In November 2023, Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson was recognized by the United Nations Foundation with the Leadership for a Better World Award. Johnson accepted on SC Johnson’s behalf in recognition of its work for a more sustainable world with expanded opportunity for all, with a special focus on eliminating vector-borne disease.

In March 2024, Fisk Johnson testified before the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to advocate for stronger regulation on plastic and federal extended producer responsibility (EPR). During the hearing Johnson said, “I believe plastic waste is an absolutely critical issue that needs to be addressed. And the only way to make substantive progress is through a national regulatory framework where you can achieve scale with producers taking responsibility for the life cycle of their products. The sooner clear goals and expectations are set for industry, and time is given to meet those goals, the better.”

In April, Fisk Johnson teamed with M. Sanjayan, conservation scientist and CEO of Conservation International, to explain why they support a global plastics treaty in a Newsweek op-ed released ahead of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) in Canada, where world leaders gathered to develop an international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. They emphasized, “to make progress at the pace we need, it takes regulation at both the country and international level to get all stakeholders in the plastic ecosystem working in concert to make effective progress at scale.”

This month, SC Johnson will celebrate one year of The Blue Paradox, an exhibit on the plastic waste crisis at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The Blue Paradox movement aims to drive collective action and provide advocates with a place to learn about how plastic pollution affects marine life and consumers’ lives and the changes we can make to protect the planet’s largest ecosystem.

SC Johnson owns the popular Sun Bum suncare brand.

Sales rose more than 6% last year at SC Johnson, the largest privately-held company in The Top 50. But that total includes sales of food storage products.

In November, Chief Communications Officer Alan VanderMolen left the company.

SC Johnson wants US consumers to see, in person, how pervasive plastic pollution is within the largest ecosystem on our planet: the ocean. To that end, it has been instrumental in bringing to the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI)The Blue Paradox,  an immersive experience where visitors can walk beneath the ocean’s surface, explore the impact plastic pollution has on this vital natural resource, and discover the meaningful actions needed to stop plastic waste from becoming pollution. SCJ —which is a presenter of the exhibit, said it wanted to bring the experience to US following its impactful run in London in 2021. The high-demand, sold-out event struck a nerve with Londoners, with 97% of attendees saying they planned to change their behavior for good.

Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson has been out in front on this topic, appearing in other campaigns and messaging about plastic waste.

“We are at an inflection point,” Johnson said in a statement. “Time is running out to turn around the damaging effects of plastic waste pollution. While the challenges we face in stopping this crisis can seem daunting, overcoming them is possible. It starts with raising awareness and inspiring a movement of collective efforts on the tangible things that will make a meaningful difference. Business plays a vital role, and so does government and government regulation, and—importantly—all of us as individuals. That is why bringing this experience to life is important.”

Sales: $11.0 billion

SC Johnson is the largest, privately-held company in The Top 50, with sales estimated at $11 billion, but that total includes food storage products. The company operates in more than 70 countries.

In April, SC Johnson launched Dissolve Concentrated Pods across its Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles and Fantastik brands in the US. The easy-to-use dissolvable liquid pods and reusable bottles reduce plastic waste by 94% v. 23oz or larger sprayer bottles, according to SCJ.

Other environmental efforts include:

• Increasing the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic to 25% of product packaging by 2025. Today, 19% of SC Johnson’s plastic packaging is PCR, up from 14% in 2020.
• Continuing to remove excess plastics wherever possible. SC Johnson has eliminated more than 6.1 million kilograms of unnecessary or problematic plastic packaging since 2018.
• Making 100% of plastic packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable. Today, 65% of the company’s packaging is designed to be recyclable or reusable—that’s up from 62% in 2019.
• Continuing to work with industry and other organizations to support closed-loop recycling models and keep plastic out of landfills and the environment. The company notes its global partnership with Plastic Bank has prevented more than 20,000 metric tons of plastic from entering the ocean since 2019. The company incorporates this plastic into its Windex and Mr Muscle brands in North America and the UK, respectively.

SCJ has partnered with several professional sports franchises, such as Liverpool Football Club, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Milwaukee Brewers, to transform stadium plastic bottles and cups into SC Johnson product packaging by creating a closed-loop recycling infrastructure. Additionally, the company’s Ecover brand continues to test the refill station concept at major retailers throughout the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.

In May, Chairman and CEO and Cornell Grad Fisk Johnson was inducted into the Cornell College of Business Hall of Fame. The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management is the graduate business school in the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University.

Just in time for summer, SCJ expanded its Off! Lineup and rolled out an online tool to keep consumers up-to-date on where the bugs are biting. Off! Cast Mosquito Forecast is billed a first-of-its-kind model, developed in partnership with Google, that predicts local mosquito populations up to seven days in advance to get local mosquito forecasts as easily as the local weather.

New Off! Clean Feel Insect Repellent provides DEET-free protection from mosquitoes, ticks and biting flies—without a greasy feel or unpleasant odor. It contains 20% picaridin that protects for up to eight hours.

Off! Kids Spritz Repellent Spray is powered by plant-derived ingredients, featuring a plant-based formula to provide up to 90 minutes of protection against bites. It is DEET-free and contains no added fragrances or dyes. When used as directed, Kids Spray is safe to use on children six months old and up.

Off! Kids can be applied to children when they reach six months of age. Clean Feel insect repellent feels great on skin and provides eight hours of protection.

Privately-held SC Johnson is one of the biggest players in the household and industrial and institutional (HI&I) cleaning market. The company’s brands such as Fantastik, Shout and Windex have been in demand as consumers stayed indoors during the pandemic. SC Johnson has made bank through its partnership with Plastic Bank. Earlier this year, Plastic Bank said it reached a milestone of stopping 1 billion plastic bottles from entering the world’s oceans.

“Plastic waste entering our oceans is one of our greatest global challenges. At a time when the world is calling for greater responsibility, this significant milestone is evidence of our ability to make deliberate environmental, social and economic impact,” said David Katz, founder and CEO of Plastic Bank. “Our partnership with SC Johnson has been instrumental in transforming Plastic Bank from a little engine to a train that is driving change around the world.”

Through the first quarter of 2021, SC Johnson and Plastic Bank:

• Created more than 250 collection points across Indonesia, the Philippines and Brazil since 2018 with plans to expand further to Thailand and Vietnam by 2022;
• Stopped more than 10.4 million kilograms of plastic, the equivalent of more than 500 million plastic bottles, from disrupting ocean ecosystems; and
• Provided more than 15,000 people with additional income.

Last month, on World Oceans Day, SC Johnson announced it teamed up with the Milwaukee Brewers again for the Save the Oceans campaign. SCJ will donate $1,000 for every save the Brewers register during the 2021 Major League Baseball season. That announcement followed on the heels of an announcement that SC Johnson is now the Official Sustainability Partner and Official Disinfectant and Commercial Cleaning Partner for the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks. In the first of its kind program, beginning next season, fans can place their plastic drinks cups into SC Johnson-branded collection bins at Fiserv Forum. The cups will then be upcycled into new Scrubbing Bubbles bottles.

Last year, SC Johnson’s efforts to reduce plastic was highlighted in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s second annual report on the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, a set of targets uniting more than 450 businesses, governments and other organizations to address plastic waste and pollution.

“SC Johnson teams are continuing to create products and packaging that give consumers more sustainable options,” said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “We all have a responsibility to address this critical environmental issue, but equally none of us can solve this challenge alone. It will take a unified effort from business, government and civil society to create a circular plastic economy.”

In association with the Global Commitment, SC Johnson is pursuing a series of goals to accelerate its progress to tackle plastic waste, including:

• Triple the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content in packaging by 2025, including Mr. Muscle and several other product lines. Today 14% of SC Johnson’s packaging is PCR, up from 6% last year.
• Continue to remove excess plastics wherever possible. SC Johnson has eliminated 2,575 metric tons of unnecessary or problematic plastic packaging since 2018, including 875 metric tons since last year.
• Make 100% of its plastic packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. Currently, more than 62% of SC Johnson products are designed for this, and the company is expanding concentrated refill options and refill trials with Ecover through Waitrose and Sainsbury supermarkets.
• Continue to work with industry and other organizations to support circular plastic economy models and keep plastic out of landfills and the environment.

Sun protection brand Sun Bum, which SC Johnson acquired in 2019, posted gains in an otherwise sluggish market last year. Sun Bum’s sales jumped an impressive 56.2%, according to IRI data for 2020.

Sales rose less than 2% in fiscal 2019, according to industry estimates.

In December, SC Johnson acquired Stasher, a fast-growing line of high-quality, reusable silicone storage bags. Made from silicone, Stasher bags are durable, versatile and designed to be used across a wide range of temperatures for uses including freezing and cooking. The bags are resealable and can be used thousands of times. They are available in a variety of colors and convenient sizes including pocket, snack, sandwich and half gallon, according to SC Johnson.

“Stasher is a fast-growing, innovative brand that has built a great reputation with its high-quality products,” said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “Stasher bags are an excellent complement to our portfolio of trusted, quality brands.

“We are beyond excited for Stasher to be joining SC Johnson,” said Kat Nouri, founder of Stasher. “SC Johnson has long been committed to moving the needle on the plastic waste crisis by shifting consumer habits and working with governments and NGOs. We at Stasher have been leading a movement by providing a durable, reusable alternative to single-use plastic bags, and through this acquisition we can now scale our mission beyond our reach.”

About a year ago, SC Johnson expanded its position in sun care with the acquisitions of Sun Bum, a fast-growing brand that makes personal care products including sun protection, hair care and lip care. The acquisition also includes the Baby Bum brand of sun protection and baby care products.

“The Sun Bum brand is a welcome addition to our portfolio of trusted products,” said Johnson. “It also expands our robust selection of fast-growing, on-trend products like Babyganics, Method, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and Caldrea that appeal to consumers and their families.

In September, SC Johnson acquired Oars + Alps, a Chicago startup that makes men’s skin care products. Sources say SCJ paid about $20 million for the brand, which was launched in 2016 by Mia Saini Duchnowski and Laura Lisowski Cox, who were said to be frustrated by the lack of healthy products available for their husbands. The Oars + Alps line includes deodorant, moisturizer, body wash and other products.

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world, SC Johnson made a series of moves and donations to support relief efforts. For example, the company built new capacity to manufacture up to 75,000 bottles of hand sanitizer per month. One hundred percent of the hand sanitizer produced were to be donated to health workers, first responders and the company’s own production employees. The line is at Waxdale, the company’s largest global manufacturing facility, located in Mount Pleasant, WI.

“As doctors, nurses and first responders work hard to protect their communities and save lives, we want them to know that all of us at SC Johnson stand with them and are here to help,” said Johnson. “I am glad to be able to work with Dow to help meet the needs of people on the front lines at this challenging time.”

SC Johnson partnered with Dow, which will make a one-time contribution of bulk sanitizer to produce 25,000 eight-ounce bottles. Once the bulk sanitizer from Dow is packaged into bottles, SC Johnson will return approximately 12,500 bottles to Dow, for distribution to Dow’s production sites to help protect employees and ensure safe manufacturing operations. SC Johnson manufactured the remaining amount of hand sanitizer needed to reach 75,000 bottles a month.

“Ensuring those on the front lines of the pandemic remain healthy is essential to society’s ability to help flatten the curve,” said Dow Chairman and CEO Jim Fitterling. “We commend SC Johnson for converting its operations to produce hand sanitizer for health care professionals in need and are grateful for the opportunity to partner together to enable this effort.”

Outside the US, SC Johnson donated 1 million yuan and product to the Red Cross in China; partnered with Save the Children to help educate and enable children and families in China, India, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic; launched 2020 SC Johnson’s Youth Action for a Green Life to help children deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and much  more.

Sales: $10.3 billion, but that total includes food storage products.

Sources estimate SC Johnson’s sales rose 3% last year, but company executives insist their success isn’t all based on profit. CEOs around the world are waking up to the fact that their companies can do better when it comes to caring for the planet. SC Johnson has been doing better for years; it was one of the first companies to create an ingredient transparency program, champion renewable energy platforms and aggressively seek out ways to reduce its plastic packaging footprint. For example, since March, the Windex Vinegar trigger bottle has been made from 100% ocean plastic. Last fall, a worldwide coalition of leading businesses (SCJ was one) and governments came together to tackle the growing global crisis of plastic pollution with the signing of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment at the 2018 Our Ocean Conference in Bali, Indonesia.

“We measure our success not by the financial report of the next quarter, but by what we can do to make the world better for this generation and the next,” said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “We are making ambitious commitments and taking united action to create a new plastics economy that helps stop plastic from becoming waste.”
The commitment includes:

• Taking action to eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging by 2025.
• Taking action to move from single-use toward reuse models where relevant by 2025.
•  Making 100% of plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
• Significantly increasing recycled content in plastic packaging by 2025.

SC Johnson is also committed to reducing its own plastic footprint, and encouraging reuse and recycling of plastic products via measures such as:

• Making 100% of SC Johnson plastic packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. Currently, 90% of SC Johnson’s plastic packaging is designed to be recyclable, reusable or compostable.
• Tripling the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content in SC Johnson packaging by 2025 from 10 million kilograms to more than 30 million. As part of this, SC Johnson will increase the percentage of PCR plastic that it uses in its North American and European bottles from 20% today to 40% by 2025.
• Expanding 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 US. 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.
• Continuing to remove excess plastics wherever possible. SC Johnson has been relentlessly focused on designing unnecessary packaging out of its products. From 2011 to 2017, the company has removed 9.5 million kilograms of materials from its packaging.
• Championing 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 US. SC Johnson is also promoting reuse of Ziploc brand bags, which are made to be reused many times.

In the area of ingredient transparency, earlier this year SC Johnson expanded its program to Latin America.

Just last month, SC Johnson accquired Sun Bum sun care and personal care products. A purchase price was not disclosed.

Sales: $10 billion, but that total includes food storage products.

SC Johnson continues to raise the bar, make that curtain, on product ingredient transparency. In April, the privately-held company—ironic, isn’t it?—released its 26th annual Sustainability Report, The Science Inside, which shares publicly the criteria inside the company’s Greenlist ingredient selection program, which helps the company continually improve its products by choosing ingredients to better protect human health and the environment. According to SCJ, people can now see, in detail, the care that goes into choosing each of the ingredients that are used in SC Johnson products.

“We know consumers today are more interested than ever in the products they bring into their homes,” said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “What matters most is the trust consumers place in our company and that they count on our products to be effective and safe. We believe it’s our responsibility to give people the facts so they can make informed choices, and we hope other companies will join us.”

SC Johnson maintains that its Greenlist program has guided the company’s product development for nearly two decades. Every ingredient in every SC Johnson product goes through the Greenlist program, which is centered around a peer-reviewed, four-step evaluation of its potential impact on human health and the environment.

More recently, in 2009, SC Johnson launched WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com and last year, the program expanded to Asia. A year ago, SC Johnson expanded the WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com by disclosing 368 skin allergens that may be present in its products. The site now lists allergens on a product-specific basis. This move goes beyond regulations in the European Union and also in the US, where there are no rules requiring allergen transparency, according to the company. The WhatsInsideSCJohnson program now serves more than five billion consumers, providing access to a comprehensive list of ingredients for more than 5,300 products sold in 52 countries.

In other sustainable moves, in the past year, SC Johnson reached zero manufacturing waste to landfill status at more than 65% of its manufacturing facilities. This puts the company ahead of schedule in meeting its goal to send zero manufacturing waste to landfill from its factories by 2021.

SC Johnson also has set an aggressive goal of further reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2020 from the base set in 2015. This could result in a reduction of more than 15,000 metric tons of emissions over five years. Since 2000, SC Johnson has realized a 55% reduction in greenhouse gases, indexed to production. And for the past 13 years, SC Johnson has used renewable energy sources around the world to power its facilities. Through fiscal 2017, 35% of the company’s energy use came from renewable sources.

To promote these and other efforts, earlier this year, SC Johnson unveiled a new tagline: “A Family Company at Work for a Better World.” It replaces “A Family Company,” which was in place since 1998.

“SC Johnson has a long legacy as a family company committed to doing what’s right, for our consumers, communities and the environment,” said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “This is something we have been doing for generations, and we want people to know more about the many ways we are at work for a better world.”

Fisk Johnson is the fifth-generation family leader of the global consumer products company, which has been headquartered in Racine, WI for 132 years.

Feel-good news is great, but there’s been some sobering news out of Racine as well. In March, SC Johnson said it would eliminate 300-400 positions due to organizational changes. SCJ employs about 13,000 worldwide. Also in March, Imogene Powers Johnson, mother of Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson, died at 87. Her husband, Sam Curtis Johnson Jr., passed in 2004.

Sales: $10 billion, but that total includes food storage products.

Opaque, yet transparent. Privately-held SC Johnson holds its financial results close to its vest, but the company isn’t shy about sharing what’s inside its products. For the past several years, SCJ has come clean about many of the ingredients in its formulas.

In May, continuing what it calls its “leadership in ingredient transparency,” SC Johnson will disclose the presence of 368 potential skin allergens that may occur in its products. The company has already added the list of fragrance and non-fragrance skin allergens to its ingredient website, WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com, and by 2018, the website will also list skin allergens when contained in a product.

According to company executives this initiative goes beyond regulations in the European Union and the US, where there are no rules requiring allergen transparency.
“For us, transparency is a matter of principle. We’re interested in helping people make the best choices for their families,” said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “Just like when we started listing preservatives, dyes and fragrances, we didn’t stop with the industry standard. We want to tell the whole story. This is just the next step we are taking in our journey to be more and more transparent.”

Last year, SC Johnson was the first major FMCG company to disclose 100% of fragrance ingredients in the Glade Fresh Citrus Blossoms collection, down to the component level. This differs from those companies that disclose natural fragrances or essential oils in aggregate, even though natural fragrances contain tens or even hundreds of individual components that go undisclosed. Like all fragrances, natural fragrances are made up of chemical components such as acids, aldehydes, esters, ketones and terpenes.

The new Glade Fresh Citrus Blossoms collection goes beyond other air care products with its 100% fragrance transparency. All fragrance ingredients are listed on the products and on SC Johnson’s WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com ingredient website.

“Making thoughtful ingredient choices has been an SC Johnson priority for decades,” said Johnson, “and key to this is continually challenging the status quo. By sharing the full ingredient list for this fragrance—all the way down to the component level—we’re going beyond the norm of even so-called ‘natural’ products. And, we’re also acknowledging the valuable role chemicals play. Everything from the water we drink to the air we breathe is made of chemicals, and fragrance is no different. This is just the latest step of our continuing journey to advocate for responsible and transparent chemistry.”

SC Johnson has been working with suppliers since 2008 to increase transparency of fragrance and non-fragrance ingredients alike. Here’s a rundown of what SCJ has accomplished during the past decade:

2009: Launched U.S. ingredient disclosure program, followed soon after by Canada.
2012: Published SC Johnson Fragrance Palette, the complete list of approved ingredients for SC Johnson products.
2014: Published list of ingredient restrictions for transparency about how SC Johnson makes ingredient choices.
2015: Began rolling out product-specific fragrance disclosure, sharing more than 99.9% of ingredients in most product formulas.
2016: Launched Glade Fresh Citrus Blossoms Collection with 100% fragrance transparency.

At the same time, SC Johnson shouts to the world about its other environmental efforts. In May, SC Johnson announced its manufacturing site in Bay City, MI, the facility that manufactures Ziploc brand bags, recently joined two other company-owned manufacturing sites running on 100% wind energy for electricity.

“With our third site powered entirely by wind energy, almost one third of SC Johnson’s energy usage globally now comes from renewable sources,” said Kelly M. Semrau, senior vice president, global corporate affairs, communication and sustainability, SC Johnson. “We are proud of our commitment and progress toward taking care of the environment for future generations.”

Bay City achieved this milestone by purchasing 100% of its wind energy from nearby wind farms.

With community cooperation, SC Johnson made a tall commitment to wind energy usage in 2012 when it powered-up two 415-foot wind turbines at Waxdale, the company’s largest global manufacturing facility located in Mount Pleasant, WI. The two turbines generate about 8 million kilowatt-hour of electricity each year, enough to power 770 homes a year. They eliminate about 6,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually.

Since 2009 and 2016 respectively, manufacturing operations in Mijdrecht, Netherlands, and Gorzow, Poland have been running completely on wind energy. The Gorzow manufacturing plant also purchases its entire demand for wind energy. The company’s Mijdrecht site purchases approximately 50% and generates the remaining wind energy onsite.

The company made a number of environmental advances last year and exceeded aggressive goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and global manufacturing waste, including:

• 32.7% of energy use globally now from renewable sources.
• 51.7% greenhouse gas emissions reduction from SC Johnson manufacturing sites since 2000, indexed to production.
• 76% waste reduction at SC Johnson manufacturing sites since 2000, as a ratio to production.

Moreover, one-third of SC Johnson global office and manufacturing sites now hold “zero waste-to-landfill” status.

In other news, SC Johnson operations in countries like Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, the UK and Venezuela made the Best Workplace list.

Finally, SC Johnson got the year started right by teaming up with Conservation.org to help protect as much as 10,000 acres of the Amazon rainforest.

Sales: $10 billion, but that total includes food management sales.

When mosquito-borne disease is making news, you can bet that SC Johnson is part of the story. One of the world’s leading makers of insecticide and repellent has committed millions of dollars in 2016 to fight Zika. In February, SCJ pledged $15 million to help vulnerable populations.

“Since the Zika outbreak began in Brazil and has spread to other countries, we have ramped up our global production to help ensure an adequate supply of our products is available in stores, and more importantly, for a donation such as this,” explained Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO.

In the US, SCJ is investing $50 to $80 million to upgrade its corporate office in Racine, WI, but also is moving sales and marketing jobs out of state, from Racine (where it employs 2,250) to Chicago. Meanwhile, the company will move 175 positions, primarily sales and marketing functions, to Chicago over the next year to two. No jobs will be eliminated as part of the move, the company said.

According to executives, the move will give SC Johnson the opportunity to infuse the company with an even broader world-class talent base and diversify its business locations.

In another relocation effort, SCJ is moving 600 employees from the downtown Racine headquarters five miles west to the office building in Mount Pleasant that it bought for $28 million. The 280,000-square-foot building will be renamed the Sam Johnson Campus in honor of the late Sam Johnson, the fourth-generation leader of the company and father of the current chairman and CEO.

The Mount Pleasant building is the former headquarters of Diversey, the commercial cleaning products business that SC Johnson separated from Johnson Wax Professional in 1999 and became Diversey in 2009. Sealed Air, which bought Diversey in 2011, is in the process of eliminating jobs there in anticipation of opening a corporate office in Charlotte, NC, in a move to consolidate its headquarters and other functions now done in New Jersey, Connecticut, Mount Pleasant and North Carolina.

SC Johnson isn’t only focused on real estate these days; it’s making moves into cyberspace, too. The company expanded its global ingredient transparency program and website whatsinsidescjohnson.com across Europe, to give consumers a comprehensive list of product ingredients for brands such as as Glade, Mr Muscle, Raid, Pledge, Duck and Autan.

All these moves don’t take away from the fact that SC Johnson’s sales rose an estimated 4% in fiscal 2015, at a time when many multinationals are struggling to find themselves in the new economy.

Sales: $9.6 billion for the year ended June 30, 2014, but that total includes food management.

When Fisk Johnson talks, people listen. And lately, he’s been doing an awful lot of talking about TSCA, a topic that’s near and dear to him and everyone else in the household product industry. During the past year, the SCJ CEO has hit the road, delivering pep talks at the annual meetings of the Consumer Specialty Products Association and American Cleaning Institute, as well as the AOCS World Detergent Conference. At these stops, he urged Congress to reform the Toxic Substances and Control Act and detailed his company’s decades-long sustainability journey. In April, SC Johnson applauded the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s approval of draft legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

During the past year, Johnson also disclosed SCJ’s latest ingredient disclosure plans. Now, consumers have access to the main ingredients used to create the fragrances in SC Johnson products. This move expands on SCJ’s voluntary ingredient disclosure program. Consumers are able to access this information on WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com or by calling the SC Johnson consumer product helpline.

Consumers can access fragrance ingredients present at the highest concentrations down to .09% of the product formula, or the top 10 ingredients when there are at least 20 ingredients, whichever provides the most information. On the site, detailed fragrance information can be accessed by clicking on the word “fragrance” in the list of product ingredients.

“We take great care in making ingredient choices to offer products that are both safe and effective,” said Johnson. “Earning consumer trust can only happen when companies are willing to lay it all out there. Expanded fragrance disclosure and ongoing transparency initiatives are vital to building consumer trust and credibility. That is why we continue to advocate for and promote transparency.

SCJ’s been a long-time proponent of ingredient disclosure. In 2009, the company launched WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com to voluntarily disclose ingredients for the company’s lineup of air care and home cleaning products, each with a consumer-friendly list of ingredients. In 2012, SCJ announced the release of its Exclusive Fragrance Palette to provide consumers with a comprehensive list of the fragrance ingredients found in the company’s products. In 2013, the company began adding pest control and other registered products to the site.

Even as he promotes the benefits of transparency and TSCA reform, Johnson is keeping his eye on the ball. Privately-held SCJ’s sales rose more than 6% last year and the company has made several acquisitions in 2015. In February, SC Johnson signed a binding offer to acquire UK-based Deb Group, a global industrial company focused on hygiene and skin care systems for the industrial, commercial, healthcare and food markets. Like all SCJ acquisitions, a purchase price was not disclosed.

“Deb is an important platform for SC Johnson and helps expand our presence in industrial and institutional markets,” said Johnson. “Deb’s market leadership, channel strengths and commitment to innovation complement our own strengths.”

In March, SC Johnson acquired HomeBrands A.S. from Unilever CR, spol. s r.o. in the Czech Republic. The acquisition expands SC Johnson’s offering in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Baltics and includes pest control, home cleaning and air care brands such as Biolit insecticides, Diffusil repellents, Lynn household cleaners and Citresin air fresheners.

“Adding HomeBrands to SC Johnson’s existing portfolio will complement our leading brands like Raid, OFF! and Glade,” said Johnson. “These brands will enable us to expand our presence in the Czech Republic.”

In April, SC Johnson acquired the ACI insecticides, Angelic air care and Vanish toilet cleaner brands from ACI Limited in Bangladesh.

“These brands will help us strengthen our footprint in the growing Bangladesh market,” said SCJ’s CEO.

Sales: $9 billion for the year ended June 30, 2013, but that total includes food management sales.

Sales fell less than 5% last year, according to the company. But if sales were dipping a bit, so too were pollutants. Since 2000, SC Johnson has lowered its greenhouse gas emissions by 40.2% and reduced global manufacturing waste by 62%. In fact, more than 130 employees hold sustainability-focused roles at SCJ. Their efforts have helped eight manufacturing sites achieve zero landfill status. By 2016, the company expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 48% from global manufacturing sites versus the 2000 baseline and expects to use 33% renewable energy globally.

Even as SC Johnson improves its footprint, the company has asked others for input on how to be greener as part of its 30 Green Days Challenge, in which the company partnered with four families from around the world. The families agreed to make one simple, green-minded change every day for 30 days and document their experience on SC Johnson’s Green Choices website, as well as their own social media channels.

More than 130 tips were shared from the sponsored families, ranging from energy and water conservation to reducing waste and recycling. Through the campaign hashtag, #30GreenDays, more than 120 tweets were captured and 24 blogs were posted to an audience of more than 250,000. Additionally, after completing the 30-day challenge, each family selected a local charity to receive $10,000 from SC Johnson to put towards a green-focused initiative.

Last year, when the shoe fit, SCJ bought it. In December, SC Johnson completed the acquisition of Melvo Holding GmbH, a shoe care company with leading brands sold throughout Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), from a shareholder group led by VR Equitypartner. The deal adds leading brands that include Salamander, a market leader in Russia, as well as Woly, Woly Sport and Grison, to SC Johnson’s robust shoe care portfolio, which includes the Kiwi and Bama brands. The purchase follows the July 2013 acquisition of Class, a leading Italian shoe care brand that offers a full range of shoe care cleaning products, insoles and accessories, from Paglieri Sell Systems.

Last month, Curtis Johnson, an heir to the SC Johnson fortune and former CEO of JohnsonDiversey, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree sexual assault of a child and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. He was ordered to serve four months in jail and fined $6,000.

Sales: $9.4 billion for the year ended June 29, 2012, but that total includes sales for food management

Sales rose an estimated 5% last year at privately-held SC Johnson. Company executives have always taken pride in SCJ’s green initiatives, and now they’ve taken it to another level by commissioning two 415-feet tall wind turbines at Waxdale, the largest SCJ factory. It’s all part of the company’s move to rely more on renewable energy as part of its pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions from all of its operations under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program.

The two turbines will generate enough power to supply about 700 homes, or about 15% of the energy used at the Waxdale factory.
The company has already generated most of its own power through projects that burn landfill gas as well as natural gas.

“These two windmills have been a personal passion of mine,” said CEO Fisk Johnson. Not only do they help the company supply, on average, all of its own power needs, he said, but they also are “a giant visual reminder of the commitment we’ve made as a company to environmental progress.”

More recently, in April, SC Johnson joined Comision Federal de Electricidad’s (CFE/Federal Electricity Commission) wind farm program, a power purchase agreement that will enable the firm to increase the use of renewable energy at its Toluca, Mexico facility to an estimated 86% and decrease its greenhouse gas emissions for the same facility by 57%.

In new product news, in March SC Johnson launched the Smart Twist Cleaning System, which uses less packaging and helps reduce waste with three concentrated cleaners in a space-saving sprayer. It is available exclusively online and includes the company’s most popular cleaning lines, like Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles. According to SCJ, the Smart TwistCleaning System is a good choice for reducing waste. Each concentrated cleaner cartridge:

• Requires 63% less plastic than a new standard spray bottle;
• Avoids transporting up to 22.7 fl. oz. of water, depending on the formula; and
• Is recyclable in most community programs.

The Smart Twist Cleaning System can be customized by adding a choice of three concentrated cleaner cartridges into the sprayer unit so there is no more carrying multiple cleaners around the house. Users fill the water tank with tap water and screw on the cap. The concentrated cleaners are snapped into a carousel, which allows users to switch between cleaners.

Each Smart Twist concentrated cleaner cartridge is available in the following five cleaners: Windex glass cleaner, Fantastik Kitchen cleaner, Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner, Pledge furniture polish and Shout carpet cleaner.

Sales: $9 billion for the year ended June 30, 2011, but that total includes sales for food management.

Corporate sales rose nearly 6% last year. For years, SC Johnson products have helped consumers clean their home. Now, SCJ is helping them decorate too, with the launch of Vecco, a process to rejuvenate old carpets or rugs with ease and creative freedom. Would-be decorators can visit www.veccostudio.com to create designs and calculate the amount of colorant, sealant and templates needed to create their design. Colorants and sealants are available for $16.99 each and $15.99 per template. One can of colorant or sealant covers six templates and each template can be used six times. Vecco products are sold directly to consumers via the website and through the interactive experience at Vecco Design Studio locations.

SC Johnson is offering concentrated versions of its most popular products.

SC Johnson has proudly published its sustainably report for 20 years. In 2011, SCJ reached some key milestones:

• Achieved the 2011 goal to source 40% of the company’s electricity from renewable sources.
• Using its patented Greenlist process, SC Johnson has continued to improve its products. Since 2001, the percent of “better” or “best” ingredients used in the company’s products increased by 33 percentage points.
• SC Johnson advocated for better chemical regulation and the need to modernize the 35-year-old chemical statute the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in the US.

The Five Year Plan

SCJ’s Pledge Multi Surface in Lavender Fresh scent.

The company’s 2011 report also introduces SC Johnson’s next set of five-year sustainability objectives which focus on 360° of green choices. These include:

Continuously Improving Products: Having already increased use of ingredients rated “better” or “best” from 18% in 2001 to 51% in 2010, increase to 58% by 2016.

Communicate Transparently: Communicate to the people who buy SC Johnson products about the materials used and the impact of the company’s operations.

Reduce Waste: Increase post-consumer-recycled content across product packaging to 30%; decrease packaging across product lines by 5%; offset 30% of virgin material use through innovative partnership and packaging advances.

Reduce Carbon Footprint: Decrease the company’s upstream footprint by 8%; reduce emissions from SC Johnson by 6%; increase the company’s use of renewable energy to 44% of total electricity use worldwide and cut downstream footprint by 2%.

Continue SCJ’s work to improve lives through infectious disease prevention, efforts at the base of the economic pyramid, and community investment and volunteerism.

“At the end of the day, we all want to make the world a better place for our children and our children’s children,” concluded Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO. “That’s the heart of SC Johnson’s environmental plan, and it’s an aspiration this family company has held dear for 125 years.”

SC Johnson’s retail customers are taking notice. In March, Walmart Canada presented SCJ with its 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. In April, Sam’s Club selected SCJ as its vendor of the year in Brazil and China.

Sales: $8.8 billion (estimated) for the year ended June 30, 2010. But that total includes sales for food management.

Sales rose an estimated 3.5% last year at privately-held SC Johnson. In April, SC Johnson completed the acquisition of the global shoe care business of Sara Lee Corp. The global shoe care business is comprised of the brands Kiwi, Kiwi Kleen, Tana and Bama, among others. The sale will close in the remaining jurisdictions pending certain conditions. The deal was originally announced on Dec. 31, 2010, with a binding offer from SC Johnson of €245 million. Still pending is Sara Lee’s sale of its non-Indian insecticides business to SC Johnson for €153.5 million.

As widely reported, Sara Lee is exiting the home and body care business to concentrate on food.

During the past year, Sara Lee has announced and closed transactions for its stake in the Indian insecticides joint venture Godrej Sara Lee (sold to Godrej for €185 million), its air care business (sold to Procter & Gamble for €320 million), its body care and European detergents businesses (sold to Unilever for €1.21 billion) and its White King and Janola brands (sold to Symex for €38 million).

Last month, the company was named a 2011 Top 10 US green brand by ImagePower. The survey, sponsored in part by Esty Environmental Partners and WPP companies Cohn & Wolfe, Landor Associates, and Penn Schoen Berland, measures consumer perceptions of green industries, products and brands.The survey polled 9,000 respondents in eight countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, the US and UK. Fifty US companies were assessed.

Despite its focus on green, SCJ brass isn’t so naïve to think that consumers will purchase a product just because it’s good for the environment.At Fortune’s Green Summit, Fisk Johnson noted that US consumers just won’t buy concentrated products that forces them to dilute them with water.

“Consumers just aren’t willing to buy this,” said Johnson. “We sell a product like this in the developing world, where the few pennies they save is meaningful to them, and they’re willing to go to the inconvenience of refilling the bottle. But we’re just not able to succeed with this in North America.” Johnson says that without consumer willingness to make small changes like using concentrates, there will not quickly assist solving “the bigger problem for the next generation.” Still, that isn’t stopping SCJ from launching Windex Mini this year.