When I was in college, I remember ordering a t-shirt with some of my hard-earned minimum wage pay that proudly celebrated the 20 year anniversary of Earth Day. That was in 1990. If you do a little math and consult some history, you’ll find that Earth Day originated in 1970. A time of flower power and hippie culture, as well as some of the worst environmental pollution of our time. Using the momentum from the war protests at the time, a U.S. Senator founded what would become Earth Day, a day of demonstration and education all in the name of a healthy, sustainable environment. Remarkably, that original Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. Since that anniversary in 1990, when Earth Day saw a resurgence of interest and went global, the campaigns and initiatives to protect our environment for future generations have increased exponentially. Our Sustainability Campaign
At Johnson & Johnson, we’re extremely proud to talk about our contribution with Earthwards®, a program launched in 2009 for developing and marketing greener products through lifecycle thinking. While the program is not new, it’s something that many consumers have never heard of. That’s because Earthwards® refers to a Johnson & Johnson internal process, and it’s considered an honor to achieve the high sustainability standards of the program. In order to achieve recognition as an Earthwards® product, each product must be assessed against a proprietary scorecard across seven areas.
- Materials used
- Packaging reduction
- Energy reduction
- Waste reduction
- Water reduction
- Positive social impact or benefit
- Product innovation
Today, we have over thirty-six products in the Johnson & Johnson family that have achieved this recognition, including BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages, o.b.® Tampons, JOHNSON’S® NATURAL® Baby Wash and Baby Shampoo, AVEENO® PURE RENEWAL™ Shampoo and Conditioner, ACUVUE® ADVANCE® Brand Contact Lenses, ACUVUE® OASYS® Brand Contact Lenses, and seven of the NEUTROGENA® Naturals products. At Johnson & Johnson, we recognize that environmental stewardship is not just good for the people and the environment, it's good for business. In fact, it’s reflected in our credo that was written in 1943: “We must maintain in good order the property we are privileged to use, protecting the environment and natural resources.” Sustainable product innovation is something we continually strive for as we look to achieve our goal of 60 Earthwards® products by the year 2015. What can you do to help?
