Clorox

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Clorox Company
Type Public (NYSE: CLX)
Founded 1913
Headquarters Oakland, California
Industry Food, Chemicals
Products Food, chemicals, cleaning fluids
Revenue ▲ $4.58 billion USD (2006, June)
Net income ▲ $457 million USD (2006, June)
Employees 7,600 [1]
Website www.thecloroxcompany.com
Clorox headquarters
Clorox headquarters

The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a manufacturer of various food and chemical products based in Oakland, California, which is best known for its bleach product, Clorox.

Contents

[edit] History

The product and the company date to May 3, 1913, when five entrepreneurs, Archibald Taft, a banker; Edward Hughes, a purveyor of wood and coal; Charles Husband, a bookkeeper; Rufus Myers, a lawyer; and William Hussey, a miner, invested $100 apiece to set up the first commercial-scale liquid bleach factory in the United States, on the east side of San Francisco Bay.[citation needed] The firm was first called the Electro-Alkaline Company.[citation needed] In 1917, it developed a less concentrated version for household, rather than industrial, use, and sales took off.

In 1928, the company went public on the San Francisco stock exchange and changed its name to the Clorox Chemical Company. "Butch," an animated Clorox liquid bleach bottle, was used in advertising and became well-known, even surviving the 1941 transition from rubber-stoppered bottles to ones with screw-off caps.

During World War II, when chlorine gas shortages forced many bleach manufacturers to reduce the concentration of sodium hypochlorite in their products, Clorox elected to sell fewer units of a full-strength product, establishing a reputation for quality.[citation needed]

In 1957, Clorox was bought by Procter & Gamble, a purchase that was challenged by the Federal Trade Commission, which feared it would stifle competition in the household products market. The FTC won, and in 1969, Clorox again was made independent.

The Current CEO of Clorox is Donald R. Knauss.

[edit] Brands

The Clorox Company now owns a number of other well-known household and professional brands across a wide variety of products, among them:

For historical reasons, in some markets the company's namesake bleach products are currently sold under regional brands. Clorox acquired the Javex line of bleach products sold in Canada, and similar product lines in parts of Latin and South America, from Colgate-Palmolive in late 2006.[2] In Canada, where Clorox-branded products were not previously available, the acquired products have since been known as "Javex by Clorox", suggesting the eventual retirement of the Javex brand.

[edit] Environmental Record

Clorox has recently signed an agreement with The Sierra Club, the largest environmental group in the United States, to endorse a new line of household cleaners that are an affordable, more environmentally friendly option. The new group of products will be called Green Works, and they will be created from mostly plant and mineral-based components.[3][4] It is chlorine-free, and helps cut the grease when cleaning. [5] Although this new line of products is intended to help the environment, many critics are skeptical of this new partnership. One reason is because Sierra will receive a part of the sales revenue, which enables them to receive corporate money while also advertising their group cause through a well-known business, while Clorox might simultaneously receive a better environmental image. Critics also assert this new line will not help rid their products of their dangerous chemicals.[6] It has been found that the “all-natural” ingredients included within the Green Works products contain a chemical that is found in paint strippers and cleaning agents common to standard household product brands that have received poor ratings from the National Library of Medicine’s Household Products Hazardous Substances Database.[7] This is a considerable concern because the United States government recently fined Clorox $95,000 due to an illegal Chinese pesticides donation to charity.[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ (2007) Standard and Poor's 500 Guide. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. ISBN 0-07-147906-6. 
  2. ^ Clorox press release, December 20, 2006
  3. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/07/usa The Guardian April 7, 2008. Retrieved: May 4, 2008
  4. ^ http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080418/LIFESTYLE09/804180384 The Detroit News April 18, 2008. Retrieved: May 4, 2008
  5. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article3698008.ece Times Online April 12, 2008. Retrieved: May 4, 2008
  6. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/07/usa The Guardian April 7, 2008. Retrieved: May 4, 2008
  7. ^ http://publications.mediapost.com/?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=80687 Media Post Publications May 2008. Retrieved: May 4, 2008
  8. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/07/usa The Guardian April 7, 2008. Retrieved: May 4, 2008

[edit] External links

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