SC Johnson Leading Discussion on Transparency and Earning Consumer Trust

RACINE, Wis., October 29, 2017 /3BL Media/ – As consumers continue to lose trust in business*, companies are being held to higher standards for disclosing the ingredients in their products. Building on its legacy and leadership in ingredient transparency, SC Johnson will come together with a panel of experts from Harvard University, GlobeScan, Marks and Spencer plc and Edie.net for an interactive discussion on the opportunities and challenges for transparency and how it affects consumer trust. The open dialogue will take place Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the Good Homes Innovation Lab at the 2017 Sustainable Brands conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“We believe that transparency is a critical way to earn consumer trust,” said Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President – Global Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability at SC Johnson. “Research, and our conversations with consumers and stakeholders around the world, show a clear and growing desire for companies to provide more information about what goes into their products and why. We go beyond what is required and make this information available because it’s the right thing to do.”

In line with insights being seen across other parts of the world, a recent survey** conducted by SC Johnson found that 85 percent of Nordic consumers believe that household cleaning product companies should disclose more about the ingredients in their products. The survey also revealed that 58 percent conduct their household cleaning product research while they are shopping, underscoring the need for companies to make the information easily accessible via mobile devices.

SC Johnson has undertaken several initiatives globally to provide more and more information on the ingredients in its products – from where and how they are used to allergens that may occur. The company’s transparency website, WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com, lists easy-to-access and easy-to-understand information for more than 5,300 SC Johnson products sold in 52 countries worldwide.

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. In 2017, the program rolled out across Asia with 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.

The recent survey** conducted by SC Johnson of more than 1,000 people across Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden found that 88 percent would like to know the list of allergens in their household cleaning products, information that SC Johnson is already providing. With this initiative, the company goes well above and beyond regulatory and industry standards, including those in the European Union, when it comes to allergen disclosure.

SC Johnson at Sustainable Brands Copenhagen

For those attending the Sustainable Brands conference in Copenhagen, SC Johnson and thought leaders, including a panel of experts, will come together in an interactive and engaging discussion on the opportunities and challenges for leadership in transparency. The session, which is part of the conference’s Good Homes Innovation Lab, will take place in the Norway Room at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. During the session, SC Johnson will discuss results from their recent consumer survey.

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.

*2017 Edelman Trust Barometer study:  https://www.edelman.com/news/2017-edelman-trust-barometer-reveals-global-implosion/

**SC Johnson commissioned Edelman Intelligence to conduct an online survey of adults across four Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. This survey was fielded between September 12-27, 2017. The margin of error for this study (n=1,002) is +/-3.1% at the 95% confidence level.