SC Johnson & Son, Inc. applies for Wisconsin’s Green Tier
RACINE – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources would like to hear from the public regarding an application for the state’s Green Tier program from SC Johnson & Son, Inc. The application for Tier 1 of the program affects both SC Johnson’s global headquarters in Racine, Wis. and the company’s Waxdale Manufacturing Facility in Mount Pleasant, Wis. Green Tier, an environmental performance program supported by DNR, seeks to recognize and reward Wisconsin businesses and organizations that go above and beyond environmental compliance to achieve sustainable results.
SC Johnson is a fifth generation, family-owned and managed business that has been in business for 126 years. What began as a small flooring business in Racine is now one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care. The company employs nearly 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. The Waxdale facility, SC Johnson’s largest global manufacturing location, produces brands including Glade®, Pledge®, Windex®, and other popular products.
Guided by a commitment to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates, SC Johnson is a recognized leader in sustainable operations and innovations.
- In 2001, SC Johnson developed the patented Greenlist™ process to go beyond meeting regulatory requirements for their products. Greenlist™ is an internal process that classifies ingredients in SC Johnson products by their impact on the environment or human health.
- As an example of Greenlist™ results, Windex® brand glass cleaner was reformulated to cut 1.8 million pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the product while giving it 30% more cleaning power. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions SC Johnson focuses on innovative renewable energy sources like wind energy, biomass from waste palm shells, and landfill gas.
- SC Johnson built its first cogeneration turbine in 2003, which produces 3,200 kilowatts of electricity per hour from landfill gas. A second turbine was built at the Waxdale facility in 2004 and together they meet the daily base load of electricity needs at Waxdale while preventing 52,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
- These achievements and other renewable energy efforts earned SC Johnson a 2011 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the number eight spot on the agency’s Top 20 On-Site Generation List.
- As SC Johnson moves forward, they are exploring adding wind turbines at Waxdale that if combined with existing infrastructure would enable the facility to produce 100 percent of its electrical energy on-site with approximately 60 percent of it from renewable sources.
More details regarding SC Johnson’s sustainability efforts can be found at www.scjohnson.com (exit DNR) and information in the SC Johnson & Son, Inc. Green Tier application.
DNR welcomes comments on SC Johnson’s Green Tier application until June 22, 2012. Comments can be directed to Mark McDermid, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 101 S. Webster St. CO/5, Madison, WI 53703 or at 608-267-3125.