At Johnson & Johnson, product stewardship means recognizing and addressing the potential environmental and social impacts of our products throughout their life cycles, from design and development to the selection of the materials from which our products are made and the transportation of those materials, through production and packaging, and product use and disposal. To do this, we have designed and implemented tools for our businesses to assess products, processes, and packaging for environmental impacts, and set goals to drive enhanced performance.
In 2009 we introduced EARTHWARDS®, a process to help Johnson & Johnson companies understand and improve upon each aspect of a product’s environmental footprint. Our product development teams use this tool to analyze seven areas where our products could have the greatest environmental impact: materials use, waste reduction, water reduction, energy reduction, packaging, product innovation and positive social impact. The products that result from this analysis and improvement process meet customer needs and are better for the planet. Over the next five years as part of our Healthy Future 2015 goals, we aim to award the Earthwards designation to at least 60 products.