Kimberly-Clark Announces FSC Accreditation For Its UK Kleenex Range

REIGATE.- Supporting its on-going commitment to sustainability, Kimberly-Clark announces that its Kleenex brand in the UK will be the first of its global product ranges to become Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited from 1st November this year.

FSC is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. Founded in 1993, it is supported by a variety of stakeholders including the Defra Environmental Action Fund, the Forestry Commission, the Woodland Trust and global environmental organisations including WWF, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.

Kleenex is the leading facial tissue brand in the UK and this move will see Kleenex for Men, Kleenex Ultra Soft, Kleenex Balsam, Kleenex Disney packs, Kleenex Collection and the Kleenex Mainline range all being FSC certified starting from November. FSC labels will be applied to Kleenex packaging starting from December this year and in shops from January 2008.

Kimberly-Clark has always been committed to sourcing fibre responsibly and has one of the most progressive fibre procurement policies in the tissue industry. The company has a long term goal to source 100 per cent of its virgin fibre from one of five internationally recognised certification schemes, including FSC. The company gives preference to wood fibre certified under the FSC standard, where it is available and meets product performance requirements and competitive market conditions.

This move follows an independent study which looked at the feasibility of increasing the use of FSC certified fibre across the company’s global brands. The study concluded that FSC fibre is indeed limited in availability and while the company could increase its use of FSC over the next 10 years, it would not be able to rely on it exclusively. This is why the company continues to work closely with four other globally recognised certification schemes.

Troy Warfield, Kimberly-Clark’s General Manager for the UK & Ireland commented: “This is a significant step for a brand the size of Kleenex and has resulted from collaboration with our suppliers and FSC UK. This action is in line with our continued commitment to sustainability as recognised by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index which has named K-C a leader in its sector for the third year running.”

Charles Thwaites, Executive Director of FSC UK said, “Kimberly-Clark’s commitment to use FSC-certified pulp in its Kleenex tissues sold in the UK is very encouraging news, particularly as the many thousands of tons of pulp required are now guaranteed to come from forests that are checked against our rigorous standards as being responsibly managed.”

As one of the world’s leading health and hygiene companies, Kimberly-Clark is committed to improving the well-being of people around the globe. This commitment is reflected in Kimberly-Clark’s ongoing effort to pursue sustainable business practices that protect the environment, conserve natural resources and serve the need of its employees, retail partners, consumers and communities.