S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. has spent millions on becoming a model of sustainability — doing everything from using renewable energy to changing the formulation of products like Saran wrap and launching recycling efforts.

In spite of these endeavors, a lawsuit has been filed accusing the Racine-based company of greenwashing. Specifically, the suit questions the company’s use of a proprietary “Greenlist” logo on its products.

It’s up to the courts to decide whether or not S.C. Johnson & Son is greenwashing. Unfortunately, the burden of proof will rest with the company itself, which must now prove its Greenlist label has merit.

This above case serves as an example of what can happen as a company starts out on the sustainability path. 
It behooves all companies taking this journey to learn a bit about greenwashing and take steps to avoid it.

What is greenwashing? It is disingenuously spinning products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in the use of resources. It is also the deceptive use of green PR or green marketing, i.e. putting a green label on a product that hasn’t been changed and wasn’t considered green before.

How can companies move their products to greater sustainability? Here are a few tips.

(1)    
Do your homework. Find out from environmentalists and other experts what it means to be green. Executive Order 13101 defines green as “products or services that reduce the health and environmental impacts 
compared to similar products and services used for the same purpose.”

(2)    
Make it easy for customers to understand and check the green claims you make. It helps to base green claims on established third-party certifications, methods or experts. And if you opt for proprietary green testing, make details of this testing accessible to the public. (S.C. Johnson provides information about its extensive Greenlist testing at www.scjohnson.com/en/commitment/focus-on/greener-products/greenlist.aspx. In addition, the company had its Greenlist criteria reviewed by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.)

(3)    
Keep your data house in order. Tracking sustainability data and making it available to the public keeps a visible face on all efforts taken to green products and operations. Tools are available to help you do this at https://smartbizforum.com/.

(4)    
Work with internal and external stakeholders. Find out if staff, suppliers, customers and the community find your green claims acceptable. Gather feedback from them about how they view your green claims, then adjust accordingly.

Back to S.C. Johnson, the company reports its Greenlist goals have helped to eliminate nearly 48 million pounds of volatile organic compounds from its products over the last five years. If this is true, let’s hope the court rules in the company’s favor.

There are plenty of real greenwashers in the sustainability sea. I’m just not sure that S.C. Johnson is one of them.



Ronnie Garrett
Editor

By Ronnie Garrett

Ronnie Garrett owns and operates Garrett & Co. Studios, a Fort Atkinson company providing editorial, photography and graphic design services.