Supporting Healthy Forests
Kimberly-Clark is committed to sustaining natural forests.
In 2011, the company used approximately 2.48 million metric tons of virgin fiber.
With our manufacturing needs representing 6 percent of total market pulp demand,
the company must support a sustainable supply of fiber—sustainable not simply for
our requirements but equally for the health of the global ecosystems where we live
and work. In the past—when Kimberly-Clark owned and managed woodlands—it was a leader
in sustained yield forestry and maintained active tree-planting programs. Now that
we have divested our woodlands and pulping assets, we are committed to ensuring
that our supply chain is environmentally responsible and has embraced sustainable
forestry principles. Forests are so important that the business community, including
Kimberly-Clark, must continuously and collaboratively work to preserve these natural
resources.
In 2007, Kimberly-Clark adopted what has been recognized by industry and NGOs as
a groundbreaking
global fiber procurement policy. We are committed to using environmentally
responsible fiber from three sources:
- Wood pulp purchased from suppliers that have achieved forest management or chain
of custody certification
- Wood pulp that we have manufactured from logs or chips obtained from forest-certified
suppliers
- Recycled fiber recovered from pre-consumer or postconsumer waste paper
In addition, Kimberly-Clark will not knowingly use conflict wood, illegally harvested
wood fiber or wood fiber procured from High Conservation Value Forests.
“Kimberly-Clark has achieved sustainability results far beyond other large
companies in the sector, netting real benefits for forests worldwide.
”
– Rolf Skar, Forest Campaign Director, Greenpeace U.S.
“Given the company’s breadth of product offerings and market influence,
we commend Kimberly-Clark’s leadership in pushing the pulp and paper industry toward
more responsible sourcing practices. Our collaboration is improving forest management,
reducing impacts from production, and helping protect the forests and habitats at
the core of our mission. And Kimberly-Clark is offering consumers responsible alternatives
for tissue and personal care products. This shows the true power of collaboration.
”
– Kerry Cesareo, Managing Director–Forests, World Wildlife Fund
The demands on natural forests continue to grow with a growing population and new
products and services entering the marketplace. Because fiber is such an important
aspect of our business, and because trees and forests play a critical role in the
health of the global environment, Kimberly-Clark has chosen to lead by conserving
forests through protection, reforestation, responsible fiber sourcing and research.
In 2011, approximately 30 percent of the wood fiber we used was sourced from natural
forests. We are working to identify alternatives to traditional fiber sources to
reduce our footprint in natural forests.
We provide information on our fiber policy—responsible sourcing of wood fiber and
reforestation efforts—in the following pages. We also describe some of the important
relationships that make our progress possible.
