More progress on the three Ps of sustainability at Kimberly-Clark

Reduced landfill waste, fewer accidents and increased sales from environmentally friendly products were among the accomplishments Kimberly-Clark touted in its 10th annual sustainability report.

The company’s report, a comprehensive overview progress against its sustainability and corporate responsibility efforts, highlights significant developments in key areas of people, planet and products. Kimberly-Clark manufacturers some of the worlds best known brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend.

"This year's sustainability report shows that we are continuing to advance in areas such as product innovation, reduction of environmental footprint within our operations and responsible sourcing of raw materials, while at the same time enhancing workplace safety and fair labor practices," said Tom Falk, chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark. "We will continue to apply passion and ingenuity to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow with a spirit of good stewardship. We are working with the same dedication to quality, service and fairness established by our founders."

In the area of people, the company said eight of its mills attained one million labor hours worked safely without a reportable incident and 13,000 employees had enrolled in a program called Small Steps that is designed to enhance employee engagement in sustainability.

With regard to the planet, Kimberly-Clark said 58% of its facilities met a goal of zero landfill manufacturing waste. The company also said it achieved a 15% annual improvement in energy efficiency, which resulted in enough energy savings to power more than 300,000 houses for one year. Advancements in tissue manufacturing resulted in a 12% improvement in water use efficiency and a new goal calls for a 50% reduction in the use of wood fiber from natural forests by 2025.

On the product front, 22% or approximately $4.6 billion, of the company's net sales are now derived from environmentally innovative products and 1.5 million pounds of sterile medical wraps were diverted from landfills.

"As we continue to make progress toward our Sustainability 2015 goals, we are also looking at global trends further into the future," said Lisa Morden, the company’s senior director of global sustainability. "Even now, we are defining our next-generation sustainability goals and strategies to ensure the long-term resilience of our businesses, while continuing to focus in driving meaningful progress today."

The company’s entire report is available here.