New exhibition reveals how ocean plastic pollution starts long before it reaches the sea. * Date23 June 2026 Royal Holloway, in partnership with SC Johnson, has launched Ocean Plastics: Research and Action, a new exhibition that explores how plastic pollution travels from everyday life into rivers and oceans, and how research can help drive practical solutions. Opening to visitors from 23 June, the exhibition brings together university research, real-world examples and accessible interpretation to help students, schools, local communities and the wider public better understand the journey of plastic pollution. It shows how plastic can move through waste systems, waterways and the environment, eventually breaking into microplastics and nanoplastics that are harder to see, track and remove. Included in the exhibition is research from Royal Holloway, where visitors will be able to explore how different plastics degrade over time, such as how synthetic clothing can shed fibres through washing, and how researchers are studying microplastics in local rivers connected to wider water systems. Alongside SC Johnson, one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products such as Duck(R), Mr Muscle(R) and Ecover(R), the exhibition is designed to translate academic research into an accessible public learning experience for students, schools, local communities and visitors. It brings a global issue closer to home by showing how plastic is present through everyday systems, local waterways and the wider environment. It also shows how ocean plastic pollution does not begin in the ocean, but starts in the systems, products and choices around Royal Holloway every day; long before plastic reaches the sea. Dr Nathalie Grassineau, from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, said: "Ocean plastic pollution is a global challenge, but it is also something Royal Holloway can study, understand and act on. "Through Ocean Plastics: Research and Action, Royal Holloway want to bring research into a public space and help visitors see how plastics move through everyday life, rivers and oceans. "By making the science accessible, we hope the exhibition supports better understanding and encourages students, schools and the wider public to think about the role they can play in reducing plastic waste." The exhibition also shows there is no single solution to ocean plastic pollution. Reducing it will depend on better systems, stronger policy, continued research, responsible innovation and informed everyday choices. SC Johnson is part of Ocean Plastics: Research and Action for its wider commitment to sustainability education and partnership-driven efforts to address plastic waste. Through this work, the company helps create public learning experiences that make the issue more visible and easier to understand. SC Johnson has significantly advanced its packaging goals and continues to focus on reducing its virgin plastic footprint and plastics that are difficult to recycle, incorporating post-consumer recycled materials and recovered coastal plastic into its packaging, and supporting reuse and refill systems. Today, 25% of SC Johnson's global packaging comes from post-consumer recycled plastic, and 64% of its plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable. Additionally, the company has reduced its use of virgin plastic by 33% since 2018. Related topics.

SC Johnson demolishing former St. Mary's Hospital building in 2026; no replacement plans. Follow us. The nearly century-old landmark that is the former St. Mary's Hospital on the SC Johnson campus in Racine will come down this year. Company officials confirmed it will demolish the former St. Mary's Hospital building on Grand Avenue and currently has no plans to replace it. SC Johnson said renovation was determined not to be practical. No demolition timeline has been announced. "The former St. Mary's Hospital building holds significance for many SC Johnson people and members of the Racine community, as many community members were born there," the company said in a statement. St. Mary's journey from hospital to headquarters. St. Mary's was not Racine's first hospital. That distinction belongs to St. Luke's, founded in 1872 by St. Luke's Episcopal Church and built on Wisconsin Avenue in 1876. Before either hospital existed, Racine residents lacked medical facilities, and care was provided by individual physicians making house calls. The Franciscan Sisters opened Racine's second hospital in 1882, first in a renovated hotel, then in a permanent structure dedicated in 1889. The 1933 building on Grand Avenue, the one SC Johnson is now demolishing, was St. Mary's third home before its move to Spring Street. Groundbreaking on the Spring Street campus began in July 1974, and on August 20, 1977, the new St. Mary's went into service. The following day, SC Johnson purchased the Grand Avenue property for $1.5 million, remodeling it to house research and development operations known internally as the Louis Laboratories. R&D had relocated there from the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Research Tower in 1981 and remained until 2019, when it moved to the Johnson Diversey building on Highway 20. Prior to SC Johnson's purchase, various community groups had explored converting the hospital into senior housing but concluded it was not feasible. When SC Johnson acquired the property, the company donated funds to support the construction of elderly care facilities in Racine. St. Mary's and St. Luke's Memorial Hospital later affiliated to form All Saints Healthcare System, which today operates as Ascension All Saints across two Racine campuses, including the former St. Luke's campus at 1320 Wisconsin Avenue. Like Loading... Support our work. Stories like this hold leaders accountable. We fact-checked GOP lawmakers' claims, analyzed the county budget, and gave you the whole picture - not just the headlines. Support independent journalism for $2/week. Your contribution is appreciated.