HomeEntrepreneur StoriesEntrepreneur Case StudiesAdam Lowry and Eric Ryan, Method: Cleaning The World In A Green...

Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan, Method: Cleaning The World In A Green Way

Eric Ryan was employed as an advertising professional and Adam Lowry as an environmental technologist when they resolved to quit their occupation to create Method, an eco-friendly cleaning product manufacturer. When they did it, there were not many options before people as far as cleaning products are concerned. Most of them had abrasive chemicals as a component. Therefore, Lowry and Ryan, the two babyhood pals carried out their exploration. Besides, Adam blended chemicals in the wash-hand basin in their apartment. In doing so, they topped out their credit cards, borrowed $200,000 from friends and family members jointly. As a consequence, Method came into existence in 2000.

Over time, Method turned into one of the fastest developing privately-held firms in the US with more than 100 products on its shelves. Their wide product range includes dish soaps, hand soaps, body wash, laundry detergent, and bathroom cleaners. The gross revenue of Method reached $100 million in 2012.

The Success Story of Method: Methodical from the very beginning 

The method is carrying out its business operations proudly since from the very beginning, Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan had a purpose in their mind – to create eco-friendly cleaning products. Whatever they did, they kept in their mind the past, present, and future inferences of that.

Pet-friendly products

The whole product line of Method is secure for application around pets. The formula has been particularly conceptualized to put the impact on filth and not on your beloved pets. 

Climate awareness 

Method keeps on working with an endeavour to keep the climate unaffected and they research on finding solutions. Meanwhile, they are taking initiatives to reduce carbon emissions from their goods, production procedures, and commercial activities. 

Production + Supply 

They trust in doing their work effectively and they depend on their collaborators to act similarly.

Sourcing Responsibly

Method sources and manufactures its ingredients responsibly.

Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry are the gallant brain parents of the company named Method. From the very beginning, they hated dirt. Despite setting up one of the fastest developing privately-held firms in the US, and spinning the CPG sector on its head, they are ready to acknowledge promptly that they are not champions. Eric and Adam were roommates and, indeed, they are not champions but super-champs. Specifically, similar to any other super-champ, they acquired their abilities once they got exposed to cleaning provisions and poisonous chemicals. However, instead of switching them to eco-friendly products or making them less harmful to the aquatic creatures, their toxic exposure helped generate something even more improved, a concept. 

Eric understood that customers looked for cleaning products that they didn’t need to conceal under their washbasins. Adam understood the process to manufacture them with no unclean elements. With their abilities blended, they began a voyage to protect the world and make a whole line of home care items that were stronger in comparison to a bottle of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl),  milder than puppy laps, and capable of detoxifying towering houses in one single afternoon. 

Timeline

2000

Eric was thinking why cleaning products were so shabbily planned. Adam was visualizing eco-friendly cleaners that were essentially efficient and were not malodorous. Collectively, these two childhood friends brought forth a concept to transform the cleaning industry with trendy, environment-friendly products. 

2001

Method came into existence and gradually, the initial sale takes place. They sold four cleaning sprays to the grocery shop of Mollie Stone at Burlingame, California. Method used the conventional invoicing procedure at that time. However, that has evolved with time. 

2002

Following the recruitment of Karim Rashid, a designer, to aid in the package design procedure, Method could persuade Target to have a trial of its dishwashing soaps and cleaning sprays in 90 outlets. After seven months, Method introduces in Target outlets throughout the country. 

2003

Method launches its first hand wash in the quintessential teardrop-like bottle. 

2004

The company introduces its first 3x (triple-concentrated) washing detergent in the mass market of the US. 

2005

Method introduces its products in Canada and the United Kingdom.

2006

Inc. 500 rates Method as the 7th fastest developing privately-held firm in the United States and Eric and Adam get nominated PETA People of The Year.

2007

Method turns into a founding B Corporation, officially declaring environmental and social change a corporate goal. 

2008

Method starts manufacturing bottles from entirely post-user recycled plastic. The product name is G’day Mate. The company penetrates the Australian market.

2009

Method turns into one of the 1st Cradle to Cradle® certified organizations, with 37 C2C certified products at introduction, among the maximum by any organization in the world (currently up to 60 recognized products and growing).

2010

Method introduces Method washing detergent with smartclean technology – an outstanding, patent-awaiting, herbal-oriented detergent that is 8x distilled and packed in a hand-held pump bottle. Konnichiwa and Bonjour! Method starts business operations in Japan and France.

2011

Eric and Adam author the Method Method. The business will be different altogether. The company rejoices 10 years of presence in the market, with appreciation to everybody who made it happen.

2012

Method gets hitched and collaborates with Ecover to make the biggest eco-friendly cleaning firm in the world.

2013

Method’s name is enlisted again as a public benefit corporation, systematizing that its corporate governance fulfils the best possible criterion of ecological and social principles.

2015

The first LEED platinum-endorsed soap manufacturing plant of the industry is launched by Method in Chicago, establishing new benchmarks in soap manufacturing.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Method, in carrying out its manufacturing operations, always maintained the following principles:

  • They never utilized guinea pigs for their testing procedures
  • They always favored utilizing ingredients that originate from plants and not chemical plants
  • Method is an advocate of EOMED (equal opportunity movement for environment and design)
  • Method is famous for creating role models in bottles
  • They believe in the concept that as soon as you clean your home, a bunch of your other problems also vanish
  • They consider every possible method to make their products so that they are innocuous to the earth’s surface
  • They always try to learn from their mistakes and create even better products
  • They believe in the motto: “do unto your home as you would do unto you”
  • They regard every piece of dirt as the foe of mankind
  • They adopt precautions in every step of their manufacturing process: if an ingredient is not safe, they don’t utilize it. Period. 
  • The toxic ingredients they don’t use include triclosan, chlorine bleach, 2-butoxyethanol, phosphates, paraben, phthalates, MEA (ethanolamine), and ammonia.
  • Last but not least, they believe that good always conquers the foul.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Method has joined hands with the following organizations to create many innovative products:

  • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (limited edition glittering glass bottle full of splendidly aromatic hand wash gel).
  • UNIQLO (for manufacturing a variety of easily maintainable merino wool sweaters that can be machine washed and offering them with a bottle of naturally developed fragrant laundry detergent, absolutely free). 
  • COACHELLA (body wash plus soap bottles to offer in Indio, California).
  • Color Factory (huge confetti machine in San Francisco, California).



Kiara Dawson
Kiara Dawson comes from an Engineering background, with a specialization in Information Technology. She has a keen interest and expertise in Web Development, Data Analytics, and Research. She trusts in the process of growth through knowledge and hard work.

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