Dominic Wade
Sean Torres
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Gabriela Cuconato
Chris Laszlo
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Kimberly-Clark is one of the largest personal care product producers in the world. It has a wide range of brands such as Huggies, Kotex, and Kimberly-Clark Professional. The 150-year-old company operates in over 175 countries Looking at the company through a sustainability lens, Kimberly-Clark has done extensive work on reducing waste, sourcing sustainable plant fibers, and reducing energy consumption alongside generous social outreach programs. Kimberly-Clark has done extensive work on creating more sustainable products through all aspects of the value chain and providing its products to families in need through social initiatives such as the No Baby UnHugged program. These initiatives allow KC to build its business while also fulfilling UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, “Good Health and Well Being” and 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production”.
Kimberly-Clark is on a mission to reduce its waste output. The company has put a massive emphasis on waste reduction through all levels of the value chain. Wastewater treatment is a focus point for the company, having recently achieved 100% of mills diverting manufacturing waste to landfills in December 2022. Additionally, Kimberley-Clark is making an effort to reduce its reliance on the Canadian Boreal forests from which it harvests the majority of its wood fiber. Because of that, Kimberly-Clark has set a goal to source 90% of its tissue fiber from environmentally preferred fiber sources. Colleen Geurts, North-American head of sustainability at Kimberly-Clark noted that “The only way we are able to achieve this goal, is through the innovation of technology.” The reduction of paper waste is a massive priority of the company, and this has led Kimberly-Clark to invest heavily in R&D with the goal of developing alternative environmentally preferred fiber (EPF) solutions. Environmentally preferred fibers, such as bamboo yields a more sustainable plant fiber than cutting down a tree to make traditional wood pulp. Using environmentally preferred fibers has led the company to develop the Huggies “Special Delivery” diaper, a Forest stewardship-certified plant-based diaper.
Kimberly-Clark is inspired to do good for the people they serve. “It's part of the KC purpose. It’s our purpose,” Colleen Geurtz responded when asked about the motivation amongst the employees at Kimberly-Clark to be a leader of sustainability innovation. Sustainability is baked into their mission statement, and employees are committed when it comes to the impact that KC has on the world.
Additionally, Kimberly-Clark Corporation has aimed its focus on positively impacting the health and well-being of people in need through its diaper initiatives. The lack of diapers is considered a public health need, and according to a study conducted by the National Diaper Bank Network, 1 in 3 families reported experiencing diaper need. However, organizations often overlook the lack of accessible diapers due to more pressing needs such as accessible food or water. Kimberly-Clark has taken significant action to assuage this issue. The company has developed the Huggies No Baby UnHugged program aimed at providing quality services and neonatal care to newborns. Parents of children four weeks old and younger are eligible to receive free Huggies diapers and wipes. The company has also partnered with diaper banks since 2015 to deliver diapers to families in need. Kimberly-Clark has helped provide more than 300 million diapers to those in need since 2011.
Kimberly-Clark’s strategy has always been customer focused, however with innovations and commitments that they have held themselves to, it is clear that they truly care about their customers and their wellbeing. The efforts of sustainability and well-being not only help the consumer though, but business at Kimberly-Clark has also benefitted from stepping up its sustainability efforts. For instance, through the innovation of its environmentally friendly diapers and other sustainable products, Kimberly-Clark has been able to tap into a new growing consumer market demand for eco-friendly alternatives to traditional products. This has allowed Kimberly-Clark to have an edge over competitors when customers are walking the aisles. Furthermore, new parents that use the No Baby UnHugged program have a positive association with the Huggies brand and are more likely to be return buyers for other products as well. Not only through the innovation of products has Kimberly-Clark been able to benefit businesses by reducing their environmental footprint they have been successful at cutting costs. By reducing their waste and getting creative with how they dispose of their waste from manufacturing plants, they have cut down operating costs while being a trendsetter for the rest of the industry.
With Kimberly-Clark being one of the largest personal care product manufactuers in the world comes great responsibility, and Kimberly-Clark is holding itself to a high standard. The company has set high expectations and goals for the future when it comes to their social and environmental impact. Kimberly-Clark has set up sustainability governance teams to montor and drive the goals that it has set for themselves. The hardest part about achieving these goals however is how fluid the external regulation and technology is. Colleen said, “That's one constant in sustainability, that it is ever changing, it touches everything”. That is why the company has created these internal governance teams to keep track of all of their goals. Some of these goals include: advancing the well-being of 1 billion people in vulnerable and underserved communities, reducing their plastic footprint by 50%, reducing their absolute GHG emissions by 50%, and reducing their water of their mills in water stressed areas by 50%. All of these goals are set to be completed by 2030.
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Colleen Geurts, North American Head of Sustainability
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a worldwide health and hygiene producer. The company produces products that include paper products such as diapers, paper towels, and personal hygiene products under a number of brand names including Huggies, Kotex, and Kimberly-Clark Professional. Kimberly-Clark's products are sold in 175 countries. The company prides itself on inspiring others and helping individuals experience more of what is important to them.