Driving a Circular Economy with Post-Consumer Recycled Materials

When it comes to keeping plastic out of landfills and waterways, key steps include using less plastic in the first place, and making sure that what’s used contains post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) to avoid new plastic use.

SC Johnson has been applying this strategy for years, designing out excess packaging and increasing the use of recycled materials. In 2018/19, we removed more than 1.7 million kilograms of plastic from our primary packaging.

Progress like this takes continual focus. For example, a 2007 project light-weighted Windex® bottles to reduce consumer waste by nearly half a million kilograms annually. In 2015, we transitioned to 100 percent PCR plastic for these bottles, reducing plastic waste by more than 2 million kilograms annually.

By the end of fiscal year 2018/19, we had an average of 11 percent PCR across all our plastic bottles globally. Our plastic commitment calls for us to triple the amount of PCR content in our packaging by 2025. This will increase the percentage of PCR plastic in North American and European bottles, in total, to 40 percent.

In 2019, we launched our first bottle made using plastic waste collected within 30 miles of an ocean or waterway in countries that lack effective, formal waste collection — plastic that was at risk of ending up in the ocean.

Windex® Vinegar Ocean Plastic bottles became an everyday product offering, available at North American retailers such as Target and Walmart. Not only was the newly packaged product a success, it helped us drive an important conversation about the value of recycled plastic.

Next year, SC Johnson will launch our first 100 percent Social Plastic® bottle — one that includes 100 percent recycled ocean-bound plastic sourced from Plastic Bank.