Method – South Side Soapbox

In 2014, Method Products opened the industry’s first LEED Platinum-certified plant at CNI’s Pullman Park site. In 2020, its parent company, SC Johnson, leased an additional 400,000 square foot facility in Pullman Park.

Designed by William McDonough + Partners, Method’s facility is home to one of the world’s leading brands of environmentally friendly consumer cleaning products. The facility is the first LEED Platinum-certified plant in the industry. The 150,000 square foot facility on the former vacant Ryerson Steel site opened in 2014 and features a refurbished 230-foot wind turbine and solar panels to produces enough renewable energy to supply nearly half of the building’s power.

Method was a pioneer in the manufacturing of planet-friendly and design-driven home, fabric, and personal care cleaning products from biodegradable and nontoxic ingredients. In 2017, SC Johnson, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and supplies, acquired the brand.

In 2020, SC Johnson leased a newly constructed 400,000 square foot warehouse developed by CNI and Ryan Companies.  The new warehouse, built on the vacant former Ryerson Steel site, was financed by an investment from Allstate using a federal tax incentive program. The company is using the first location to manufacture its products and the new facility to distribute them to retail locations around the world. The new warehouse is the first Opportunity Zone project to be completed on the city’s South Side.