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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
4.20.2004 ET
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SC Johnson Contributes to Conservation International's Carbon Conservation Program to Help Combat Global Warming
Global consumer packaged goods manufacturer offsets carbon emissions from production of annual Public Report
CSRwire note: S.C. Johnson's 2004 Public Report is available in the CSRwire Report database
(CSRwire) RACINE, WI - SC Johnson today announced a contribution to
Conservation International (CI) to help save one of the world's most
critically threatened "hotspots" of biodiversity. SC Johnson is the first
global consumer packaged goods manufacturer to support CI's Conservation
Carbon Program to help restore up to 45 acres (18 HA) of degraded forests
in the Choco-Manabi corridor of Ecuador. This contribution from SC Johnson
will offset the carbon emissions associated with the printing and
distribution of the company's annual Public Report.
"It is our responsibility as a global company to make good choices for
business and the environment," said SC Johnson Chairman Dr. Fisk Johnson.
"We are committed to using natural resources wisely so that we may help
sustain them for future generations."
SC Johnson's 2004 Public Report, Earning Your Goodwill, features
the company's key strategic initiatives and progress around its
innovation, environment, community and workplace excellence. Here are a
few key highlights:
Through an innovative turbine system that simultaneously produces
electricity and steam, SC Johnson is producing energy for Waxdale, its
largest manufacturing facility in Racine, Wisconsin, U.S. This
"cogeneration" project is improving air quality by utilizing waste methane
from a local landfill that would otherwise be flared into the atmosphere
while also freeing up enough electricity from more traditional sources to
power 1,600 homes annually and saving enough natural gas to supply 1,400
homes each year.
The company is also spearheading a new environmental classification
system, Greenlist™ that actively integrates environmentally-preferred
raw materials and packaging components into its products, thus setting new
SC Johnson environmental standards that surpass regulatory requirements
and drive innovation.
SC Johnson launched more than 30 new products around the globe in
2003, including Mr. Muscle ® Orange Floor Wipes, Brise Circul'air ® and
Ziploc ® Containers with Snap 'n Seal Lids, and the successful
integration of the Bayer Household Insecticides acquisition further
strengthened the company's business around the globe.
Globally, SC Johnson gives back to local communities through
contributions and volunteerism and is being recognized on a growing number
of "best place to work" lists.
Last month, SC Johnson France was named the # 1 best place to work in that
country. The company also ranked # 23 on Fortune magazine's list of Best
Companies to Work For in America; earned Best Place recognition in the
United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Greece, Canada, Mexico and Argentina; and
is one of the top 10 Best Companies for Working Mothers.
Also highlighted in the 2004 SC Johnson Public Report, the company's
donation to CI's Carbon Conservation Program will support the planting of
more than 15 native tree species. As this regenerated forest grows, it
will absorb 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the next 30 years,
while providing habitat protection and benefits to local communities.
"It's through SC Johnson's leadership that Conservation International and
the Jatun Sacha Foundation are able to continue to combat global warming,"
said Peter Seligmann, Chairman and CEO of Conservation International.
"Reforestation projects like these also have the additional benefits of
protecting critical rainforest habitat, decreasing soil erosion, and
providing a new source of investment for local communities."
The Mache-Chindul Ecological Reserve is a 300,000-acre ecological reserve
established by Ecuador's Ministry of the Environment in August 1996.
These types of restoration efforts add another layer of protection to this
critical remnant of Ecuador's coastal rainforest that is home to a number
of unique plant and animal species, including the jaguar, several small
cat species, the long wattled umbrella bird, the giant anteater and the
threatened mantled Howler monkey.
This region has been classified by scientists as a biodiversity hotspot.
A preponderance of species diversity is found exclusively within the
earth's 25 biodiversity hotspots, which combined, cover a very small
percentage of the Earth's land surface. Each biodiversity hotspot has
already lost the majority of its original species habitat, and the
remainder faces imminent threat of further destruction. Global
deforestation accounts for 20 percent of the annual emission of greenhouse
gases. Currently, less than one percent of Ecuador's coastal rainforest
remains intact due to the effects of deforestation from population growth,
the doubling of farms and the planting of tall grasses which prevent native
trees from being re-established.
SC Johnson is a family-owned and -managed business dedicated to
innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a
long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it
operates. Based in Racine, Wisconsin, U.S., the company is one of the
world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products
for home storage, air care, personal care and insect control. It markets
such well-known brands as PLIZ ®, MR. MUSCLE ®, SHOUT ® and GLADE ®.
The 118-year old company employs about 12,000 people and sells products in
more than 110 countries. SC Johnson contributes at least 5% of pretax
profits (more than four times the national average of corporate giving)
into programs designed to improve quality of life in our host communities
around the world.
Visit www.scjohnson.com to read SC Johnson's
2004 Public Report.
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