97 Percent of Brazilian Consumers Demand Ingredient Transparency

RACINE, Wis., September 18, 2017 /3BL Media/ - SC Johnson today announced plans to make its global ingredient transparency program available to consumers in Latin America in 2018. This is welcome news to many who want more ingredient transparency. A recent survey* conducted by the company found that 97 percent of consumers in Brazil believe that ingredient transparency is important.

“SC Johnson continues to deliver on our promise to families by providing ingredient transparency that is both easily accessible and understandable,” said Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President – Global Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability at SC Johnson. “We are glad that Brazilians find this important. That’s why we’re making this information available – it’s the right thing to do.”

Among global companies, SC Johnson’s ingredient transparency program was the industry’s first and continues to be the most comprehensive.

Speaking from the Sustainable Brands conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Semrau discussed SC Johnson’s legacy of leadership in ingredient transparency. “We believe that every mother and father in Latin America should know what’s inside the products they bring into their homes.” SC Johnson’s survey of more than 1,000 people across Brazil found that 93 percent think cleaning product companies should disclose more about the ingredients in their products.

SC Johnson Transparency Journey

SC Johnson began its transparency journey by launching its WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com ingredient website in 2009. The website offers consumers unparalleled access to a comprehensive list of product ingredients for such iconic brands as Glade®, Pledge®, OFF!®, Raid®, Windex®, Mr Muscle®, Scrubbing Bubbles®, and Ziploc®.

In 2012, it added a comprehensive list of fragrance ingredients used in its products. The SC Johnson Exclusive Fragrance Palette excludes about 2,400 ingredients that don’t meet the company’s high standards even though they meet industry standards and are legal in commerce. 

In 2015, working closely with fragrance houses, SC Johnson added to its website product-specific fragrance disclosure. Consumers with questions can find on WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com the list of fragrances in individual SC Johnson products, across its categories. In 2016, the company expanded its disclosure program to Europe, with Asia coming soon and Latin America to follow next year. 

In 2017, SC Johnson broke additional ground announcing its plans to disclose, on a product-specific basis, the presence of 368 skin allergens that may occur in its products. The list of these allergens has already been published on WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com, and by 2018, the site will list the allergens when contained in a product. This move goes beyond regulations in the European Union and also in the United States, where there are no rules requiring allergen transparency.

SC Johnson and Brazil

The Johnson family has a long personal connection to Brazil. In 1935, third-generation company leader H.F. Johnson, Jr. led an expedition up the Amazon in search of the Carnaúba palm, whose wax was the principle ingredient in the company’s products at the time. In 1998, fourth-generation leader Sam Johnson and his sons retraced the historic expedition.

SC Johnson has been operating in Brazil for more than 80 years. In that time, the company’s manufacturing plant in Manaus has achieved zero landfill status, a protocol estimated to keep some 91 tons of refuse out of Brazilian landfills each year. In the 1990s, SC Johnson contributed to the protection of two reserves in Brazil’s Caatinga ecoregion. Since then, as part of the company’s work with and contributions to Conservation International, more than 100,000 acres of land have been conserved – much of that in the Amazon region. As part of a global commitment the company made to donate $15 million in product and financial support to combat mosquito-borne diseases, more than 100,000 units of insect repellent have been donated to charitable organizations in Brazil.

About SC Johnson

SC Johnson is a family company dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care, as well as professional products. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, TANA®, BAMA®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR MUSCLE® and RIDSECT®. The 131-year-old company, which generates $10 billion in sales, employs approximately 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

About Sustainable Brands

Sustainable Brands® is the premier global community of brand innovators who are shaping the future of commerce worldwide. Since 2006, our mission has been to inspire, engage and equip today’s business and brand leaders to prosper for the near and long term by leading the way to a better future. Digitally published news articles and issues-focused conversation topics, internationally known conferences and regional events, a robust e-learning library and peer-to-peer membership groups all facilitate community learning and engagement throughout the year. Sustainable Brands is hosted by Sustainable Brands Worldwide, a division of Sustainable Life Media headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

*SC Johnson commissioned Edelman Intelligence to conduct an online survey of adults in Brazil. This survey was fielded between August 28-31, 2017. The margin of error for this study (n=1,002) is +/-3.1% at the 95% confidence level.