Comments on: Is It Green?: Method Home Products

By: lse

lse — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:28:00 +0000

Why does the Environmental Working Group Score many of its products as containing
ingredients with high concern?

http://www.ewg.org/guides/business/1-methodproducts

By: Ann LaGoy

Ann LaGoy — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:24:43 +0000

One might ask the questions: Where are their products made? Shipped? Labeled? What are their ingredients?
Their packagin is cool, hands down however they fall short of the mark.
#2 ingredient in their shower cleaner is sodium laureth sulfate: http://methodhome.com/shop/daily-shower-spray-refill/. This is a suspected carcinogen. #5 is benzisothiazolinone which the EWG considers a moderate hazard; also found in Seventh Gen products.
Things may (or may not) have changed, but they used to bottle in Mexico, label in Canada and ship in the US. Not sure why they would do that, but it was their statement about operations in a feature article in Inc. magazine.
Companies that use the “green marketing” tactic to sell products that contain dangerous chemicals are not doing the public, or truly green companies any favors.

By: juliawagner

juliawagner — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:44:54 +0000

Froggie775 – great comment.

I love Method products and I also rely on things like vinegar and baking soda for cleaning – as well as other homegrown antimicrobials. I concentrate what I normally use in cooking for it to have any kind of efficacy as a cleaner. I don’t drink cleaners or spray them in my face because I don’t imagine it would be pleasant. I don’t serve them to guests either.

On the other hand, I like to know that I can ingest small amounts of any of these products without great concern for my health. Children and pets eat or put into their mouths the things I clean, but they don’t drink from the bottles.

Nonetheless, I would not give them access to do so – even if the products were naturally derived and not particularly irritating – like Method products. Vinegar would cause irritation if you drank it in high concentration or volume. Eating thyme in great quantities will cause irritation; ginger can burn your esophagus! Natural – or naturally derived – doesn’t (need to) mean weak. Plants are composed of compounds that are very powerful. Isolated and/or concentrated, these compounds can serve to do an assortment of things – from making an excellent cocktail syrup for a basil mojito to killing insects or treating diaper rash.

How about… we just use good products *like we should, as they are intended to be used* and avoid the bad ones. And get to know your natural cleaners!

By: froggie775

froggie775 — Fri, 21 May 2010 01:31:49 +0000

@dream4green I would rather you “go on” because I don’t agree with your “spray it in your face and drink it” statement.

Baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar are examples of DIY green cleaners that I would not want to drink or have sprayed in my face despite the fact that I recognize that they won’t kill me or cause me permanent physical damage. The issue is that when you use any of those ingredients in concentrations strong enough to actually CLEAN something (which is very different than the concentration you would use to cook with), each one of them will cause skin/eye irritation and digestive issues.

I looked at your website and found it lacking in information. Seems to me like you’re more interested in generating sales from the pyramid scheme products you offer. Interestingly, I can’t find any ingredients lists for the cleaning products you offer – just promises that I should trust that it’s completely non-toxic.

Nice try.

By: Peter03

Peter03 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:33:30 +0000

It’s great to see a line of green products that distinguishes itself from green washing. A new site, Kuuala offers many high standard green cleaning products and eco office supplies

By: The_Author

The_Author — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:23:25 +0000

Just goes to show what a little thought and good design can do for a business.

By: giorgio789

giorgio789 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:37:47 +0000

Great expose – LOVE this brand, every consumer goods company should study them and follow

By: dream4green

dream4green — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:28:26 +0000

What type of operations do they perform in their offices. What type of vehicles do they drive to and from work. How are the company profits being spent? Their motive seem truly pure in intent.

I commend any company that strives for a green avenue to produce and manufacture products. Are their employees green? Oops sorry there I go again.

Anyways I looked at a few ingredients in their mutli-purpose cleaner and would disagree with the result of this article. Sodium Gluconate: Inhalation:May cause symptoms to the respiratory tract with symptoms of bronchitis. Ingestion: May cause abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Skin Contact: Slightly Irritating. Eye Contact: May cause irritation. Chronic Exposure: Irritation of eyes, skin and mucous membranes. This is just one ingredient folks. I will not go on.

So I say NO METHOD IS NOT GREEN. If you can spray it in your face and drink it, then it safe and green. There are cleaners out there that you can do this with and they work. If you really want to know what green is checkout our web page. http://www.malakoo.org

We understand no one is perfect but since they made $45 million in 2006 they should be able to develop a better GREENER product by now? Hmmm?

http://www.malakoo.org