Sustainability In Your Ear: Culligan CEO Scott Clawson Maps The Future Of Water

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Each time you turn on a tap in the United States, you can expect the water to comply with federal safety standards. Yet astonishingly, Americans purchase 50 billion single-use plastic water bottles annually—enough to encircle the planet 200 times when laid end to end. These bottles can take 450 years to decompose, and studies show that a single liter of bottled water can release up to 240,000 pieces of microplastic, which we inadvertently consume. Compounding the issue, 37% of the world’s drinking water remains unsafe, with harmful substances like PFAS “forever chemicals” and lead present even in homes close together. Enter Scott Clawson, Chairman and CEO of Culligan International, a nearly 90-year-old enterprise that has established itself as a leader in water services by ensuring that filtered water is more readily accessible than single-use plastic. Under Clawson’s guidance, Culligan serves 170 million individuals globally, and the organization’s filtration technologies have contributed to avoiding 45 billion plastic bottles each year.

The organization has established ambitious objectives: to achieve net positive water impact by 2050 and to reduce scope one and two emissions intensity by 40% before 2035. Following the completion of WAVE water stewardship verification, Culligan realized that conventional testing of filtration systems was wasteful, prompting the company to create dry-testing techniques that prevent water waste prior to reaching consumers. Culligan has also electrified 25% of its vehicle fleet and contributed 9 million liters of water to communities in need in just 2024. Clawson’s commitment to sustainability is deeply personal. Reflecting on a decade-old trip to the Bahamas, he remembers stumbling upon a beach strewn with plastic waste. “That’s when my inner motivation ignited, pushing me to ensure that we do more than simply profit from our planet; we should strive to make it a better place to live,” he shares. With the escalating issue of water scarcity around the world, Clawson emphasizes the power of the consumer: “Every time you pick something off a shelf, you are casting your vote. You’re signaling to a company.” His core message—test your water, understand its contents, and invest in point-of-use filtration, rather than contributing further to the plastic crisis. To discover more about Culligan International, visit culliganinternational.com.

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