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DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark’s 2023 sustainability report included an update on the company’s progress towards lowering their environmental footprint and a new sustainability initiative to be 100% Natural Forest Free across its portfolio.
“Sustainability is woven into the fabric of our 152-year-old company’s innovation strategy and purpose, serving as a guiding principle across every facet of our operations,” said Mike Hsu, chairman and CEO at Kimberly-Clark. “I am proud of our team’s commitment to our purpose of Better Care for a Better World, focusing on where we believe we can make the biggest impact.”
The company expects to be more than halfway to the 100% Natural Forest Free goal by 2030.
In 2023, the company surpassed its 2030 water footprint target and launched a new virtual purchase power agreement in the form of an onshore wind farm in Scotland and the initiation of several renewable power purchase agreements.
The company has achieved an absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 operational greenhouse gas emissions of 40.9% of its goal of a 50% reduction by 2030, and a 10.4% energy efficiency improvement over its 2015 baseline.
New sustainable product offerings include the company’s first-ever Kotex® paper pouch and the launch of reusable menstrual and incontinence solutions. Initiatives to progress in their Natural Forest Free goal included the continued procurement of fibers from sources with sustainable forest management certification and the pursuit of ongoing investments in alternative fibers solutions. The company also reduced its plastics footprint by 16.4% over its 2019 baseline.
The report estimated that the company’s programs operated through their popular brands including Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex and Cottonelle – combined with global and local partnerships – impacted 101 million people worldwide. This included helping empower women and girls, enhancing maternal and child health, and working to improve access to safe water and sanitation.
To improve company culture, Kimberly-Clark’s executive leadership team hosted sessions with the company’s top 200 business unit and functional leaders globally to help them understand how to demonstrate performance-driven leadership and overcome barriers. This training was then shared with the direct reports of those business leaders to help them advance.
Further, in 2023, Kimberly-Clark strengthened its human rights due diligence and supplier engagement processes, including more robust risk segmentation, monitoring tools and supply chain mapping and by connecting suppliers with resources and experts to improve their human rights performance.”
Kimberly-Clark partners with a wide range of stakeholders and nonprofit organizations to deliver innovative products and solutions to improve the future for babies and children, including UNICEF.
“Kimberly-Clark is a longstanding partner and with their continued commitment, UNICEF can reach vulnerable children and communities with the resources needed to survive and thrive,” said Michael J. Nyenhuis, president and CEO, UNICEF USA. “Together, we can build a more equitable world for every child and change the lives of millions more with sustainable and scalable solutions.”
