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Partnering to tackle plastic waste

Since no one organization can solve plastic waste alone, business, government and consumers must work together to help create a better world. True to this belief, partnerships are an integral part of SC Johnson’s sustainability efforts.

We’ve established key partnerships that are helping raise awareness of plastic waste, while uncovering new solutions. Through these partnerships, we’re sharing ideas and widening our impact.

Working with Plastic Bank

Fighting plastic waste and poverty, together


Through our global partnership with Plastic Bank, which began in 2018, we’re helping to stop plastic waste from entering the world’s oceans. At the same time, we’re fighting poverty by providing opportunities to disadvantaged communities. 

Together, we are creating a recycling ecosystem that pays collectors a premium for the plastic they gather. SC Johnson and Plastic Bank committed to opening over 500 plastic collection points. So far, we’ve opened 317, and counting.
More than 8 million metric tons of plastic leak into the ocean every year, so building infrastructure that stops plastic before it gets into the ocean is key to solving this issue. I’m particularly pleased that this program we developed with Plastic Bank helps to address poverty and this critical environmental issue at the same time.
Fisk Johnson - Chairman and CEO, SC Johnson
Partnering with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Driving industry change to reduce plastic waste


We joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment in 2018. The following year, we became EMF’s tenth Strategic Partner. 

In 2020, we reported our partnership’s progress in EMF’s second annual report on the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. We’re pursuing a series of goals to accelerate our progress in tackling plastic waste.

We’ve made commitments to:

Boost the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content in packaging by 2025
So far in 2021, 19% of SC Johnson’s packaging is PCR. That's up from 14% in 2019.

Continue to remove excess plastics wherever possible
We’ve committed to reduce plastic packaging by 30% since 2018, by 2025.

Make 100% of our plastic packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025
In 2020, 65% of our products were designed for this. 

Continue working with industry and organizations to keep plastic out of landfills and the environment 

Our global partnership with Plastic Bank has collected more than 11 million kg of plastic, which is being incorporated into product packaging as an alternative to virgin plastic. 

Hand in hand with Ocean Wise 
Putting a spotlight on microplastics 


In 2019, we began working with Ocean Wise to research the pervasiveness of microplastics and their impact on the health of our ecosystems. 

Microplastics are small microscopic pieces of plastic that are turning up in waterways from Monterey Bay to the deep ocean.
Using Ocean Wise protocols, our CEO, Fisk Johnson, has helped test for microplastics in multiple locations around the globe, including Niger, the Galapagos Islands and more, to expand awareness on this topic.

Fisk’s experiments have uncovered microplastics in a concerning number of places. These findings show that action must be taken.