Under Fisk Johnson’s leadership, SC Johnson continues to reduce its impact on the environment. More than revamping the formulation of its products and packaging, the efforts involve examining manufacturing, distribution, and other processes in the firm’s supply chain. In 2005, the company set a five-year plan for reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions and using clean energy for its manufacturing plants worldwide. The firm has made great progress so far: in the United States alone, SC Johnson has already exceeded, by double, its goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Another energy initiative of which Fisk Johnson is proud is the company’s step into wind power. In 2008, SC Johnson launched a windmill project to provide green energy for one of its largest plants in Bay City, Michigan. The project provides nearly half of the plant’s energy needs, an amount comparable to supplying electricity to 1,800 homes for a year. What’s more, the clean energy keeps nearly 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year—the equivalent of taking nearly 3,000 cars off the road in a year. The company has also discovered a way to save on its fossil fuel use during distribution. By the end of Year One of its five-year plan, its revised system for loading trucks to ensure that they carried full loads to their destinations had improved the fleet’s efficiency, cut fuel use by 168,000 gallons, and saved the company $1.6 million. SC Johnson has also made the move to hybrid cars for its sales force. First offered as an option in 2007, a hybrid vehicle such as a Toyota Camry or Prius has become the choice of nearly two-thirds of SC Johnson’s salespeople. The ultimate goal set for the company’s sales force is to achieve, on average, 40 miles to the gallon. For a family-owned company that stretches back five generations, SC Johnson seems squarely focused on the future.

• Recently, SC Johnson voluntarily provided more information on its product labels than the U.S. government requires and discontinued the use of compounds known as phthalates, which were used to make the fragrances of some of its products last longer, because of questions about their safety. How do such behaviors differentiate SC Johnson from other companies—and CEO Fisk Johnson from other leaders? 

• Fisk Johnson has said that while winning is about performance, it’s also about “doing what’s right—right for the planet, right for people, right for the next generation.” How do these words relate to the definition of “world class”?