CEO of laundry pod pioneer Dropps on building the next green product powerhouse

When it comes to street cred in green products marketing, few people have more than Alastair Dorward. He was Method’s founding CEO from its beginning in 2000 alongside founders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, and left that hit cleaning brand in 2008. After a series of executive and marketing roles with other brands, Dorward has led Dropps as CEO since 2023 with hopes of building another green products powerhouse. In this edition of the Marketer’s Brief podcast, Dorward discusses how he plans to do that. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Amazon Music/Audible. Founded in 2005, Dropps launched laundry detergent pods seven years before Procter & Gamble launched Tide Pods. Since then, Dropps has built a major auto dishwash product line. Today, Dropps is sold mainly via direct-to-consumer subscription and via Amazon. But this year Dorward is leading a charge into broader retail distribution starting at Target. With a Trump administration that’s rolling back environmental regulations and is decidedly unfriendly to sustainability initiatives, the political winds aren’t in Dropps’ favor. Dorward still sees plenty of momentum. “We’re simply focused on delivering across areas that are the most broad concern,” Dorward said. That includes clean water and eliminating plastic packaging and microplastics. Having septic-safe detergents appeals to the 30%-35% of U.S. households in rural areas on septic systems, he said. Gen Z and millennial consumers are very focused on plastics reduction, he said. And Dropps having the only detergent and auto-dish products in paperboard packaging will help them stand out on that point in stores. That’s one reason he expects store sales to grow from only around 5% of Dropps’ business today up to 30%. “Our sustainability innovations are fundamental to consumer needs regardless of any political discussions,” Dorward said. Recent news: Gen Z demands accountability amid corporate DEI rollbacks Also, Dropps is operating in the “sweet spot” of sustainability and efficacy, Dorward said. “When you are able to hit that sweet spot, you can unlock growth.” He said that he believes that approach can help build market penetration for sustainable brands from the current 3%-5% household penetration range up to double digits. The green gold rush for packaged-goods brands crested in the 2010s, with big industry players SC Johnson acquiring Method and Unilever acquiring Seventh Generation. “I think the fundamental theme is around big corporate brands being fundamentally regarded with suspicion by the younger consumer,” Dorward said. Seventh Generation, after initial success under Unilever, hit a wall during the pandemic and is working to regain momentum. “They’re kind of the OG eco-natural brand with tremendous credentials,” Dorward said. But Dropps goes beyond the eco-natural segment with its efficacy appeal and focus on product innovation, he said. Now 20 years old, Dropps clearly wasn’t a built-to-flip DTC startup. That doesn’t rule out new ownership, but that move also doesn’t appear imminent. Right now, Dropps is focused on its retail expansion and growth through its sustainability-efficacy combination, Dorward said. “I want to put us in a place where we can have good choices,” he said. “The IPO market has been challenging of late. Perhaps that will change one day.” And if not, any future partner for Dropps “has to appreciate the values that Dropps brings.” Event news: How Kroger and other brands are transforming marketing through data

CEO of laundry pod pioneer Dropps on building the next green product powerhouse

Featured Stories