Blue Water, Blue Fibers and the Blue Paradox: Addressing the Global Plastics Waste Crisis

Fisk Johnson joined SC Johnson in 1987 and he has served in a variety of management and marketing
positions, both domestically and internationally, and was appointed CEO in 2004.
Fisk currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Consumer Goods Forum. He has also served on the boards of Conservation International, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and Conservation International’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. Fisk has been privileged to serve on two federal advisory committees—as a member of the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology from 2019 to 2021 and as a member of the office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations from 2002 to 2010 and again
from 2011 to 2023.
Fisk holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Physics; a Master of Engineering; a Master of Science in Physics; a Master of Business Administration; and a doctorate in Physics, all from Cornell University. He served on the Cornell University Board of Trustees from 1993 to 2001 and now is a Trustee Emeritus and Presidential Counselor. He has also served on the University of Chicago’s Physical Sciences Division Council since 1996.
In addition to leading SC Johnson, Fisk has more than 20 years’ experience as managing director of a private technology-oriented venture capital business.
Fisk is a passionate advocate for sustainability and leads SC Johnson’s environmental efforts focused on carbon reduction, greener chemistry, ingredient transparency, and reducing plastic waste.
For example, Fisk has travelled all over the world studying the plastic waste problem. He has personally collected and studied microplastic in the environment, from the Arctic to the Strait of Magellan, to the Sahara Desert. He has been scuba diving for 50 years and has witnessed dramatic change in the health of our ocean ecosystems. He has also visited numerous recycling facilities, plastic suppliers, and component manufacturers across the globe—all of which has informed his sense of urgency about the need to address the plastic waste crisis head-on.
SC Johnson has a long history of working to find solutions to the plastic waste issue—beginning with our own products. The company launched its first recycled bottle in 1987. Twelve years ago, we launched concentrated refills for our trigger cleaners so that consumers could use their trigger spray bottles dozens of times. Today, the company continues to provide more sustainable options for our products. In the case of our Ziploc® brand storage bags, we have launched a highly reusable version made from silicone, a compostable version, and a paper version. And there are many other examples of more sustainable product innovations.
Another example of a recent initiative is The Blue Paradox exhibit that SC Johnson has created and
sponsored at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago to highlight the plastic pollution problem in
our oceans. Presented in partnership with Conservation International, The Blue Paradox is an
immersive experience on the ocean plastics crisis. Access the QR code to learn more.
But the pace of change has been slow. Fisk strongly believes that to accelerate progress, the business
community cannot solve this problem alone—it will take business innovation, better and smarter
government regulation, scale and technological innovation in recycling systems, and even more
sustainable behaviour by consumers. For this reason, Fisk is a strong proponent of Extended Producer Responsibility regulation that supports expanded recycling access and collection and helps fund recycling infrastructure development.
Fisk and SC Johnson have received numerous awards for environmental and social leadership, including the Presidential Green Chemistry Award, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lifetime Atmospheric Achievement Award, multiple EPA Green Power Leadership Awards, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy’s Force for Good Award, the World Environment Center’s Gold Medal Award for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development, the International Leadership Award from the U.S. Council for International Business and two honorary doctorates, among many others.
Fisk is a devoted father who enjoys spending a great deal of time with his daughter. He’s an accomplished pilot with more than 2,000 hours with glider, sea plane, instrument, muti-engine, and C550 type ratings. He is also an avid scuba diver, and enjoys many outdoor sports.