• by Staff Writers , July 22, 2008

One of SC Johnson's latest marketing campaigns touts the company's commitment to the environment and to its customers' health. After all, nothing says "planet friendly" quite like a big can of Raid. The commercials feature the company's Greenlist label, a seal of approval that identifies products "made with a commitment to a more positive health and environmental profile." But since the Greenlist label comes from SCJ itself, the company can essentially slap it on any item it wants to claim as healthy for consumers or the environment (heck, make it both).

SCJ seems to think that by making harmful products slightly less harmful, they magically become healthy. Unsurprisingly, the company has received its fair share of criticism for this approach. "Standing up and saying, 'I'm green because I say so' doesn't cut it any more," wrote the environmental media site TreeHugger. "SC Johnson ... [is] delusional if they think this makes this product green." SCJ representatives declined comment. So the next time you reach for an electric-blue bottle of Windex, remember that SCJ kept the safety of both you and the planet in mind as it carefully selected each ingredient. Even the toxic ones.