behind the bottle
designing safe colors
pink is the new green
Vibrant color is a key element of design. For far too long, green products have been drab, boring and ugly. At method, we believe in a colorful and verdant world, and that goes for our products as well. So we use color, but we use color responsibly. We do this by using safe, environmentally compatible colorants in the most effective ways possible. Some people ask us if using colorants is green. We always respond that it can be, if done intelligently. Conventionally, green products are stripped-down, sacrifice-ridden versions of conventional products, and typically don't use any color. However, every product uses color, be it in the formula, in the package, or on the label. Even if a product is colorless and packaged in a clear bottle, the label uses inks and the box it is shipped in is printed. So the question is not "do you use colorants?", but "which colorants do you use? where do you use them?" and "how do you know they are safe?"
At method we use only colors that are safe for people and the environment. We ensure they are by relying on a rigorous material assessment process run by environmental research firms EPEA & MBDC.
Our starting point for selecting safe colorants is a front-end screen that EPEA developed. This screen ensures that all colorants we evaluate are as follows:
- not carcinogenic
- not bioaccumulative
- not mutagenic
- free of heavy metals
- free of halogenated organic compounds
Once we select materials for potential use in a product, EPEA completes an in-depth assessment of the ingredient. This material assessment reviews all relevant health and environmental criteria for the colorant, and issues a recommendation to use the colorant or not.
The result is that any colorants we use in our products have been comprehensively reviewed and deemed acceptable by method standards.
