SC Johnson, Racine, Wisconsin, made several commitments to further reduce its plastic footprint by boosting its recycled plastic content in its packaging. According to an SC Johnson news release, the company plans to do this by supporting reuse of plastic bottles through concentrated refills and launching an effort to make Ziploc bags recyclable at curbside.
“At SC Johnson, being an environmental leader has been a principle we have worked hard at for generations,” says Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, in a company news release. “With the increasing spotlight on the global plastic waste crisis, we wanted to share our efforts externally. We hope they inspire other companies to take similar steps toward a circular plastic economy, because the planet simply cannot sustain the status quo.”
The company plans to make these commitments in accordance with the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, an SC Johnson news release reports. Through the commitments, SC Johnson announced plans to do the following:
- Have 100 percent of its plastic packaging be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. Currently about 90 percent of SC Johnson’s packaging is designed to be recyclable, reusable or compostable.
- Triple the amount of postconsumer recycled (PCR) plastic content in SC Johnson packaging by 2025. SC Johnson will increase its use of PCR plastic in its packaging from 10 million kilograms to more than 30 million kilograms by 2025. The company will also increase the percentage of PCR plastic that it uses in its North American and European bottles from 20 percent today to 40 percent by 2025.
- Expand the number of concentrated refill options for SC Johnson products by 2025. Since 2011, the company has been making concentrated liquid refills for its Home Cleaning trigger bottle products in the U.S. Each trigger bottle is designed to deliver 10,000 sprays so it can be refilled and reused an average of 13 times, every time avoiding a single-use alternative. The company will continue to expand its variety of concentrated refill options.
- Continue to remove excess plastics wherever possible. From 2011 to 2017, the company has removed 9.5 million kilograms of materials from its packaging.
- Implement curbside recycling of plastic film. SC Johnson will continue its effort to make curbside recycling of flexible plastic film such as Ziploc brand bags a reality in the U.S. SC Johnson is also promoting reuse of Ziploc brand bags, which are made to be reused many times.
- Work with industry and other organizations to support circular plastic economy models. SC Johnson will work with industry and nongovernmental organizations to further support the circular plastic economy and keep plastic out of landfills and the environment.
Source : recyclingtoday.com
