Packaging improvements help SC Johnson earn Walmart's sustainability award

SC Johnson Canada has received Walmart Canada's second-annual Vendor Sustainability Award, which recognizes a company's overall sustainability progress and effort in helping Walmart sell products that sustain both people and the environment. SC Johnson was one of 80 companies considered for the honor. 

"We've placed a priority on environmental initiatives for decades and are fully committed to our holistic approach, which includes making products that are better for people and the planet. For SC Johnson, it's about doing the right thing," says Ana Dominguez, president and general manager, SC Johnson Canada. "We're thrilled to be acknowledged for our decades of leadership by such an important customer who shares our common interest in sustainability."

A legacy of leadership
SC Johnson has a legacy of environmental leadership in Canada. In 1975, the company was among the first to remove chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from its aerosol cans, more than 10 years prior to mandate by The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone. Since then, other achievements include the initiation of an aerosol can recycling program at the company's office in Brantford, Ontario, which ultimately engaged more than 5,600 communities across the country. The company has also achieved a waste diversion rate of 91.3 percent at its Brantford manufacturing facility. 

Other examples that demonstrate the company's long-standing commitment to the environment: 

•New packaging for Glade candles saves more than 151,953 kg of plastic. Light-weighting of the Glade candle jar also saves 1.2 million kg of glass annually. 

SC Johnson Fantastic bottle

•fantastik cleaner bottles have at least 30 to 50 percent post-consumer-recycled materials. Last year, this saved 246,300 kg of virgin plastic from going into the waste stream. 

•SC Johnson eliminated its use PVC packaging in 2003 and fully supported Walmart's voluntary initiative to remove PVC from thermoform rigid plastic packaging in 2011. 

•While extensively researched and deemed safe by various scientific bodies, DEP—the only phthalate that was used in the fragrances in SC Johnson home cleaning and air care products—is being phased out of fragrances due to consumer concerns. 

•The company announced last year that it will only purchase palm oil-based ingredients that originate from responsible and sustainable sources by 2015. 

•Overall, SC Johnson's 2011 sustainability goals were achieved in all areas, including sourcing 40 percent of global electricity from renewable energy. The company recently announced its 2016 goals, which include metrics around improving products, communicating transparently, reducing waste and reducing carbon footprint. 

"SC Johnson's efforts in the product area nudged them over the top," says Andrew Telfer, manager, sustainability, Walmart Canada. "Many companies are doing great things in waste diversion, energy conservation and manufacturing optimization—but SC Johnson Canada is also making great strides in making consumer products better for the environment."

Source: SC Johnson

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