Ecover Creates the World's Largest Green Cleaning Company With Method Acquisition

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Ecover Creates the World's Largest Green Cleaning Company With Method Acquisition

PR Newswire MALLE, Belgium, September 7, 2012

MALLE,Belgium,September 7, 2012/PRNewswire/ -- Pioneering cleaning brand Ecover has today announced the creation of the world's largest green cleaning product company with the acquisition ofSan Francisco-based Method - leaders in premium planet friendly and design-driven home, fabric and personal care products.

Joining forces on a mission to make green the new normal, the acquisition will see the two companies benefit from combined scale, skills and knowledge and an extended distribution network spanningEurope, US,AsiaandAustralia. Collectively delivering sales of$200mand employing around 300 staff, Ecover and Method 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. Ecover and Method 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 inEuropewhich 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 R&D, an aspect that both companies feel hugely passionate about as it underpins the very foundations of their brands. Ecover CEO, Philip Malmberg, says: "With the acquisition of Method, we are ac uirinmuch more thanust a brand. This is the start of a fantastic, lon-

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." Drew Fraser, Method CEO, added: "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. 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."

Notes to editors:

Ecover(http://www.ecover.com)was founded inBelgiumin 1979, long before words like 'sustainability' and 'eco-friendly' were being used, by a team of highly motivated eco-pioneers who had enough proof to show that phosphates, a common ingredient used in laundry and dishwasher products, were polluting our water systems. They cared so much they wanted to create a phosphate free washing powder. It was a real success that soon found its way to Health food stores acrossEurope. In 2012, Ecover has 35 different products distributed in 40 countries. Method(http://www.methodhome.com) is a successful mission-driven brand in the US within the home, fabric and personal care categories. Found in 40,000 plus retail locations acrossNorth America,Europe,AustraliaandAsia, the brand successfully combines design and fragrance with sustainability and effectiveness. As a result, Method, founded by Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan in 2001, has been recognised as a truly inspirational company resulting in it being named the seventh-fastest growing privately-held company in the US by Inc.500.