Johnson Outdoors

CHALLENGE

In response to growing environmental threats, Johnson Outdoors (JO), an outdoor recreation company, sought to spark new solution tied to its mission. To help combat the planet’s growing waste crisis, where 2.12 billion tons of waste are produced each year, Johnson Outdoors created the Clean Earth Challenge (CEC) to serve as a beacon of hope and provide opportunities for individuals to make a difference.

INSIGHT

The CEC strategy was adapted from the "collective impact" approach coined by Kania and Kramer in the Stanford Social Innovation Review as a way of working together to solve the world's most complex problems, dispersing leadership to cultivate ownership and repeat enrollment.

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Together with CCOP, JO engaged its employees in a year-long process to vet 70+ partners and ultimately select the National Wildlife Federation. During Earth Month, JO, its employees, and NWF launched the Clean Earth Challenge (CEC) with a vision to leverage the power of "collective impact" for a cleaner, greener planet.   

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The result was a fresh and wildly successful solution to an age-old problem, that drove near-total participation of employees helped rekindle and spark new interest in a movement, attracting support from other corporations, industry associations and foundations.

IMPACT

To date, CEC has removed 4M+ pieces of debris, captured the attention of change makers, and helped earn JO a spot as one of America’s “Most Trusted Brands” as determined by Newsweek. The initiative boosted employee sentiment, with 93% saying they are proud to be part of the Johnson Outdoors family.