CorpComms Magazine

Tissue maker Kimberly-Clark has announced a new environmental fibre policy that governs how it will help conserve forests and support sustainable forestry. 

The moves follows a five year campaign 'Kleercut', orchestrated by environmental charity Greenpeace, that demanded Kimberly-Clark stopped destroying ancient woodland, such as Canada's Boreal Forest.

Kimberly-Clark has set a goal of obtaining 100 per cent of its wood fibre for tissue brands, including Kleenex, from environmentally responsible sources. Within two years, Kimberly-Clark will also ensure that 40 per cent of its North American tissue fibre, which represents an estimated 600,000 tonnes, is either recycled or carries certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This represents a 70 per cent increase on 2007 levels. It has also agreed to eliminate any fibre from Canada's Boreal Forest that is not FSC certified. 

The new standards also reinforce Kimberly-Clark's long standing ban on the use of wood fibre from illegal sources and supports the expansion of recycling initiatives. 

The Boreal Forest  forms part of one of the world's biggest ecosystems and supports thousands of species of plants, mammals, birds and insects, including the endangered woodland caribou and bald and golden eagles. Its trees and peatlands comprise one of the world's largest carbon reservoirs, storing an estimated 186 billion tonnes of carbon, or more than 27 years' worth of greenhouse has emissions.

Suhas Apte, vice president of environmental, energy, safety, quality and sustainability at Kimberly-Clark, said: 'It is our belief that certified primary wood fibre and recycled fibre can both be used in an environmentally responsible way and can provide the product performance that customers and consumers expect from our well-known tissue brands.'

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet