SC Johnson

Sustainability strategy and accountability
The company reports consistently against its targets that it has set.

Solid and air pollution
The company demonstrates commitment, has policies or partakes in activities related to plastic use reduction and transitioning towards sustainable packaging.
The company discloses that it has committed to reducing plastic packaging by 30% since 2018, by 2025. Further, it discloses its target to make 100% of its plastic packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025 and states that 65% of its products were designed for such criteria in 2020.

No leading practices were identified in the social inclusion and community impact area.

Act ethically
The company has a publicly available policy statement and a supplier code of conduct that both prohibit bribery and corruption. It explicitly does not condone, under any conditions, the offering, making, or receiving of kickbacks, bribes, or any illegal payments. The supplier code requires compliance with significant international legislation such as the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and the United Kingdom Bribery Act 2010. The company also reserves the right to terminate any contracts and its business relationship with suppliers that fail to meet the anti-bribery requirements specified in its code of conduct.

Provide and promote decent work
The company commits to respecting the health and safety of workers through a publicly available policy and a supplier code of conduct that mandates health and safety requirements. It engages with SEDEX to manage social and ethical risks in its supply chain and conducts unannounced audits using third-party firms based on the SMETA 4 pillar protocol. Suppliers are required to maintain their own Safety, Health and Environment management systems to prevent accidents and injuries.

Lobbying
The company does not report on its lobbying and advocacy practices on nature-related issues, nor whether these activities align with its sustainability strategy.

Stakeholder engagement
The company does not disclose how it engages with stakeholders, nor the issues it raises during such activities.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
The company discloses no sustainability strategy with nature-related targets and does not report on sustainability accountability within its governance structure. While the company has set some targets, it does not disclose group-wide, time-bound targets on all key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
No evidence was found regarding the company’s efforts to avoid ecosystem conversion, including deforestation, or promote restoration. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

GHG emissions
The company should set time-bound targets to reduce its scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions as well as report progress against them. Crucially, the company needs to reduce its scope 1,2 and 3 emissions and its targets need to align with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Impact and dependencies assessment
The company has not holistically assessed its impacts or how it depends on nature, including biodiversity. It has an opportunity to start such an assessment across its value chains, focused on quantification of its impacts or dependencies.

Invasive species
The company has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations.

Key areas and species
The company does not disclose key species or areas important for biodiversity affected by its operations or suppliers. It has an opportunity to increase its transparency.

Resource exploitation and circularity performance
No evidence was found regarding the company’s efforts to work towards a circular economy or which organisms it exploits. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

Solid and air pollution
The company is not reducing the production of hazardous substances. The company does not commit to avoid developing or marketing new chemicals or products with SVHC (substance of very high concern) properties. The company is not reducing the production of hazardous waste. The company has an opportunity to disclose quantitative evidence regarding plastic use reduction and use of sustainable packaging. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal. It also does not report metrics on air pollutants, nor set time-bound targets to reduce them.

Water
The company does not disclose relevant information related to water, in its operations or supply chains.

Indigenous Peoples’ and land rights
The company does not show if it is committed to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights or land rights of local communities.

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
The company has an opportunity to commit to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders. Moreover, it should track its actual or potential negative impacts on the health of local communities.

Act ethically
The company offers an Ethics and Compliance Hotline but limits it to supplier-related issues, missing a broader mechanism for all stakeholders to report bribery and corruption concerns. There is no detailed process for identifying bribery risks in its operations. It also lacks public policies on lobbying and political engagement and does not disclose political contributions or lobbying expenditures. The company has an opportunity to broaden its reporting mechanisms, detail its anti-bribery processes, and enhance transparency in its political engagements.

Provide and promote decent work
The company asserts that it expects suppliers to maintain safe work environments and comply with local regulations, but does not demonstrate a commitment through a detailed public policy. It reports that its compensation packages are competitive, yet provides no evidence of ensuring or aiming for a living wage. While supportive of women through specific initiatives, the company lacks a broad public commitment to gender equality. It also does not meet the disclosure requirements for gender representation on its board or pay equity. The company has the opportunity to establish clear, documented policies on these issues and disclose specific, measurable targets.

Respect human rights
The company expresses support for universal human rights and ILO core standards but lacks a robust publicly available policy statement approved by its highest governance body, committing to these standards. Furthermore, while it has established a supplier code of conduct and engages with SEDEX for supply chain management, it does not describe its processes for identifying human rights risks in specific locations or activities, both in its own operations and through business relationships. The company has an opportunity to formalise its commitment to human rights through approved policy statements and to enhance its human rights risk assessment processes. It also has the chance to establish and disclose a global system to act on its identified human rights issues, aiming to prevent, mitigate, or remedy them.