Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
Beyond Cleanups: A Conversation with Fisk Johnson, CEO of S.C. Johnson
After a day's work cleaning up Miami's coastlines, Alex Schulze, 4ocean Co-Founder, talks with Fisk Johnson, CEO of S.C. ...
About H. Johnson
In his acceptance speech for the 2013 Deming Cup, H. Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson & Son, discussed the company's management philosophy. He stated that, unlike many public companies, SC Johnson does not view maximizing shareholder value as its ultimate objective or a measure of success. Johnson said the company instead prioritizes an intangible element he called "goodwill," which he traced back to a 1927 speech by his great-grandfather. Johnson cited the closure of a factory in El Salvador as an example of this approach. He said that after the closure process, the employees who were losing their jobs gave the company a standing ovation. Johnson attributed the company's success to its employees and described financial results as a means to an end rather than an end in themselves.
Transcript (12 segments)
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H. Johnson0:00
It's wonderful to have the opportunity to work with you guys. You do a lot of outstanding work. I've been following you for many years. I've had your bracelet for many years, and it's wonderful to finally have a chance to meet you and do some work here with you.
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4ocean Representative0:20
Awesome. Well, we really do appreciate it. It's been great getting out here and seeing it firsthand. That is one of the crazy things that we try and bring people out here to see — the impact of the plastic, right? Because when it's on the shorelines and it's breaking down into the smaller pieces, that's when it's really alarming. And for us to be able to do that microplastic testing out here with the waters that we're cleaning right here in South Miami — you look at how beautiful it is right in this area, but to see how much plastic, it's incredible. Now, is this the first time you've seen microplastic under a microscope? And what is your impression of that?
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H. Johnson0:50
In the field, yes, it is. We've never had the equipment, we've never set up a microplastic testing operation here. And I'm blown away. I mean, I kind of would expect that there would be microplastic, right? Because if you see the shorelines that we're cleaning up, all that plastic and debris, there's got to be microplastic in the water. So it was really, really cool to be able to see that firsthand and be able to strain the water and see that microplastic, but hoping that that can drive some awareness that people can see the impact that it's having because it's being ingested by fish, it's being ingested by wildlife, and ultimately we are actually ingesting microplastic. Yeah, that's the scary part, right? Because plastic is in all of us now because of all of the microplastic in the environment. And who knows what the consequences are for our health long term because of that. I mean, what do you see as the solution around here? We're a developed country. You'd think we'd have a good garbage collection system, but you still see it all over the place.
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4ocean Representative1:45
That is something that's super incredible. A lot of people — because we have cleanup operations in Bali and Guatemala — a lot of people will see our footage and they'll say, you know, in these developing countries, I can expect that lack of waste management infrastructure, plastic ending up in the ocean. But when we do cleanups and then we pan and you see the city of Miami here in South Florida, people are blown away by that because we do have the luxury of waste management infrastructure, garbage and recycling collection. But unfortunately, there's so much single-use plastic that's being consumed on a daily basis that it's ending up in the ocean. And I think that stopping it at the source, trying to find sustainable alternatives, and being able to increase the recyclability of the materials that are being produced — we can lean into that and create a more sustainable model for the future.
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H. Johnson2:29
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And in order to help do that, we need regulation here in the United States. Could be extended producer responsibility regulation, because it takes everybody in that whole plastic recycling ecosystem working together to make it work. Agreed. We've been trying for years as a company to solve this issue unilaterally. I mean, we launched our first plastic recycled bottle 35 years ago, believe it or not. We've launched concentrates for our trigger bottles so you could use the trigger bottle over and over again — we launched those 12 years ago. But, you know, plastic waste isn't top of mind enough for most people in this country to want to go through the inconvenience of doing that refill or reuse of a trigger bottle.
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4ocean Representative3:21
The note you make as far as consumers understanding the impact and being interested, right? Because single-use plastic is really about convenience. It's convenient to throw away, it's convenient to not think about. But unfortunately, when you throw it away, it doesn't go away. It's going to go somewhere. So I think that's one thing at 4ocean what we're really trying to do is to drive that awareness. I say it a lot — we're trying to make sustainability cool, right? We're trying to encourage people to show that by reusing that bottle, by using the refillable cartridges, by doing everything to cut down on that plastic, you're not only helping yourself, but you're helping the environment. And at the end of the day, that's what we're trying to drive with awareness, social media — because if we can leverage consumers and leverage that type of reach, I believe we'll have a massive impact. Because at the end of the day, it's corporations producing plastic for brands, and brands are producing it for consumers. So if the consumer is demanding, 'Hey, we want a more sustainable option, we will use a reusable,' that will have that trickle effect, and I think that can have a massive impact and everybody can live a more sustainable lifestyle, still using the things that they're used to, but it might not be as convenient.
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H. Johnson4:17
Yeah. No, I couldn't agree more with that. But it not only takes people's willingness to do that, but it takes business to provide the innovation to make things more recyclable. And it takes recycling technology to advance. It takes good collection systems. It takes everybody in that whole loop doing their part. And that's why I'm a big advocate for stronger regulation. And that's what helps everybody working together. It's everybody's responsibility. It's not just consumers. It's not just business. It's everybody.
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4ocean Representative4:55
Everybody. It's a collective action. Yeah. We say it's a multi-pronged solution that has to be attacked by everybody — governments, brands, corporations, businesses, nonprofits, consumers. Everybody has to do what they can, because plastics is a global issue. And I agree with you that policy is going to start that snowball a little faster.
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H. Johnson5:15
That's really wonderful what you guys do. I just want to compliment you on what you're trying to do and bring awareness to this important issue that's impacting our planet, animal health, and human health.
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4ocean Representative5:28
Well, I really appreciate it. It was a pleasure having you guys out here. You guys absolutely got after it. I love to see that. And it's been a joy having you guys out here.
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H. Johnson5:35
We had fun today.
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4ocean Representative5:36
Then, we look forward to working with you more in the future.