Racine, Wisconsin--(Newsfile Corp. - November 18, 2024) - Today, one week before the fifth and final set of negotiations for the global plastic pollution treaty are set to begin, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Programme released their Global Commitment 2024 Progress Report, highlighting industry progress toward reducing plastic waste. SC Johnson, one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning and other consumer and professional products, leads with the highest percentage of reusable plastic packaging in the Global Commitment's household and personal care sector, at 12%, and is working to grow that number. The company also achieved two key milestones - reducing virgin plastic and incorporating recycled materials into packaging - a year ahead of the 2025 commitment.
"Despite our progress and the industry's forward movement, there is still much to be done. Like the other businesses highlighted in this report, we've been taking voluntary steps to positively impact the plastic waste crisis, but to meet our shared goals we need government regulation," said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. "Next week, people from all over the world will gather for the planned final global plastic pollution treaty negotiations. I hope we come out with a strong, reasonable UN treaty, which will evolve over time and spur much-needed collective action to end global plastic pollution."
The report highlights a set of plastic packaging commitments uniting more than 1,000 businesses, governments and other organizations with a vision for a circular economy for plastics. The report shows how "over the six years since the Global Commitment launched, signatories have significantly outperformed their peers in tackling plastic waste" by setting ambitious targets and driving action. However, according to the Ellen McArthur Foundation, while substantial progress has been made, a binding global policy and accelerated business action are needed to get the job done.
SC Johnson demonstrated meaningful advancement in all three of the key commitments evaluated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation:
- Virgin Plastic Reduction: Since 2018, SC Johnson has reduced its total plastic footprint by 32%, achieving its goal of a 30% reduction a year ahead of the 2025 commitment.
- Post-Consumer Recycled Plastic: SC Johnson surpassed its goal of incorporating 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials into its products, achieving this milestone a year ahead of the 2025 commitment.
- Recyclable, Reusable or Compostable Plastic Packaging: By offering multiple reuse options across major brands, the company leads with the highest percentage of reusable plastic packaging in the Commitment's household and personal care sector, at 12%. SC Johnson continues to work on improving its plastic packaging and the company is making progress in moving toward refill/reuse models.
By eliminating unnecessary plastics, increasing use of PCR content and lightweighting plastic packaging, SC Johnson surpassed its goal of incorporating 25% PCR materials into its products and reduced its total plastic footprint by 32%. Additionally, in partnership with leading European retailers, the company rolled out more than 700 Ecover® in-store refill machines, helping people further reduce their plastic footprint.
In addition to improving the circularity of its products, SC Johnson also enhanced its data collection system to automatically identify recyclable plastics, helping to pinpoint the best opportunities to redesign its packaging for better recyclability.
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ABOUT THE GLOBAL COMMITMENT
Launched in October 2018 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme, the Global Commitment unites businesses, governments, NGOs and investors behind a common vision of a circular economy in which we eliminate the plastic we don't need; innovate toward new materials and business models; and circulate all the plastic we still use, to keep it in the economy and out of the environment.
ABOUT THE ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is an international charity developing and promoting the circular economy in order to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution. We work with our network of private and public sector decisionmakers, as well as academia, to build capacity, explore collaborative opportunities, and design and develop circular economy initiatives and solutions. Increasingly based on renewable energy, a circular economy is driven by design to eliminate waste, circulate products and materials, and regenerate nature, to create resilience and prosperity for business, the environment and people.
ABOUT THE UN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
ABOUT SC JOHNSON
Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin USA, SC Johnson believes that a more sustainable, healthier and transparent world that inspires people and creates opportunities isn't just possible - it's our responsibility.
A heritage of innovation and bold, transparent decisions is why our high-quality products and iconic brands - including OFF!®, Raid®, Glade®, Windex®, Scrubbing Bubbles®, Ziploc®, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day®, method®, Autan®, Baygon®, Mr Muscle®, Duck®, Lysoform® and more - are in homes, schools and businesses in virtually every country worldwide.
As a global, purpose-led company, we are committed to making the world a better place today and for future generations. That means relentlessly bringing our expertise in science, innovation and partnerships to bear on some of the world's most pressing environmental and health issues like reducing plastic waste and eradicating malaria. Around the world, we use our resources to unlock greater economic and educational opportunities for people and communities where access may be limited, but curiosity and potential are limitless.
See how SC Johnson is a Family Company At Work For a Better World by visiting scjohnson.com or joining us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
CONTACT
SC Johnson Global Corporate Communication
media@scj.com
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SOURCE: SC Johnson
