World Ocean Day: 4 Ways SC Johnson is Raising Awareness and Combatting the Plastic Waste Crisis

On World Ocean Day – and every day! – it’s a great time to reflect on the critical role the oceans play in everyday life on earth. They cover nearly three-quarters of the planet and supply half its oxygen. They're a critical means of transportation and a vital source of food.

The Reality of Ocean Pollution
There are over 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean with more than 8 million metric tons leaking into the ocean every year. That is equal to dumping one garbage truck load into the ocean every minute! And worse, by 2050 it is expected to increase to 4 garbage truck loads per minute.

A More Sustainable World
SC Johnson has a long-standing commitment to doing what’s right for the planet, from our launch of 100% recycled ocean plastic bottles in 2019 to our commitment to help create a circular economy for plastics in 2018. We’ve been leveraging our expertise and capabilities to create innovative solutions to reduce plastic waste and create a more sustainable world.

Here are some of the ways we make an impact:

1. Helping lead industry progress: In 2018, our Chairman and CEO, Fisk Johnson, was one of the first CEOs to sign The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The Commitment advocates for a circular economy for plastic through advances like making all plastic packaging recyclable or reusable. In 2019, we furthered our commitment by becoming the tenth Global Partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in this work.  

2. Fighting ocean plastic and poverty: Building on an initial program in Indonesia, in 2019 SC Johnson and Plastic Bank launched a global partnership to stop plastic waste from entering the ocean and fight poverty. The three-year effort creates recycling infrastructures across five countries and provides opportunity to the more than 15,000 people who can earn an income by collecting plastic for recycling. Once the plastic is recycled, we purchase the recycled plastic for use in Windex® packaging in the U.S. and Mr Muscle® packaging in the U.K. To date, this program has helped stop the equivalent of 500 million bottles from entering the world’s oceans.

3. Creating new recycling opportunities with sports teams: We’re continuing our work toward a more sustainable and healthier world in a new partnership with the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum. As the team’s Official Sustainability Partner and Official Disinfectant and Commercial Cleaning Partner this first-of-its kind partnership with an NBA team expands on our existing partnership with the Milwaukee Brewers Major League Baseball team. Both partnerships aim to reduce plastic waste by turning recycled plastic cups from events into new packaging for our iconic Scrubbing Bubbles® brand.

4. Bringing awareness to ocean pollution: To help raise awareness of the global plastic issue, our Chairman and CEO, Fisk Johnson has joined experts to discuss the effects of plastic pollution on our oceans and waterways. At SC Johnson, we are also using forward-thinking bottle designs to inspire changes that companies can make to reduce plastic waste and bring attention to practices that help stop plastic from ever entering the ocean.