Kimberly-Clark Plans to Cut Use of Forest Wood Pulp by Half

Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB), maker of Kleenex tissues and Huggies diapers, plans to cut in half, by 2025, the amount of wood fiber newly taken from forests for use in the company’s products.

Kimberly-Clark said it used almost 750,000 metric tons (827,000 short tons) of primary wood fiber sourced from natural forests last year. Its initiative will save the equivalent of all the fiber needed to make more than 3.5 billion rolls of toilet paper, the company said.

The company will use or test alternative sources of fiber, such as bamboo and wheat straw, as part of its sustainability efforts, Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark said today in a statement disclosing the commitment.

“In the long run, we hope that one day all our fiber needs will be met from sources that collectively have maximum land use efficiencies while minimizing impact on people and our planet,” Suhas Apte, the company’s vice president for global sustainability, said in the statement.

Kimberly-Clark rose 0.4 percent to $82.79 at the close in New York. The shares have gained 13 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lauren Coleman-Lochner in New York at llochner@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Robin Ajello at rajello@bloomberg.net

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Bamboo Forest in Japan

Inhiu

Bamboos are fast growing plants that are being sourced for building materials as well as versatile uses from their fibers.

Bamboos are fast growing plants that are being sourced for building materials as well as versatile uses from their fibers. Photographer: Inhiu