Ecover forms green cleaning global player with Method

Ecover has acquired San Francisco-based eco-friendly cleaning brand Method.

It said the tie-up would create the world’s largest green cleaning company, with collective sales of more than $US200m (£126m) and 300 staff.

Both will continue as separate brands but will work together on innovation and R&D to attract new consumers into the green cleaning and personal care market.

The combined product range and global distribution reach would ensure that there was a worldwide platform for both brands, Ecover said.

“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,” said Ecover chief executive Philip Malmberg.

“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.”

Method boss Drew Fraser added: “The marriage of our two brands makes perfect sense, as both companies are rooted in a deep heritage of sustainability, innovation, and making people’s lives healthier and happier.”

Ecover was founded in Belgium in 1979 and sells 35 different products across 40 countries.