For the first time, approximately 45 CSPA conference participants partnered with Habitat for Humanity on roof tear-off, landscaping and interior demolition activities at a home in Oakland Park, FL. March 2015 Spray 23 is growing in the U.S. and the industry must take steps to address this issue. “Trust is hard to gain and easy to lose,” he stated. “It’s what we face in our industry today—trust in the chemistry of our products.” In a recent survey conducted by SC Johnson, 41% of respondents said that companies do the right thing when it comes to ensuring the safety of their products. What’s worse, only 25% said that chemical companies do the right thing. Johnson cited five reasons for growing distrust among consumers for chemicals and the companies that rely on them: • The subject is complex • Fear sells and the media fans it • Government wants to appeal to its constituents • A real void in data • Greenwashing and a lack of transparency abound Johnson offered four solutions on how companies can combat this growing distrust among consumers. First, make sure your own house is in order. SC Johnson regularly reviews its products and eliminates “risky” elements, regardless of cost. For example, the company eliminated chlorine from its Saran Wrap product, which resulted in less effective wrap adhesion that has hurt the brand’s market share, but Johnson emphasized “it was the right thing to do.” Second, be transparent. Even in the age of the internet, consumers read product labels, and while suppliers and marketers complain about the loss of intellectual property, Johnson explained how his company works with partners to address these issues. Most recently, SC Johnson reduced its portfolio of 3,500 fragrance components to 1,300 ingredients. However, even that didn’t make it immune from NGOs and other interest groups. Third, eliminate greenwashing. Marketers make too many vague or misleading claims about their products that only mislead consumers and damage the trust they have in a company and its products. Terms such as “non-toxic” are meaningless, as everything is toxic at the wrong level—even air and water. Johnson admitted that his own company got caught up in greenwashing when it placed an in-house “Green- List” label on several products. After outside groups Volunteers Recognized The CSPA recognized volunteers within each division with Volunteer Recognition Awards: • Aerosol Products James Bloome, RA Jones & Co. • Antimicrobial Products Jan Dhonau, Procter & Gamble • Air Care Products Steve Tanner, Arylessence, Inc. • Cleaning Products Tony Rook, The Sherwin-Williams Co. • Industrial & Automotive Products Michelle Rudnick, CRC Industries • Pest Management Products William Metzger, United Industries Corp. • Polishes & Floor Maintenance Stanley Weller, Amrep Inc. Dr. Fisk Johnson, Chairman & CEO, SC Johnson (left) with Chris Cathcart, President & CEO, CSPA. complained that the label was misleading because it wasn’t awarded by an impartial third-party, SC Johnson removed the label from its products. Four, advocate for better regulations. Johnson called for Congress to pass the TSCA modernization bill. Johnson urged industry to come together and support TSCA reform, noting that it is in the best interest of the public and ultimately, companies and products. In October 2014, SC Johnson was the first major U.S. consumer goods company to announce that it will expand its ingredient disclosure efforts by providing product-specific fragrance ingredient information. In addition, for the first time, SC Johnson published details from its day-to-day restricted-use list for product formulators in its 2014 sustainability report. The company is also expanding its ingredient disclosure program to the European Union in 2015 with the launch of a European Ingredient Disclosure website that will contain content similar to that of North America. “My great-grandfather had a saying,” recalled Johnson. “‘The goodwill of people is the only enduring thing in any business. It is the sole substance. The rest is shadow.’” Spray Gerard Baillely, VP of R&D, Home Care & Professional Business Unit at Procter & Gamble, received the Chairman’s Outstanding Achievement Award for his work with the Air Care Division.
Spray March 2015
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