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SC Johnson's Greenlist remove 61+ million pounds of VOCs

SC Johnson's Greenlist remove 61+ million pounds of VOCs

Published 01-16-08

Submitted by SC Johnson

RACINE, WI - January 16, 2008 - Generations of families that recognize Windex&reg glass cleaner for its distinctive blue color may be surprised to learn that the product is actually green.  That's because SC Johnson has used its patented Greenlist(TM) process to continuously improve the ingredients used in Windex&reg glass cleaner - and other SC Johnson products - to improve their environmental profiles. 

Beginning this month, consumers will get this message when they go to the shelf. The Greenlist(TM) logo will appear on the packaging of Windex&reg glass cleaner. The logo will help families quickly identify that SC Johnson products are made with a commitment to a more positive health and environmental profile, while providing trusted performance and value.  The company also plans to include the logo on additional SC Johnson products.  

Since devising the Greenlist(TM) process in 2001, SC Johnson reformulations have removed more than 61 million pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the environmental footprint of the company's products - the equivalent produced by approximately 656,000 cars in a year.  

"The Greenlist(TM) process is about making good products even better," said Kelly Semrau, vice president of Global Public Affairs and Communication for SC Johnson.  "So when a consumer picks up that blue bottle of Windex&reg glass cleaner or any one of our innovative products, they know the company that made it cares as much about the well-being of the environment as they do."

Some examples of how the Greenlist(TM) process has removed VOCs:

-SC Johnson cut 1.8 million pounds of VOCs from Windex&reg glass cleaner, while giving it 30 percent more cleaning power. 
-The company reformulated Pledge&reg Multi-Surface cleaner globally to increase biodegradability and reduce VOCs, while at the same time increasing cleaning power by 30 percent. 
-fantastik&reg Orange Action&reg offers an effective grease cutting formula that is solvent free with no VOCs.

How the Greenlist(TM) process works
SC Johnson developed the patented Greenlist(TM) process, a raw material rating system, to transform the way the company measures, tracks and advances its products to further the company's longstanding commitment to environmental responsibility.  SC Johnson uses the Greenlist(TM) process to continually improve its products and minimize the impact they have on the environment and human health. 

The Greenlist(TM) process provides ratings for more than 95 percent of the raw materials used in the company's products. This computerized, global system enables SC Johnson scientists around the world to continuously improve the environmental and human health profile of the company's products while maintaining and improving the high performance of the company's products. 

SC Johnson developed the Greenlist(TM) process according to rigorous scientific best practice.  It was created with input from recognized experts such as the United Kingdom's Forum For the Future and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with additional help from suppliers, university scientists and other organizations. 

SC Johnson's innovative Greenlist(TM) process has been recognized with two Presidential awards.  In 2006, SC Johnson received the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award and the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership for its work on the Greenlist(TM) process. 

Last year, SC Johnson named Five Winds International as the company's third-party administrator to license the patented Greenlist(TM) process royalty free. Five Winds will work with other companies interested in licensing the Greenlist(TM) process to improve the environmental profile of their products.

The upcoming addition of the Greenlist(TM) logo to SC Johnson packaging will help consumers identify products that provide the best performance and cost while being formulated with environmentally responsible ingredients. 

"As a family company, we know consumers want to buy products for their home that are effective but also have minimal impact on the environment," said Pat Penman, director of Global Environmental and Safety Actions for SC Johnson.  "The Greenlist(TM) logo will help consumers identify products that are environmentally responsible and deliver the performance excellence they trust and expect from SC Johnson."

Consumers can learn more about the Greenlist(TM) process by visiting SC Johnson's web site www.scjohnson.com

SC Johnson's Legacy of Environmental Stewardship
The Greenlist(TM) process is one of many highlights throughout SC Johnson's long history of environmental leadership. Most recently, the company completed a transportation-logistics project that eliminated 1,882 tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs) over a 12 month period - the equivalent of making 90 two-person households carbon neutral for a year. By the end of 2010, SC Johnson has pledged to reduce GHG emissions by 12 percent from worldwide manufacturing operations (2000 baseline year) and source 40 percent of its global electricity from green energy. Already since 2000, SC Johnson has reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the company's top factories by 42 percent. In fact, SC Johnson runs its largest global manufacturing facility using Green-e certified energy. The facility "“ called Waxdale "“ is powered with cogenerated electricity from twin turbines that run on natural gas and waste methane from a local public landfill.  

People interested in learning more about SC Johnson's legacy of environmental stewardship can visit the company’s new environment section of its corporate web site at www.scjohnson.com  The site highlights SC Johnson's key initiatives, provides in-depth discussions of topics with worldwide environmental impact, offers videos and interactive games and identifies ways consumers can lighten their environmental footprint and strengthen their own communities.  Also, available for download on the site is SC Johnson's 2007 Public Report, which captures insights on sustainable development through third-party Q&As on topics from the environment to social progress.

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 the USA, 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 EDGE&reg, GLADE&reg, OFF!&reg, PLEDGE&reg, RAID&reg, SCRUBBING BUBBLES&reg, SHOUT&reg, WINDEX&reg and ZIPLOC&reg in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN&reg, BAYGON&reg, BRISE&reg, ECHO&reg, KABIKILLER&reg, KLEAR&reg, and MR. MUSCLE&reg. The 122-year old company, with over $7.5 billion in sales, employs approximately 12,000 people globally and sells products in more than 110 countries.

SC Johnson Logo

SC Johnson

SC Johnson

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 the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, and insect control.

 

It markets well-known brands such as GLADE®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, and MR. MUSCLE®. The 125-year-old company, with more than $8 billion in sales, employs approximately 12,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

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