Biodiesel

Method uses biodiesel for some portions of our distribution, and is conscious about using biodiesel in a sensible way. Our approach is to first use biodiesel made from waste vegetable oil, and if this supply is not sufficient, to use biodiesel from non-food sources as a second option.

There are some key benefits of using biodiesel in our shipping fleet, such as lower levels of the main diesel pollutants, and an effectively carbon neutral fuel supply (since all carbon in the fuel has been fixed by the crops as they grew). Because of these benefits, we are wiling to put in the extra effort to ensure that the fuel supply doesn’t result in negative environmental and social effects.

Primary biodiesel, grown and produced expressly for fuel purposes, has been the subject of much debate. The main arguments against it have been that it displaces the production of food crops, and that the use of edible crops for fuels can sharply increase food prices of staples. Method supports the development of the right kind of primary biodiesel. That’s why we source primary biodiesel made from non-edible rapeseed oil, grown and harvested in a responsible manner. We currently have two biodiesel trucks running on this biodiesel in California, with plans of expanding the program with the support of our logistics partners.

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Cradle to Cradle

We recently had the honour of being endorsed as a Cradle to Cradle^SM company by some pretty inspiring people – green architect Bill McDonough and environmental chemist Dr. Michael Braungart, who literally wrote the book on green product design (called Cradle to Cradle). This endorsement comes after a few years of working with these two, and shows that running a company in an environmentally intelligent way is just as important as making a green product. What does that mean? It means we’ve been recognized for being a green and sustainable company in all that we do - not just the products we create. We’ve been recognized in being green as a whole (rather than just having green products) and that we don’t take part in practices that aren’t environmentally sustainable. Everything we do meets the C2C standards even if we don’t choose to certify every single one of our products.

So why did method get named a Cradle to Cradle^SM company? Well, all the work we’ve been doing with Dr Braungart’s team at EPEA to assess each and every material that go into our products means that everything we make literally has the C2C principles built into them.

But this recognition is because Michael and Bill also saw that how we do things as a company strives to be truly good for the environment: from how we make and ship our product, to the office we work in, to the environmental innovations we create with our suppliers and partners, we are seeking to drive change in the system of how things are made.

This reminds us that a green product is a reflection of a green company – of the vision and goals of the people working there, and not a one-off to satisfy a trend that some forecaster observed. Everything we make at method reflects the belief that we can create a better functioning, more beautiful, and greener product, and change the way that industry works in the process.

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EPA SmartWay

The EPA SmartWay programme is a great program for companies that ship merchandise and for their shipping partners; tracking and ultimately reducing the green house gas (GHG) emissions resulting from the freight shipments.

The program allows a company to calculate its total GHG emissions resulting from its freight movements using a model that the EPA provides. A company then determines ways to reduce the emissions produced by the shipments.

We like it because it helps to reinforce what we feel all companies should be doing in regards to sustainability: actively monitoring and planning ways to continue reducing green house gas emissions. This programme is also good because it helps to clearly identify which carriers and shippers share our environmental concerns. This becomes particularly important to us because we have taken the extra step of only awarding business to freight carriers who also have submitted their emissions calculations and their plans to reduce them.

Effectively, we are boycotting dirty, stinky trucks and everything they stand for.

Environmental responsibility is one foundation of our business here at method and we try hard to incorporate it across all of our practices, shipping included. And when we see the fruits of our labour right in front of us it gets us motivated to keep running with it.

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Shipping & Logistics Sustainability

Method looks at the shipping of our goods and raw materials as a vast opportunity for improvement of the green house gas emissions of our business. We have a 3-part strategy for reducing the carbon footprint involved in the transportation of our raw materials and finished product.

The first is effcient siting of our facilities and strategic route planning. By simply analyzing where we put our factories and warehouses, we can reduce the amount of carbon produced by double-digit percentages. This is why our manufacturing and operations functions are based in Chicago and elsewhere in the Midwest. Shipping from the middle makes a lot more sense than having all of that out here in California.

The second dimension of our strategy is carbon efficient modes of transport. Shipping by rail takes 1/4 of the fuel as shipping by truck, and shipping by sea takes 1/10! By efficiently planning and timing our shipping, we can move the bulk of our shipments by rail and sea, with large energy savings. Where trucking is necessary, we are experimenting with trucks that have been outfitted with a number of efficiency measures that raise the fuel economy by 13%. These include innovations like automatic tyre inflators that keep tires at optimum inflation levels, nose cones and trailer skirts that improve aerodynamics, and low rolling resistance tyres.

The last part of our freight and logistics sustainability strategy is investing in biodiesel transportation. Biodiesel has the advantages of being grown from a renewable resource, and produces significantly lower amounts of many air pollutants.

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