Kimberly-Clark Joins Sustainability Consortium

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas today announced that Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) has joined the Sustainability Consortium at the founding member level. The consortium is jointly administered by the University of Arkansas and Arizona State University. Kimberly-Clark is home to some of the most recognizable brands in the world, including Kleenex, Huggies, Depend, Kotex, Poise, Pull-Ups, Andrex, Scott and Cottonelle. 

“Kimberly-Clark is excited to join the Sustainability Consortium and shares a strong commitment to increasing global sustainability awareness and action,” said Suhas Apte, vice president of global sustainability at Kimberly-Clark. “Joining the consortium provides a tremendous opportunity for us to share our sustainability experiences and to learn from the experiences of others."

“Kimberly-Clark believes strongly in developing and improving sustainable practices to reduce the environmental impact of their products and operations,” said Jon Johnson, co-director of the consortium and executive director of the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas. “We strive to learn from leaders in every field, and the consortium will benefit greatly from this new relationship.”

The Sustainability Consortium is a partnership of researchers from leading global universities, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies. The consortium’s initial goal is to establish credible, transparent and user-friendly scientific standards to measure the sustainability of consumer products. At the core of its charge, the consortium will develop scientifically grounded tools to create life-cycle inventories and analysis for thousands of products that are manufactured and used in geographies around the globe. This transparent database will eventually allow retailers and consumers the ability to examine one product against another in a variety of areas. The analysis will factor standardized data beginning with the acquisition of the raw materials, the manufacturing process and distribution channels, consumer use and post-use.

Additionally, the consortium will provide decision and policymakers with a broader understanding of how new and innovative organizational strategies and technologies can assist in meeting various environmental, economic and national security goals.

Kimberly-Clark is a leading global health and hygiene company employing nearly 53,000 people worldwide and posting sales of $19.4 billion in 2008. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with operations in 35 countries, Kimberly-Clark’s global brands are sold in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people trust Kimberly-Clark products and the solutions they provide to make their lives better. The company’s brands hold the No. 1 or No. 2 share position globally in more than 80 countries. For more information on Kimberly-Clark or its sustainability efforts, please visit www.kimberly-clark.com.

For more information about the Sustainability Consortium, visit: www.sustainabilityconsortium.org; for a list of the consortium’s corporate, non-governmental organizations and agency partners, visit: www.sustainabilityconsortium.org/partners.