Instead of a blacklist, SC Johnson has a Greenlist. "The Greenlist, now in its fifth year, is helping us to green the whole supply chain," says Scott Johnson, vice-president of global environmental and safety actions at SC Johnson & Son Inc. In an article from Green Futures, a UK-based environmental magazine, Johnson says, "It has driven our suppliers to be more sustainable because they are keen to work with us to get the highest score for their ingredients. For us, it means we are always reducing our eco-footprint."
The Greenlist rates raw material items including solvents, insecticides, surfactants and packaging. For example, the criteria for surfactants, a key ingredient in many soaps and detergents, include aquatic toxicity, biodegradability, EU environmental classification and acute human toxicity.
"We don't wait until toxicity has been proven to be concerned. Staff can downgrade a material's Greenlist score to reflect additional concerns," explains Johnson. He says that all subsidiaries adhere to the same Greenlist objectives.
The UK Health and Safety Executive, the government of Canada, the Environmental Protection Agency of China, as well as other companies, have all expressed interest in the program, says Johnson.
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