When SC Johnson received the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership at the White House in January, it was one of this family company’s proudest moments.

Our commitment to the community was built on a foundation laid more than a century ago by the founder of this company — my great, great grandfather. And we have never wavered from his commitment. It is not simply something we do — it is who we are, and what we are about. Yet progress can be controversial. The Ron Brown Award honored our Greenlist™ process, which has transformed the way we select and use raw materials in the billions of consumer products we sell around the world. But it was not a popular idea at first.

I remember vividly the conversations we had. Developing a formal raw- materials rating process seemed like an incredibly monumental and complicated task, given that we had literally tens of thousands of raw materials and components, plus hundreds of different ways we could classify them.

Many might have let Greenlist™ remain a concept rather than a reality. But a small team of dedicated SC Johnson scientists was undaunted. They took a gargantuan task and turned it into a functioning, computerized, sustainable process and program. They stood up — because they believed it was important. And their work is enabling SC Johnson to make the world a better place.

Standing up to challenges is not new to SC Johnson. When my dad decided to voluntarily and unilaterally stop using CFCs three years before the U.S. ban, he was questioned and derided inside the company and within the industry. Yet doing what was right for the planet turned out to be right for the company, too.

When we began working with pyrethrum farmers in Kenya years ago to stabilize the supply and improve quality of life for the farmers, this type of “base of the pyramid” strategy had not yet even been named. Yet we knew it was important. And our base of the pyramid work continues today with exciting new initiatives.

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“Winning is not just about performance and success; it is also about doing what’s right – right for the planet, right for people, right for the next generation.”

– Fisk Johnson, receiving the Ron Brown Award at a White House ceremony on January 5, 2006
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I had occasion to stand up on another issue this past year. As plans began to build two pulverized coal plants in Southeastern Wisconsin — plants that will emit more than 20 thousand tons of pollutants yearly and potentially harm fish and other aquatic life — SC Johnson joined citizens, civic groups and environmental organizations in opposition to the plans.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court cleared the way for construction to begin, but I did not want the dialogue to stop. So, in a letter that appeared in various newspapers across the state, I called upon Wisconsin’s Governor to improve the state’s energy regulatory process and ensure Wisconsin’s residents benefit from cheaper, cleaner and safer energy sources.

Progress requires responsible leadership, and leadership drives responsible progress. This belief has been a core value of SC Johnson for more than a century. It enables our successes today and is our greatest legacy for the future. Because winning is not just about performance and success; it is also about doing what’s right – right for the planet, right for people, right for the next generation.

Like every business leader, I want SC Johnson to be healthy and growing. But as a parent, I also intend to pass along a business that respects the Earth, contributes to its communities and offers a great workplace for its people. I believe these accomplishments go hand-in-hand. They always have and always will.

I am proud of the 12,000 people of SC Johnson who stand up and make this vision a reality every day. It is their commitment to doing what’s right that defines this company and makes me so confident about our future.

H. Fisk Johnson
Chairman and CEO