Alastair Dorward has stepped down as president and CEO of Method Products, the San Francisco-based natural cleaning products company he has led since 2001.

He will be placed on an interim basis by Dan Swander, a Method board member who has long been a consultant to consumer packaged goods companies and has his own consulting firm, Swander Pace & Co. A national CEO search is under way.

Method was at the vanguard of the green movement, and was one of the first green cleaning products to be sold in mass channels. Under Dorward, Method expanded distribution into Target stores nationwide and crossed the $100 million revenue mark.

Dorward has not determined what he will do next.

Method was started by Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry.