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SC Johnson Boosts Plastic Recycling and Reuse Commitments
All of the company's plastic packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
3 Min Read
Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, holds up a piece of plastic pollution he found during a dive.SC Johnson image
SC Johnson announced a series of commitments to further reduce its own plastic footprint by boosting recycled plastic content in its packaging, supporting reuse of plastic bottles through concentrated refills and launching an effort to make Ziploc bags recyclable at curbside.
"At SC Johnson, being an environmental leader has been a principle we have worked hard at for generations," said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, in a statement. "With the increasing spotlight on the global plastic waste crisis, we wanted to share our efforts externally. We hope they inspire other companies to take similar steps toward a circular plastic economy, because the planet simply cannot sustain the status quo."
SC Johnson announced a series of commitments in accordance with the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment to reduce its plastic footprint and encourage reuse and recycling of plastic products:
100 percent of SC Johnson plastic packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. Currently, 90 percent of SC Johnson's plastic packaging is designed to be recyclable, reusable or compostable, according to the company.
Triple the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content in SC Johnson packaging by 2025. SC Johnson will increase its use of PCR plastic in its packaging from 10 million kilograms to more than 30 million kilograms by 2025. As part of this, SC Johnson said it will increase the percentage of PCR plastic that it uses in its North American and European bottles from 20 percent to 40 percent by 2025.
Expand the number of concentrated refill options for SC Johnson products by 2025. Since 2011, SC Johnson has been making concentrated liquid refills for its Home Cleaning trigger bottle products in the U.S. Each trigger bottle is designed to deliver 10,000 sprays so it can be refilled and reused an average of 13 times, every time avoiding a single-use alternative. The company will continue to expand its variety of concentrated refill options, enabling consumers to reuse packaging and reduce waste.
Continue to remove excess plastics wherever possible. SC Johnson has been focused on designing unnecessary packaging out of its products. From 2011 to 2017, the company stated it has removed 9.5 million kilograms of materials from its packaging.
Champion curbside recycling of plastic film. SC Johnson will continue its effort to make curbside recycling of flexible plastic film, such as Ziploc brand bags, a reality in the U.S. SC Johnson is also promoting reuse of Ziploc brand bags, which are made to be reused many times.
Work with industry and other organizations to support circular plastic economy models. SC Johnson will work with industry and non-governmental organizations (NGO) to further support the circular plastic economy and keep plastic out of landfills and the environment.
A lifelong diver, Johnson recently participated in a dive with long-time NGO partner Conservation International to explore the issue firsthand in the waters off the coast of Indonesia. He was able to see the diversity of marine life but also better understand the risks of plastic in the water and washing ashore on beaches.
"It is amazing to see firsthand the natural beauty and diversity of our oceans and to fully appreciate what's at stake here," said Johnson in a statement. "I think it's incredibly important that business, governments, civil society and people around the globe work together to solve this really important problem for humanity."
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