Various Method and Ecover Products

August 2017: The appeal was voluntarily dismissed When a complaint is dismissed with prejudice, it cannot be refiled., the reasons for which have not been disclosed.

July 2017: An objector filed a Notice of Appeal regarding the final approval of the settlement.

June 2017: A federal judge granted final approval of the settlement.

January 2017: A federal judge preliminarily approved a settlement of this action. According to the settlement terms, class members with proof of purchase may receive a $1 refund for each product purchased while class members without proof of purchase may receive $1 refunds for up to four or eight products, depending on the amount of information about the purchase they provide. In addition, the company agreed to stop using the terms “natural” or “naturally-derived” on labels of METHOD and ECOVER brands unless certain conditions are met, such as the company providing information about ingredients on the labels and stating definitions of the terms on its website, among other things. For more information, go to http://www.mppsettlement.com/.

September 2016: A class-action lawsuit was filed against People Against Dirty for allegedly falsely marketing various products – including Method bathroom cleaner, all-purpose surface cleaner, foaming hand wash, and fabric softener, and Ecover automatic dishwasher tablets – as, among other things, natural, safe, and hypoallergenic when they actually contain synthetic, hazardous, and toxic ingredients. (Vincent et al v. People Against Dirty, PBC, Case No. 16-cv-6936, S. D. NY.)

For more information about natural claims and TINA.org’s coverage of the issue, click here.