Can You Trust SC Johnson’s Greenlist?
Meet Fisk Johnson – CEO and Chairman of SC Johnson and Son, makers of such products like Glade, Windex, Pledge and Shout.
Fisk likes to use words like trust, honest and integrity when talking about these products. Fisk states:
“We take great care in making ingredient choices to offer products that are both safe and effective.”
And to prove it, Fisk and SC Johnson have trademarked a chemical safety screening process they call their GreenlistTM. This means that you can be confident that all the chemicals that go into SC Johnson’s products meet their standards of safety.
BUT WAIT – THERE’S A PROBLEM
What if SC Johnson’s standards of safety don’t meet yours?
We know that SC Johnson still uses dangerous synthetic musks linked to hormone disruption – and formaldehyde releasing chemicals in some of its products. How do these toxic chemicals linked to hormone disruption and cancer pass SC Johnson’s GreenlistTM?
Turns out – SC Johnson chooses to keep this information a secret. Fisk and SC Johnson won’t tell you the criteria they use to determine whether a chemical is safe enough to be used in its products. But Fisk will TELL you that:
“For us, anything that risks the trust consumers have in us is unacceptable.”
And
“If you want to earn trust and credibility, I believe you have to lay it out there for scrutiny rather than just keep it a secret.”
Hmm. Well said Fisk.
There’s no doubt about it – SC Johnson has taken some major steps forward in disclosing product ingredients on their website, including fragrance chemicals. And they’ve also removed certain toxic chemicals from their products, like BPA and phthalates.
But then why all the secrecy behind GreenlistTM? Didn’t you just say something about laying it out there for scrutiny? Furthermore, why does SC Johnson oppose legislation that would make ingredient disclosure a reality for the whole industry?
Fisk, if you and SC Johnson really want to earn your customers’ confidence, stop merely telling us to trust you, and show us how you decide which chemicals are safe enough to make it into your products – and most importantly be transparent.
In the meantime, we have choices … and we have voices.
Take action! Join us, and the countless others who are calling on transparency from SC Johnson!
