Belgian eco-friendly producer of washing-up liquids and cleaning products Ecover has finally succeeded at entering the American market with its takeover of the American firm Method. After many attempts to gain ground in the States, Ecover products, unlike those sold by Method, were not on supermarket shelves. Says Ecover CEO Philip Malmberg: “We were well represented in supermarkets in Belgium and the UK, but elsewhere we were sold mostly in health food stores.” Ecover will now ride on Method’s distribution network and in return take over some of Method’s production. Malmberg lauds the fact that the two players complement each other, saying “We specialise in production and technical innovation while Method focuses mostly on marketing, communication and design”. Both brands will remain on the market. The takeover will see Ecover grow into a 200 million euro strong enterprise employing a staff of 300. No additional jobs will be created in the short term, but with his strong belief in the potential of ecological cleaning products, Mamberg foresees organic growth in the future. “New-generation consumers will be much more conscious of environmentally friendly products. We expect strong growth in Europe and even stronger growth in the US.” Ecover also has plans to enter the Asian market.