SC Johnson has a long-standing commitment to doing what’s right for people and the planet. Beyond our innovative product ingredient selection program and our ongoing efforts to minimize our footprint, in 2018 we publicly shared our commitments to further reduce our plastic footprint.
As our Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson has said, plastic pollution is a complex problem with no single solution. It’s going to take industry, government, NGOs and individuals working together to solve it.
Here’s a look at what SC Johnson is doing and the progress we’ve made.
Commitment: Make 100% of SC Johnson plastic packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
From 55%* in 2018, we progressed during the 2018/19 fiscal year to 62%* of our plastic packaging being designed to be recyclable, reusable or compostable.
Commitment: Triple the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content in SC Johnson packaging by 2025.
Through 2018/19, PCR made up 14%* of our total packaging. In terms of plastic bottles, we had an average of 11% PCR across all our bottles globally. We aim to increase PCR plastic in our North American and European bottles to 40 percent by 2025.
Commitment: Expand the number of concentrated refill options for SC Johnson products by 2025.
Our trigger bottles are designed to deliver 10,000 sprays, so they can be refilled and reused dozens of times. In 2019, we launched our concentrated refills on Amazon.com and other online retailers to make them accessible to more people. They’re now rolling out internationally to Canada, Mexico, the U.K, China and Japan. Refilling a full-size bottle instead of buying a new one cuts plastic waste by nearly 80 percent.
*Data updated in October 2020
Commitment: Work with industry and other organizations to support circular plastic economy models.
We’re partnering with groups like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Plastic Bank and Conservation International. In 2019, SC Johnson became the tenth Global Partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. With Plastic Bank in 2018/19 we opened nine recycling centers in Indonesian communities, helping increase recycling infrastructure while also creating economic opportunities for local waste collectors.
Commitment: Continue to remove excess plastic from products.
We’ve been relentlessly focused on designing out unnecessary packaging. In 2018/19, we removed more than 1.7 million kg of plastic from our primary packaging.
Commitment: Champion curbside recycling of plastic film.
We are continuing our efforts to make curbside recycling of flexible plastic film such as Ziploc® brand bags a reality in the United States, with a pilot coming soon.
