The Environment
While putting our family’s needs first will always be a top priority, many of us are also taking into account our impact on the environment as a whole and what we can do to preserve it. Efforts such as recycling, composting and waste reduction are now part of our daily routines and contribute to the environmentally conscientious legacy we want to leave our children.
More often now we shop for products from companies that are making a concerted effort to reduce waste, explore alternative production methods and take accountability for the ingredients they use. Below you will find information on SC Johnson’s commitment to the environment and the policies we have in place to reduce our own “footprint” on the planet.
SC Johnson’s commitment to the environment
SC Johnson manufactures each product to strict, self-imposed environmental standards. We believe that all products should be environmentally responsible throughout their life cycle, including formulation, packaging, application and disposal.
To achieve that objective, we have adopted long-term worldwide environmental goals to phase out the use of some specific ingredients; encourage the use of environmentally preferred raw materials to minimize waste and reduce pollution during manufacturing, to reduce our packaging, and to recycle as many of the materials used in our manufacturing facilities as practical. Where appropriate, products may carry label information on environmental aspects of our products.
Additionally, SC Johnson voluntarily continues to develop new strategies to reduce waste and maximize use of environmentally responsible raw materials. We are making major strides with environmental classification of the raw materials we use in our global manufacturing of consumer products. View more helpful Greenlist™ products that take the environment into consideration.
Product integrity and packaging
Raid® and OFF!® products go through stringent packaging tests internally to confirm that the products will be effective and maintain package integrity for the expected shelf life.
CFCs and HCFCs
Canada is a signatory of the international Montreal Protocol, an international agreement that bans or restricts ingredients believed to harm the upper ozone layer, a protective layer in the earth’s atmosphere. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) fall into this category. Their use is controlled in countries that are parties to the Montreal Protocol.
While many people may be surprised to learn that the use of CFCs as propellants in products has not been permissible since April 1, 1989, even more are probably unaware that SC Johnson was the first company to unilaterally and voluntarily remove chlorofluorocarbon propellants from its aerosols worldwide in 1975, when the scientific debate over CFCs was in its infancy. Neither CFCs nor HCFCs have been used in SC Johnson products produced in Canada since that time.
We continue to monitor and analyze the scientific data surrounding our ingredients and will take immediate steps to reformulate if the sound scientific evidence demonstrates a potential threat to the environment, as CFC research did prior to our 1975 decision.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted at varying levels by most products regardless of form or delivery. In certain atmospheric conditions, and with the presence of other elements, some VOCs in large quantities can contribute to smog formation. Automotive emissions, industrial emissions and manufacturing emissions are the major contributors of these VOCs.
- VOCs are both natural and man-made, and some contribute to formation of ground-level ozone — a major component of smog.
- SC Johnson is a pioneer of low-VOC water-based products, and, according to current research, the VOCs in its products are insignificant contributors to low-level ozone formation.
- Nonetheless, SC Johnson is committed to using less VOCs and by 2001, had reduced VOC content in its products by 21.3% worldwide.
A primary strategy is to utilize lower VOC-emitting ingredients in product formulations. SC Johnson product formulations are being evaluated to maximize performance and minimize VOC emission. With SC Johnson’s expertise in water-based formulations, the majority of its products are not solvent-based.
North American and European Union regulatory activity has targeted the reduction of VOC content in many products and has prompted a look at aerosol hydrocarbon propellants, which are VOCs. Studies concerning the reactivity of VOCs are ongoing in the US, UK and France. Dr. William Carter of the University of California, one of the world’s leading experts on VOCs, asserts that a VOCs’ level of reactivity directly correlates to its potential role in smog formation, thereby indicating that a highly reactive VOC would more likely contribute to less acceptable lower level air quality than a less reactive one. Hydrocarbon propellants currently used in SC Johnson aerosols are known to be some of the least reactive VOCs.
As with all its products, regardless of packaging form or delivery, SC Johnson evaluates new and improved formulations on performance, safety, VOC emissions and other environmental criteria.