All method products contain natural ingredients. When you see the word "natural" on a method label, it means that 100% of its functional cleaning ingredients - things like soaps, detergents, solvents and enzymes - are either found in nature or derived from natural sources.
We use natural and naturally derived materials from renewable or abundant sources wherever we can. If we can't find a natural ingredient to get the job done, we'll use a safe, green, man-made version instead. In all cases, we only use ingredients that have passed through a comprehensive green and health screen: ingredients we have confirmed to be totally safe for people and safe for the environment.
"Natural" is still not a standardized or regulated term. So while we could, we won't call a product "natural" if even one of its functional ingredients isn't natural or naturally derived. When it comes to labeling our products, we hold ourselves to a high standard because we believe that a natural cleaner should actually come from nature.
DOWNLOAD THE METHOD CLEANER CLEAN WHITE PAPERQ. What does the term "natural" mean when it's written on a method label?
A. It means that 100% of the functional ingredients in that product are either found in nature or derived from natural sources.
Q. What's a "functional ingredient"?
A. Any ingredient that makes our cleaners clean - things like soaps, detergents, solvents, enzymes or stabilizers.
Q. Why don't you call all your products natural?
A. Surprisingly, "natural" is still not a standardized or regulated term. So while we could, we won't call a product "natural" if even one of its functional ingredients isn't natural or naturally derived. When it comes to labeling our products, we hold ourselves to a high standard because we believe that a natural cleaner should actually come from nature.
Q. What's the difference between a natural ingredient and a naturally derived one?
A. Natural ingredients are found in nature - they either grow in plants or are abundant minerals - and are not chemically altered (e.g., the aloe vera gel we use in our hand wash). Naturally derived ingredients are made from materials found in nature and converted into effective cleaners using safe, approved processes (e.g., alkyl polyglucoside, a great cleaner made from coconut oil and starch that's totally safe and biodegrades, but it isn't found in nature...if it were, we'd have a big orchard of alkyl polyglucoside trees).
Q. Why aren't all the ingredients natural or naturally derived?
A. We strive to use only natural or naturally derived ingredients, but if we can't find one that provides the efficacy we're looking for, we'll use a safe, green, man-made version instead. In all cases, we only use ingredients that have passed through a comprehensive green and health screen: ingredients we have confirmed to be totally safe for people and safe for the environment.
Q. How does method choose ingredients?
A. We assess ingredients across multiple factors of sustainability (we consider the past, present and future implications of each one), because natural is a starting point, not an endpoint. We've hired one of the best environmental scientists in the world, Dr. Michael Braungart, founder of the Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency (epea.com), to perform detailed assessments of each ingredient and confirm whether it's safe to be used by people, and safe for release in the environment.
This ensures that every method product is:
On each product page, we've included the full list of ingredients and a summary of Dr. Braungart's assessment. We invite you to take a look, and feel free to let us know what you think by emailing us at info@methodhome.com.
