10 Lessons from 10 Years: What We've Learned About Driving Change

Method is officially 10 years old! And like any 10-year-old, we’ve had our fair share of growing pains, moments of discovery, and big lessons learned. We’ve built, tested, redesigned, and reimagined. One thing has remained clear: driving change isn’t about grand gestures, it’s about thoughtful design, listening, and making the better choice the easier one.

So whether you're designing a bin system, developing a product, or leading a team, here are 10 things we've learned about creating real, lasting change.

1. Design Drives Behaviour Change

Great design makes behaviours intuitive. This is demonstrated simply by whether you know to push or pull a door by the design of the hardware. For Method, thoughtfully designed systems created from beautiful products help to make recycling an unconscious habit.

2. People Power Drives Cultural Shifts

Every business has passionate people who would be excited to tackle pressing issues. Empowering changemakers creates organisational shifts toward sustainability and helps to build a culture that outlasts individual actions.

3. Prevent Waste Through Design

Recycling is an important part of a circular economy, but it's still a band-aid on the bigger problem. You can't solve waste after it's created; waste must be designed out from the beginning. Design products that last, create business models that create ownership and take responsibility for your products at the end of life.

4. Keep Listening and Keep Innovating

What worked 10 years ago might not work today. Staying close to your customers, internal and external, helps you understand shifting needs and opportunities. Keep asking questions, stay curious, and never stop improving what you offer.

5. Make it Easy and Visible

Out of sight, out of mind. For change initiatives to work, they need to be visible, accessible and easy. If you've ever seen a lone recycling bin in a public space, it's always brimming with landfill rubbish because people often won't hunt for the right bin. At that moment, they're focused on their immediate desire to get rid of their waste. Have all streams in a station, with clear signage, accessible font and open lids.

6. Leverage Social Norms

People naturally adapt to social expectations. When sustainable practices become common and, more importantly, visible within your workplace or community, peer influence makes it easier and more compelling for individuals to follow suit.

7. Start Today, Improve Tomorrow

Perfection can stall action. Sustainability is not a one-off initiative but an ongoing journey. Begin with achievable steps, quick wins, and learn from the process, and use the momentum to make continual improvements over time.

8. Sustainability and Profitability Can Align

Sustainable practices don't have to conflict with profitability, they can complement each other. Efficient use of resources, reducing waste, and building customer loyalty through responsible practices often lead to better business outcomes, not just environmental ones.

9. Lead by Example

Leadership attention signals priorities. When leaders visibly demonstrate commitment by taking tangible actions, not just making claims, it clearly communicates importance and authenticity, inspiring employees to adopt similar behaviours.

10. Make Sustainability Look Good

People inherently value things that look appealing. By presenting recycling and sustainable solutions as visually attractive and thoughtfully designed, people are more likely to see them as valuable, desirable, and worth engaging with consistently.

Have some fun!

A bonus point and an important one is to make sure you have some fun along the way. When you're managing a business, solving problems and trying to have an impact,t it can be stressful. It's important to have a team around you that you can have a laugh with, celebrate wins (big and small).

A decade in, and we're still just getting started.

These lessons have shaped the way we think, design, and grow, but they’re just the beginning. The challenges we face as a planet are complex, but so is our collective capacity to solve them. With creativity, collaboration, and a commitment to doing better every day, we can design a future that works for people and the planet. Here's to the next 10 years of bold ideas, meaningful action, and positive change.