Our Values

Our mission is to enable organisations to divert 1 Billion KGs of waste from Landfills by 2030.

Sustainability is at the core of our business values and practices. Every product, process and idea are carefully considered to minimise our environmental impact. Further, we are constantly researching and developing our business practices and pride ourselves on clear and open communication around these.

We're a Certified B Corp

B Corp Certification is an international for-profit certification that assesses a business on its impact over 5 categories - Workers, Governance, Community, Customer and the Environment.

B Lab explains that "B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service; it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it. And increasingly that’s what people care most about."

While we are predominantly a product-based business when assessing certifications B Corp stood out to us and aligns with our values.

Method certified well above the minimum threshold and in 2021 Method was recognised as a Best for the World Honoree in the Environment category.

We love being in a community of organisations that use their business as a force for good and our commitment to a triple bottom line approach.

Made in New Zealand

Making our products in New Zealand is important to us. It gives us control over the type of energy used during production, the quality of materials and production processes used. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly popular for organisations to produce their products in developing countries due to lower wages and employment standards. Manufacturing in New Zealand we know the bins are produced ethically from start to finish.

New Zealand is one of the lowest carbon emitting electricity generators in the world. As such, approximately 80% of our countries electricity is created from renewable resources such as wind turbines, hydropower and geothermal power. Keeping production in New Zealand means peace of mind that our products are being made with a low carbon footprint.

Our Products

80% of a products environmental impact is decided at the design stage, that's why 3 years of research and design went into the design of our 60L bin.

Durability, longevity and the lifetime impact of cleaning and maintenance are important sustainability factors for bins. This is why we chose injection moulded Polypropylene to maximise the life span of the product, ensure they're leakproof and don't easily degrade or rust.

Method's 60L bin is made from 50% post-consumer recycled materials and is fully recyclable at the end of its life.

From what we learnt with the 60L bin, we designed our 20L bins to be 80% recycled materials through the design of the tools and minimising the coloured components.

We continue to work with the industry to find a reliable source of recycled materials for the coloured components.

Learn more about our materials journey here.

Product Stewardship

We believe that as a manufacturer we are responsible for the materials that we use. So we use a waste hierarchy approach to product stewardship.

Repair

We're confident in the durability of our bins so they come with a 3-year warranty and we preference re-pair before replacement if there are any issues with the mechanics of the bin.

Refurbish & Donate

We believe in reuse before recycling, so if bins are returned in a usable state due to a business closing or no longer needing them, we will refurbish them and donate them to a charity or not-for-profit business. This maximises the usable life of the materials while helping well-meaning organisations.

Recycle

Finally, at the end of the life of our bins, we will help our customers to ensure the materials are recycled. If you have Method bins that are no longer functional get in touch and depending on the location of you and your bins we'll find the appropriate location to send them.

Freight + Exporting

Currently, we produce all of our products in New Zealand, however, in the future, we may look to manufacture in other regions where we sell Method bins (such as Australia and the UK). Because of this, we take every care to reduce the impact this has on the environment. We sea freight most of our products, as this has a considerably smaller carbon footprint than air freight.

We have also considered the impact of how we package and store our bins to minimise the carbon impact. Ie. Stacking bases together to reduce space is taken and warehousing in market so we're shipping less frequently.

Exporting is an important consideration for our business, but we have seen the visible difference our bins can make. We firmly believe the difference made during the life of a Method Bin outweighs the initial burden of shipping. For example, Westpac New Zealand reduced their waste to landfill from 70% to 30%, and are aiming to reach 20% next year. For an organisation of their size, over the lifetime of the bins, this is an incredible reduction of environmental pressure.

Carbon

Through the B Corp Carbon Commitment Method is committed to being carbon neutral by 2030.

We've always considered how we can minimise our emissions, but we're in the early stages of internal measurement, reduction planning and establishing our Scope 3 emissions. We'll keep everyone updated on our progress in our journal.

Our Packaging

Our bin packaging is good looking and environmentally friendly. As with all of the other products we produce great consideration was put into designing our recyclable bin packaging. It even won an award at the 2015 Design Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards and is Forest Stewardship Council certified.

Method boxes are made from recycled card, can be recycled when no longer needed, and are attached with paper tape – the most sustainable option.

We understand how frustrating it is to receive products with impractical or excessive packaging materials and so we made ours minimalist given the size of the product, easily recyclable and beautiful.