June '21

Article

SC Johnson and the Global Ocean Plastic Crisis

Syeda Maseeha Qumer
Adjunct Research Faculty, IBS Case Research Center, IBS Hyderabad (Under IFHE - A Deemed to be University u/s 3 of the UGC Act, 1956), Hyderabad, Telangana, India. E-mail: maseeha@icmrindia.org
Debapratim Purkayastha
Late Director, IBS Case Research Center, IBS Hyderabad (Under IFHE - A Deemed to be University u/s 3 of the UGC Act, 1956), Hyderabad, Telangana, India. E-mail: debapratim@ibsindia.org

The case discusses S C Johnson & Son, Inc.'s (SCJ) efforts to tackle the global crisis of plastic waste in oceans. It highlights how SCJ's CEO and Chairman H Fisk Johnson (Johnson) is bringing global attention to the issue of ocean plastic by raising awareness of this crisis and potential solutions by reaching and engaging people around the globe. The case explores how ocean plastic pollution is a complex environmental issue and the role companies like SCJ can play to combat it. SCJ is doing its part to address the problem of plastic pollution in oceans, including committing to make 100% of its plastic packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025, and signing the New Plastic Economy Global Commitment to help create a circular economy. SCJ had partnered with social enterprise Plastic Bank to increase recycling while helping address poverty. It had also launched the first 100% recycled ocean plastic bottle in its major home cleaning brand, Windex. However, the company faced some challenges in its fight against ocean plastic waste including complexity of the plastic value chain, making improvements in waste management, lack of adequate government regulations, and in changing consumer behavior towards plastic use. With ocean plastic waste being such a critical issue for the planet as well as human life, how could SCJ ensure that its commitment goes far enough to drive change on the ground? What can SCJ do to capitalize on its commitment and encourage more consumers to use its 'plastic positive' products?

Human life on this planet depends very heavily on the health of the ocean ecosystem, and the changes that are taking place are scary, whether it's ocean acidification, plastic in the ocean, overfishing-all of those things... Plastic waste is probably the single biggest environmental issue for our company. ... It was only natural for us to get involved with Plastic Bank and their effort to collect oceanbound plastic. I like it because it not only gives us a source of plastic we can recycle back into our products, but it's got a great environmental benefit and a social benefit as well.i

- H Fisk Johnson,
CEO, SC Johnson, in March 2020

Introduction
In October 2019, SC Johnson & Son, Inc. (SCJ), US-based global leading manufacturer of household consumer cleaning products, expanded its partnership with social enterprise Plastic Bank1 to develop recycling infrastructure in developing nations and prevent plastic waste from entering the oceans while providing economic and social benefits to communities. Under the new agreement, it planned to set up a total of 509 plastic collection points across the globe, projected to collect 30,000 metric tons of plastic waste over a period of three years-the equivalent of preventing about 1.5 billion plastic bottles from entering waterways and the ocean. As part of the program, local waste collectors could bring the plastic they had collected to any collection point and exchange it for digital tokens they could use to buy the goods and services they needed.

Earlier, in October 2018, SCJ teamed up with Plastic Bank to address the ocean plastic issue and established nine plastic waste collection centers in Indonesia. "More than 8 million metric tons of plastic leak into the ocean every year, so building infrastructure that stops plastic before it gets into the ocean is key to solving this issue. I'm particularly pleased that this program we developed with Plastic Bank helps to address poverty and this critical environmental issue at the same time,"ii said H Fisk Johnson (Fisk), Chairman and CEO, SCJ.

Ocean plastic pollution is a complex and huge environmental problem causing serious damage to marine ecosystems. Fisk, the fifth-generation leader of the 134- year-old family company and a dedicated proponent of sustainability, was deeply affected by the pervasiveness of microplastics in oceans and their impact on marine life. Given his company's long legacy of environmental leadership and commitment to protecting the planet, Fisk had been at the forefront in tackling this issue in several ways, including announcing commitments to reduce the company's plastic footprint and to make 100% of its plastic packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025; partnering with Plastic Bank to increase recycling while helping address poverty; signing the New Plastic Economy Global Commitment to help create a circular economy for plastics; and, launching the first bottle made from 100% recycled ocean plastic to package a major home cleaning brand. In addition to this, Fisk constantly engaged with international scientists, marine biologists, environmental advocacy groups, and people in communities affected by plastic pollution and raised awareness about this issue through social media campaigns.

Analysts said that addressing the ocean plastic waste would be a critical issue for the company going forward due to the predisposition of consumers to use single-use plastics, lack of adequate government regulations, complexity of the plastic value chain, and transparency dilemmas. Fisk believed that consumers, companies, NGOs, and governments must all collaborate to tackle the ocean plastic waste problem. Some analysts said SCJ being a privately held family company, it could do more to address the issue. Some critics, however, pointed out that SCJ used high amounts of plastic in packaging and that its products were partly responsible for the ocean plastic waste crisis that the company was working to resolve. According to John Hocevar, Oceans Campaign Director, Greenpeace2 US, "SC Johnson should prioritize continuing to reduce its plastic use, rather than relying on collection systems to try to capture it all before it ends up polluting our oceans, waterways, and communities. SC Johnson's new approach only perpetuates an outdated business model that keeps the cycle of pollution going. Much of the plastic the company labels as 'recyclable' actually ends up in landfills, incinerators, or our oceans. A Windex (home cleaning brand) bottle made of collected plastics would not save our oceans-eliminating throwaway plastic will."iii

As Fisk championed the critical need to end ocean bound plastic waste, some important questions before him were: Could he address the problem and bring real and sustained change in the way plastic waste was dumped into the oceans? Could he engage more people around the globe on this issue and lead the way for other companies? How can he further leverage SCJ's committment to ocean sustainability and break consumers' addiction to plastic? How should Fisk go about scaling up efforts, alongside introducing improvements in waste management to reduce ocean plastic pollution? What should he do to build an effective partnership among various stakeholders to tackle the issue?

Backgroun d Note
The history of SCJ dates back to 1886 when its founder, Samuel Curtis Johnson (Samuel), a salesman, purchased a parquet flooring business from Racine Hardware Manufacturing Coin Racine, Wisconsin, and founded his own company. By 1898, Samuel had developed a line of floor care products made from wax that generated more sales than the entire original flooring business. SCJ's legacy of giving back to communities started with Samuel who donated 10% of his income for civic improvements to be made in his hometown Racine.

In 1906, Samuel's son, Herbert F Johnson Sr (Herbert Sr), became a business partner and the company was formally named SC Johnson & Son. In 1928, Herbert Sr died suddenly, leaving his son H F Johnson, Jr. (Herbert Jr), to take over the reins of the company. Herbert Jr was credited with taking the company to new heights with his commitment to quality and science and technology. In 1954, Herbert Jr's son, Sam Johnson (Sam), joined the family's business as New Products Director and launched successful new brands like Raid (bug repellent) and Glade (air freshener). He became the company's President in 1966 and Chairman the following year. In 1975, in an early show of environmental leadership, Sam banned ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from all the company's products. One of the first large companies to take a public stance against a substance that harmed the environment, SCJ was also credited with helping build support among corporations for broader bans.iv Sam was also credited with transforming SCJ into a global powerhouse with his vision and principles. By the end of the 1990s, SCJ had a presence in over 65 countries, covering six continents. In 1991, SCJ published its first sustainability report that made it one of the first consumer packaged goods companies in the world to report openly and extensively about its programs and policies.

Fisk, Sam's son, joined SCJ in 1987 and served in a variety of senior level management and marketing positions. He was appointed as Chairman of the company in 2000. Like his father, Fisk was dedicated to innovation and the principles of sustainability. According to him, SCJ being a private company, did not have to worry about quarterly earnings or pressures to maximize shareholder value and could focus on doing the right thing for the long term. In 2001, SCJ launched the Greenlist program,3 which evaluated each product ingredient for its potential impact on human health and the environment. In 2002, SCJ became one of the first Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) companies to join the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Leaders program, a voluntary partnership to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. In 2004, Fisk assumed the role of CEO in SCJ.

SCJ claimed that it always put purpose ahead of profits and took action to address concerns related to the environmental or health effects of the chemicals in its products. In 2004, it eliminated polyvinylidene chloride from the composition of its popular brand Saran Wrap due to environmentalists' concerns that burning of the ingredient would release toxic chemicals into the environment. The popularity of the product, as well as sales, suffered as a result. But Fisk said that being a privately-owned family company, SCJ could make such decisions, even if it hurt its bottom line.

In 2009, SCJ started an expansive product transparency program as part of which it launched a website, WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com. The ingredients of more than 8,700 products it sold worldwide were listed on the website.

In 2011, SCJ unveiled concentrated refill options for its Windex home cleaning brand in keeping with its commitment to increase packaging reuse and reduce plastic waste. Thereafter, the company expanded concentrated refill options to its other popular cleaning brands such as Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, and Shout. The refills used nearly 80% less plastic than a new trigger bottle. The company also focused on eliminating unnecessary packaging for its products. Between 2011 and 2017, SCJ eliminated 9.5 million kilograms of materials from its packaging.

In 2015, SCJ was awarded the World Environment Center's Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development for its focus on sustainability and transparency initiatives. In 2017, Fisk received the Global Conservation Hero award from environmental organization Conservation International for his commitment to the environment and actions that had had a transformative impact on the planet and its people. In April 2018, the company rebranded itself by adopting a new tagline, "A Family Company at Work for a Better World", to highlight its purpose.

As of early 2000, SCJ was one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products with operations in more than 70 countries and sales virtually in every country. Some of its well-known brands were Glade, Kiwi, Mr Muscle, Off !, Pledge, Raid, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Windex, and Ziploc. For the fiscal year-ended June 30, 2019, SCJ generated revenues of US$10.5 bn and employed around 13,000 employees.v Its competitors included Procter & Gamble Company, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Colgate Palmolive, Nestle and Reckitt Benckiser (see Exhibit I).

Global Ocean Plastic Crisis
Ocean plastic pollution is a complex issue and one of the most pressing environmental concerns facing the world. According to a 2016 study published by the World Economic

Forum, about 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the oceans annually, which is equivalent to a garbage truckload of plastic being dumped into the ocean every minute (see Exhibit II and Exhibit III). The main sources of ocean plastic were land-based, from sewer overflows, beach visitors, inadequate waste disposal and management, industrial activities, construction, and illegal dumping (see Exhibit IV). As per estimates, there were up to 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic weighing about 250,000 tons floating on the oceans world over. A significant amount of this waste came from rivers which carried plastic waste from deep inland to the sea. Rivers were thus major contributors to ocean pollution.

According to experts, waste water treatment systems could remove approximately 95-97% of solid waste, but the remaining 3-5% waste mostly comprising microplastics4 remained in treated water and slipped into the oceans. About 86% of the plastic that made its way into the oceans globally originated in Asia, followed by Africa at 7.8%, and South America at 4.8%vi (see Exhibit V). River Yangtze in China was the top polluting river, contributing to over 4% of annual ocean plastic pollution. Experts estimated that by 2050, there would be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

Ocean plastics disrupted marine ecosystems and negatively impacted aquatic animals. Over 1 million marine animals including mammals, fish, sharks, turtles,

and sea birds, died every year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Ocean plastic also threatened food safety and quality, human health, and coastal tourism, and contributed to climate change. Microplastics, which were non-biodegradable, entered the food chain as fish and other marine creatures that lived in the sea ingested these tiny particles. Several chemicals used in the production of plastic materials were known to be carcinogenic and to interfere with the endocrine system, causing developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune disorders in both humans and wildlife. According to the 5 Gyres Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean conservation, "Once in the water, plastic microbeads attract persistent organic pollutants like flame retardants and other industrial chemicals linked to human health problems-even cancer. A single plastic microbead can be one million times more toxic than the water around it. These pollutants work their way up the food chain and onto our plates."vii Aside from its impacts on biodiversity, the ocean plastic crisis also caused substantial negative socioeconomic impacts. Communities that derived income from tourism, fishing, and other ocean-based activities were economically affected due to loss in aesthetic and economic value of these industries.

The issue of ocean plastic was also high on the global policy agenda as the UN Sustainable Development Goalviii (SDG) 14 "Life Below Water" called for action to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development."

SCJ Dives in to Address the Issue
Fisk, an avid ocean diver, had seen ocean plastic firsthand and was deeply affected by its devastating impact on marine life and ocean ecosystems. "As a lifelong diver, it's only natural for me to want to do what we can to protect the ocean. I've been diving for 47 years now, and I have probably done over a thousand dives. I've had a chance to see how the ocean has changed over those years, and I have seen more and more plastic waste in the ocean. I have seen more and more pressure on the health of the ocean ecosystems,"ix he said. Fisk pointed out that the whole world, including human beings, was in peril due to ocean acidification, overfishing, and plastic in the ocean.

SCJ was known for its long-standing commitment to doing what was right for the people and the planet and hence Fisk believed that it was the responsibility of the company to address the proliferation of ocean plastic waste. Throughout FY 2019, Fisk brought global attention to the issue of ocean plastic and the need for collaboration on solutions. This included understanding the pervasiveness of microplastics and their impact on the health of ocean ecosystems, analyzing the impact of plastic on marine ecosystems and sharing his conversations with international experts from organizations such as Conservation International and Ocean Wise. He traveled to countries such as Liberia, the Philippines, and Panama to see where plastic waste collected on the beaches and how it entered oceans from waterways and shared work being done to address this. "The whole issue of plastic waste from our products going into landfills is the single biggest environmental issue for our company,"x he said.

In October 2018, Fisk was one of the first CEOs to sign "The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment", which was described as a groundbreaking coalition of businesses and governments led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundationxi to tackle the growing global crisis of plastic pollution. The commitment was signed by more than 250 organizations to help create a circular economy for plastics. As part of the commitment, SCJ planned to make all of its plastic packaging either reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025 (see Exhibit VI). Upon signing the commitment, Fisk said, "We measure our success not by the financial report of the next quarter, but by the world we leave for the next generation. Together with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and other global organizations, we are making ambitious commitments and taking united action to create a new plastics economy that helps stop plastic from becoming waste."xii In January 2019, SCJ became the 10th global partner of Ellen MacArthur Foundation to drive initiatives that would accelerate transition to a circular economy.

In March 2018, SCJ partnered with Oceanic Society5 to launch a global engagement campaign called "Five for 50" focused on exclusive explorations of five key ocean habitats. The campaign brought business leaders, ocean experts, celebrities, social media influencers, philanthropists, and members of the public to the forefront of ocean conservation in some of the world's most vital ocean habitats in Palau, Indonesia, Mexico, Trinidad, and the Galapagos Islands. Each expedition explored ocean conservation issues including plastic pollution, climate change, and fisheries management. Fisk was part of the first expedition to Palau in November 2018. On this expedition he, along with other experts, explored the ocean plastic pollution problem. The expeditions were captured and shared through a digital documentary series.

In October 2019, SCJ entered into a partnership with Earthwatch Europe6 to sponsor the latter's Plastic Rivers program aimed at reducing plastic pollution in rivers in the UK. Their grant would help in the development of an online, on-the-go plastic footprint calculator, where people would be able to calculate their impact on the environment and find out how to reduce it. As part of the partnership, SCJ would also sponsor community events to raise awareness on plastic waste and clean up pollution caused by plastic.

In January 2020, SCJ teamed up with American baseball team Milwaukee Brewers to recycle more than 1 million plastic cups used each season at the team's ballpark into product bottles. Starting with the 2020 season, attendees at Miller Park would be able to discard plastic cups branded with the SCJ logo into designated receptacles for recycling. SCJ would collect the cups and use the recycled plastic in its Scrubbing Bubbles bottles. The partnership would continue throughout the 2020 season, with additional promotions including organized "Clean Up Days" and philanthropic contributions. In addition, for each save recorded by a Milwaukee Brewers pitcher, they would make a donation to the "Players for the Planet" initiative, which was working to reduce ocean plastic.

Monetizin g Waste
In October 2018, SCJ partnered with social enterprise Plastic Bank to manage ocean plastic waste by improving recycling infrastructure across Indonesia while addressing the challenges of poverty in impoverished communities.

Plastic Bank launched the concept of 'Social Plastic' in Haiti in 2015, two years after its co-founder, David Katz (Katz), had the idea that if waste plastic was monetized, it could tackle the twin problem of global poverty and ocean pollution at the same time. The focus was on paying collectors of waste straws, lids, and bottles a living wage, while the recycled plastic was sold to 75 brand partners, including Lush and Henkel. Between 2015 and early 2020, Plastic Bank had recovered and recycled more than 6,000 tons of ocean-bound plastic and improved the lives of more than 4,300 families living in poverty in Haiti, the Philippines, Indonesia, and later in Egypt.xiii

As per SCJ's partnership with Plastic Planet, local waste collectors would bring the plastic they collected to any recycling center where it could be exchanged for digital tokens. Using Blockchain technology, they could then use the tokens to buy the goods and services they needed. The collected plastic would then be recycled and sold into the market as Social Plastic (see Exhibit VII). SCJ chose to start this initiative in Indonesia because the country not only had the world's highest levels of marine biodiversity but also high levels of plastic pollution in its oceans. SCJ had opened nine new plastic recycling centers in Indonesia by the end of 2019.

The partnership also led to the development of a "Social Plastic Ecosystem" that created jobs at the recycling centers and collection points for poor communities. According to analysts, nearly 28 million people lived below the poverty line in Indonesia and could greatly benefit from a program of this scale. Each recycling center could manage about 100 metric tons of plastic a year, thereby providing economic opportunities for hundreds of local residents living in poverty. SCJ was credited with being the first Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) company to scale a program of this kind in Indonesia that benefitted a wide range of socioeconomic demographics, including local residents living below the poverty level, while reducing ocean plastic waste.

In 2019, SCJ expanded its partnership with Plastic Bank with plans to establish a total of 509 plastic collection points spanning five countries-Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Brazil. These plastic collection points were expected to collect 30,000 metric tons of plastic waste over a period of three years. According to the company, this was the equivalent of preventing approximately 1.5 billion plastic bottles from entering waterways and the ocean. According to a 2015 report by Ocean Conservancy and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, five Asian countries-China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand-accounted for more than 55% of the plastic waste leaking into the ocean. According to experts, increasing collection rates to an average of about 80% across these countries would reduce plastic waste leakage into the ocean by approximately 23%. According to Katz, "Together with SC Johnson, we now have the ability to help close the loop and advance a circular economy while developing infrastructure in the areas where it is needed the most. We are eager to expand exponentially and maximize our efforts in cleaning the environment, prohibiting waste from entering the ocean and alleviating poverty simultaneously. There is no better partner than Fisk and SC Johnson-other CEOs should take note."xiv

Reusing Social Plastic
In February 2019, as part of its commitment to make all its plastic packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025, SCJ announced that it would launch the industry's first plastic bottle made entirely from recycled ocean plastic to pack its home cleaning brands Windex Original and Windex Vinegar. SCJ purchased Social Plastic from Plastic Bank at a premium and incorporated it into its Windex brand in both the US and Canada.

Beginning February 2020, Windex Plastic bottles made from recycled ocean plastic waste were available in the North American market with eight million units set to be supplied to retailers such as Walmart and Target. "With over 5 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean, conditions are continuing to get worse and worse. The Windex bottle is just one of the many ways we are not only providing solutions to combat ocean pollution but taking action to make these solutions a reality."xv

Raisin g Awareness Through Social Media
In order to raise awareness about the impacts of plastic ocean waste, Fisk actively posted news and information about plastic waste on various social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn (see Exhibit VIII).

In March 2019, SCJ launched a social media campaign to raise awareness on the issue of ocean plastic pollution. It challenged social media users around the globe to tweet in support of reducing ocean plastic using the hashtags #SocialPlastic or #SCJRecycles. The company promised to fund an additional recycling center in Indonesia if more than 20,000 posts that included the hashtags were tweeted or retweeted by Twitter users.

The campaign engaged more than 150 million people. Following more than 20,000 tweets and retweets from people sharing their support for reducing ocean plastic, SCJ kept its promise and opened the ninth recycling center in Bali, Indonesia. "The energy and dialog that we have seen since announcing this challenge has been overwhelming. We are proud to help inspire so many new environmental champions, and spur conversation about the importance of recycling and the impact of social plastic,"xvi said Kelly Semrau, Senior Vice-President - Global Corporate Affairs, Communication, and Sustainability at SCJ.

Challenges Ahead
According to Fisk, one of the biggest challenges facing SCJ in its fight against ocean plastic waste would be to change consumer behavior around plastic usage and sell some of its sustainable packaging and product options.

He said it was hard to break the single-use plastic habit among consumers as products made of single use plastic were convenient and easy to use. Fisk pointed out that SCJ had been trying to sell concentrated refills since 2011 using several different strategies but had found limited success as most consumers were not ready to switch to refilling. "Those trigger bottles can be reused many times and it's not a big behavior change to buy a small concentrate, pour it in the trigger bottle, and fill it with water. But people have just not been aware enough of the plastic waste problem to go through that slight change of behavior."xvii Another challenge was closing the loop by getting people to reuse and recycle, as well as ensuring investment in infrastructure to ensure that plastic waste went back into the product stream.

Though the company had switched its Windex bottles to 100% Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) alternatives, some experts felt that the transition would not be easy as PCR plastic did not always have the physical properties needed to safely hold chemical-based cleaning products. Moreover, increasing PCR in packaging could affect its color, making it look less appealing in stores. "Our marketing team are worried that if our product doesn't look absolutely pristine on-shelf, people won't buy it. In my mind, I would love this discoloration to be more of a badge of honor and a selling point. That does not work so well today, but looking ahead, I think we will be able to do that as we incorporate more PCR content, because people will be thinking about the plastic waste issue in ways they haven't before,"xviii said Fisk.

Fisk also stressed the need for additional government regulations that would require manufacturers to change their production practices and help incentivize the incorporation of recycled materials into products. According to him, "When we put ocean plastic into our Windex bottles, it is a 30% cost premium to do that, and that's over and above the cost premium we pay to put 100% recycled plastic in our Windex bottles to begin with. We were willing to do that kind of thing. Other companies may not be so willing to do it. If we are going to really get over the hump, we need greater regulation."xix

Scaling up the company's efforts to reduce ocean pollution alongside making improvements in waste management was another big challenge for the company, felt some analysts. According to Fisk, collaboration would be key to combating ocean plastic waste due to the complex and highly fragmented nature of the global plastics value chain (see Exhibit IX). "Plastic waste is the single biggest environmental issue we have to address as a company, but we cannot do it alone. Business, government and civil society need to come together to solve the problem."xx

As outlined in the company's 2018-19 Sustainability Report, SCJ was on track to meet its 2025 commitments to help reduce plastic waste and boost recycling. The company revealed that it had achieved a 1.7-million-kilogram reduction in the amount of plastic used in its primary packaging. SC increased its recyclable, reusable, or compostable plastic packaging from 90% in 2018, to 94% in 2019 (see Exhibit X and Exhibit XI). It was also planning to expand the ocean plastic containers for use with more of its products. "We were at a tipping point in the global plastic waste crisis. Governments are making plans to take action, consumers are vowing to change behaviours, and businesses are stepping up to help. These are all important steps forward to solving this critical issue. While there are no easy solutions, the progress I have seen first-hand around the world gives me reason for hope,"xxi said Fisk.

Analysts said that given its global scale and the advantage of being private, SCJ could play a crucial role in driving significant changes and eliminating plastic waste from oceans. Going forward, the question before Fisk was what more the company could do to address the problem. What kind of strategy might work better in solving the problem of ocean plastic and what was the best way to take all the stakeholders along?

End Notes

  1. Janice Endresen, "Fisk Johnson, CEO of SC Johnson: A Champion in the Crusade Against Plastic Ocean Waste," https://business.cornell.edu, March 23, 2020.
  2. "SC Johnson Launches Global Partnership to Fight Ocean Plastic and Poverty," www.scjohnson.com, October 18, 2019.
  3. Perr y Wheeler, "SC Johnson Must Continue to Reduce, Not Just Collect, Throwaway Plastics," www.greenpeace.org, October 18, 2019.
  4. Adria Vasil, Laura Vayrynen, and Toby Heaps, "Green 50: Top Business Moves That Helped the Planet," www.corporateknights.com, April 20, 2020.
  5. https://www.forbes.com/companies/sc-johnson-son/#96f2a4545d6b
  6. Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser, "Plastic Pollution", https://ourworldindata.org, September 2018.
  7. https://www.5gyres.org/microbeads
  8. Adopted by all member states of United Nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the SDGs, are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and to ensure a more sustainable future.
  9. Janice Endresen, "Fisk Johnson, CEO of SC Johnson: A Champion in the Crusade Against Plastic Ocean Waste," https://business.cornell.edu, March 23, 2020.
  10. Dale Buss, "SC Johnson Chief Fisk Johnson Dives Deep, Goes Wide Against Plastic Wastes", https://chiefexecutive.net, April 11, 2019.
  11. Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a UK-based charity that focuses on accelerating the transition to a circular economy to combat climate change and reduce material waste.
  12. "SC Johnson Signs Groundbreaking International Commitment to Tackle the Plastic Pollution Crisis," www.scjohnson.com, October 28, 2018.
  13. Adria Vasil, Laura Vayrynen, and Toby Heaps, "Green 50: Top Business Moves That Helped the Planet," www.corporateknights.com, April 20, 2020.
  14. "SC Johnson Launches Global Partnership to Fight Ocean Plastic and Poverty," www.scjohnson.com, October 18, 2019.
  15. "SC Johnson to Launch First-Ever 100% Recycled Ocean Plastic Bottle in a Major Home Cleaning Brand," www.scjohnson.com, February 27, 2019.
  16. "A Wave of Tweets Turns the Tide to Stop Ocean Plastic," www.scjohnson.com, March 8, 2019.
  17. Janice Endresen, "Fisk Johnson, CEO of SC Johnson: A Champion in the Crusade Against Plastic Ocean Waste," https://business.cornell.edu, March 23, 2020.
  18. "SC Johnson Boss: Business Collaboration on Plastic 'Just the Tip of the Iceberg'," www.edie.net, October 31, 2018.
  19. Janice Endresen, "Fisk Johnson, CEO of SC Johnson: A Champion in the Crusade Against Plastic Ocean Waste," https://business.cornell.edu, March 23, 2020.
  20. "SC Johnson CEO Talks Microplastics, Ocean Health with Leading Marine Pollution Expert," https://www.scjohnson.com, July 1, 2019.
  21. "SC Johnson on Track to Meet Goals in Tackling Plastic Waste Crisis, Announces Results in New Sustainability Report," www.scjohnson.com, September 25, 2019.

  1. Plastic Bank, founded in 2013, is a Canada-based social enterprise committed to stopping ocean plastic while reducing poverty.
  2. Greenpeace is a non-profit international organization that promotes environmental awareness and works to protect and conserve the environment.
  3. In the Greenlist process ingredients used in the company's products are sorted into functional categories, such as solvents and insecticides. Within each category, relevant criteria, including biodegradability and human toxicity, are used to rank the impact of ingredients on the environment and human health.
  4. Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic that are less than 5 mm in length. They are present in a variety of products, from synthetic clothing to plastic bags and bottles and are not biodegradable.
  5. Founded in 1969, Oceanic Society is a US-based non-profit organization dedicated to ocean conservation.
  6. Earthwatch is an international environmental charity to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.


Reference # 14M-2021-06-02-02