Our fiber procurement policy
Our goal is to purchase 100 percent of our wood fiber from
suppliers that gain independent certification for their woodlands
or their fiber procurement activities, with a preference for
FSC-certified fiber. By the end of 2010, we were more than 98
percent on our way to achieving our goal.
We strive to maximize our use of environmentally responsible
wood fiber consistent with product performance and competitive
market conditions and have identified five internationally
recognized sustainable forestry schemes to qualify our virgin wood
suppliers. The certification systems we recognize are:
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). We give preference to wood
fiber from FSC-certified suppliers where it is available and meets
product performance requirements and competitive market
conditions.
- Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI)
- Canadian Standards Association's National Sustainable Forest
Management Standards (CSA)
- Sistema Brasileiro de Certificação Florestal (CERFLOR) in
Brazil
- Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes
(PEFC)
This philosophy also led to our announcement of even more
stringent fiber sourcing standards. We set new goals for
ourselves, established a new sustainability standard for the tissue
industry, and created a new relationship with Greenpeace. The noted
environmental protection group worked with us on our revised
standards.
We also added more sustainability safeguards to our
industry-leading fiber procurement policy, which included
reinforcing our long-standing ban on use of wood fiber from illegal
sources and, in addition to our preference for FSC-certified fiber,
focusing on post-consumer recycled fiber. The safeguards encourage
recycling initiatives and support the identification, mapping and
protection of areas with potential for designation as endangered or
high-conservation value forests.
We will not knowingly use wood fiber from illegally harvested
timber or special forest areas, such as primary tropical
rainforests, endangered forests, high conservation value forests
and any areas protected by government authorities. For definitions
of special forest areas and environmentally responsible fiber,
please refer to the complete policy.
In June 2011, Kimberly-Clark announced it expanded its
membership in the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), a World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative to eliminate illegal logging and
conserve the world's most valuable and threatened forests, to
include its worldwide operations. Building on its existing GFTN
membership in North America and the United Kingdom,
Kimberly-Clark's participation scope now includes all wood fibers
sourced for all of the company's products in the Personal
Care, Consumer Tissue and professional divisions sold globally.
Founded in 1991, the GFTN is a partnership between WWF and
business that promotes responsible management of the world's
forests. Members commit to sourcing forest products sustainably and
to tracing wood fiber back to the forest
source. Kimberly-Clark has worked with WWF to improve
traceability throughout the supply chain, raised awareness with
suppliers, customers and consumers on the topic of responsible
fiber sourcing, and provided funding to map high conservation
forests in Indonesia.
