SC Johnson
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SC Johnson boasts that they have "Three generations of committed environmental stewardship." The company has indeed taken step to cut their carbon footprint and reduce their impact on the environment.
SC Johnson manufacturers and distributes hundreds of different consumer packaged goods, so the majority of their carbon footprint comes from their manufacturing operations, the distribution of the products, and waste and disposal of the chemicals they use.
Focusing on the chemicals and raw materials in their products, they developed the Greenlist. This ranks the environmental impact of the different ingredient and only uses chemicals with a certain ranking level. Next time you buy a bottle of Windex, look out for the Greenlist certification label on the product. By striving to get more and more products to qualify, the list now covers 95% of the raw materials used by the company. SC Johnson has now patented the process and are even sharing it for free, encouraging other companies to cut their carbon footprint.
However, there is one large fault with this program. The Greenlist is completely designed and implemented by SC Johnson without any external validation or monitoring. There are times when the company is relying on their strong brand to get customers to trust this label when the products used are not always that good for the environment. The idea of the Greenlist is a good one, but needs to be independently monitored to attain the credibility is needs.
In 2005, SC Johnson joined the EPA Design for the Environment program that looks at the environmental impact of their products. They were the first consumer packaged goods company to join the program, although only a handful of their products actually qualify.
SC Johnson has also worked hard lately to cut their carbon footprint from distribution. In 2007 they implemented their Truckload Utilization Project to improve their logistics. This helped the company save almost $2 million and reduced their carbon footprint by almost 2000 tons of carbon. They also buy hybrid cars for their sales people to save on fuel costs while fighting global warming.
The last main area of their carbon emissions comes from the operations of the offices and manufacturing facilities. In this area the company has shown some of their strongest initiatives in cutting their carbon footprint.
The electricity for their largest manufacturing plant, based in Wisconsin, is powered by two green turbines that utilize cogeneration technology to reduce its carbon footprint. This has had the equivalent impact of taking 5000 cars off the road. At a plant in Michigan, the company gets 46% of their electricity from a nearby wind farm, with the effect of taking another 2000 cars off the road. Other similar initiatives have been implemented at sites around the world.
These are not just individual efforts to appear green. As a member of the EPA’s Climate Leaders program, the company regularly sets itself goals for reducing their carbon emissions. Between 2000 and 2005, they reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 24%, exceeding their goals for that period. Going forward, the company plans to cut carbon emissions by another 12% by 2011. However, it seems the company could aim higher in this regard, as they have already come close to reaching this goal.
Part of the reduction in their carbon footprint has come from their commitment to renewable energy. The company has also stated a goal of getting at least 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2011.
The company has recently had their first building gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, at a child care facility in Wisconsin. While this is a significant achievement, one can’t help but wonder why it has not been done at other facilities as well.
SC Johnson has also shown a commitment to recycling in their operations and the communities they operate in. The majority of their products come in recyclable packaging, and the company has run awareness campaigns to increase recycling among the public. In their own operations they set a great example, with 93% of solid waste from their manufacturing being recycled.
So how do they stack up?
Business Strategy: 4.5/5 – SC Johnson keeps the environment near the center of their strategy as a family company with an involvement in local communities
Products & Services: 3/5 – their Greenlist shows a lot of potential but needs to be looked over by an external stakeholder. The company could get more of their products on the EPA list in the meantime
Leading by Example: 4.5/5 – the company is open about their goals and achievements at reducing their carbon footprint and is often the first in their industry to undertake key measurements or certifications
Overall: 4/5
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