Huggies and Kleenex maker Kimberly-Clark has made a new commitment for its products to be forest-free after 2030.
The pledge has been made as Kimberly-Clark publishes its 2023 annual sustainability report, updating the market and its customers on areas such as its ambitions to reduce GHG emissions and improve forest management.
It says its new forest-free target will “greatly reduce its nature footprint”, as forests play a “critical role in protecting biodiversity and helping mitigate climate change”.
Kimberly-Clark, which said it expects to be more than halfway to is forest-free goal by 2030, is a significant consumer of wood pulp for its tissue and personal care products.
Highlights pinpointed during 2023 include the US company eclipsing its 2030 water footprint target and bolstering the use of alternative energy sources like wind and solar power.
It said it had cut operational (scope 1 and scope 2) GHG emissions by 40.9%, as it looks to reach its goal of a 50% reduction by 2030, and a 10.4% energy efficiency improvement over its 2015 baseline.
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Also highlighted was the introduction of green products, such as the company’s first-ever Kotex paper pouch; and launching reusable menstrual and incontinence solutions.
Kimberly-Clark said it also continued to prioritise producing fibres from sources with sustainable forest management certification while pursuing ongoing investments in alternative fibre solutions and has reduced its plastics footprint by 16.4% (towards its goal of a 50% reduction by 2030 over its 2019 baseline).
It also said that its well-known brands, such as Huggies and Kleenex, made a “positive impact” through social impact programmes and collaboration with global and local NGOs.
“We are proud of our progress and, in 2023, we continued to address challenges associated with single-use plastics, carbon emissions, and water use in our operations and value chain, while working to decrease forest reliance and increasing our use of renewable energy,” said Lisa Morden, chief sustainability officer.
“We recognise that there are still challenges and opportunities ahead and we remain dedicated to supporting a more sustainable future for all.”
Kiimberly-Clark was highlighted in a WWF report for increasing its virgin fossil-based plastic tonnage by 21.8% between 2021 and 2022.
