleaners. Inc. reported in 2007 that Method’s 2003 revenue of $11.7 million had catapulted to $71 million within three years.
Currently more than 40,000 retailers throughout the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and France carry Method products, which range from disinfecting wipes to laundry detergent.
Ecover operates in the same environmentally friendly vein, with two manufacturing facilities in Belgium and France that churn out renewable plant-based cleaning products. The company sells 35 different products in 40 countries, according to the U.K.'s The Grocer.
“The marriage of our two brands makes perfect sense, as we are both companies rooted in a deep heritage of sustainability, innovation, and making people’s lives healthier and happier," said Method CEO Drew Fraser in a statement.
+
Believe it or not, this is the first I'd heard of this as well. I'm letting it sink in as we speak. What do you think? Do you, or have you in the past, purchased Ecover products? Will this help or hurt the method brand? Leave method lust your thoughts in the comments!
4 comments:
This was such a bad idea, ugh.
Can't say I am thrilled about it, but I guess time will tell. Hopefully the culture remains the same within Method (for the employees sake) and they maintain their relationships with advocates. It does make me feel slightly better that they will operate as two independent companies.
Wow. Don't get me wrong, I like Ecover, but they are two totally different brands. Method better not switch its packaging. The fact that they will still be separate brands makes me feel slightly better, but this concerns me. Part of the reason I like method so much is the fact that they are US based and not a giant monopolizing conglomerate.
I like Ecover's dishwasher rinse-aid. Stay cute, Method!
Post a Comment