Kimberly-Clark and Greenpeace forge deal to save forests

Kimberly-Clark is the company behind brands like Kleenex and Cottonelle, and it has just agreed to source at least 40% of its North American tissue fiber from “environmentally responsible sources”. That means a reduction in cutting down trees in old growth forests including North America’s largest, the Boreal.

That’s a good thing, and something Greenpeace has worked for since 2004 with its Kleercut campaign which sought to pressure Kimberly-Clark into doing business sustainably through a series of efforts that raised public awareness. Sometimes things change quickly though, and with Kimberly-Clark’s agreement to move toward sustainability Greenpeace has quickly removed much of its reputation-damaging content from its web sites.

Beyond that, Greenpeace has teamed up with the company to build out its plan to eventually source 100% its fiber from “environmentally responsible sources”. Suhas Apte, President of Environment, Energy, Safety, Quality and Sustainability at Kimberly-Clark says:

We are committed to using environmentally responsible wood fiber and today's announcement enhances our industry-leading practices in this area. It is our belief that certified primary wood fiber and recycled fiber 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. We commend Greenpeace for helping us develop more sustainable standards. According to a company press release.

This seems to be a much more amicable transition than Greenpeace’s recent stunt with HP, where it painted “Hazardous Products” in gigantic letters on top of a company building. This peaceable solution couldn’t come at a better time for the sometimes aggressive organization.

But what does “environmentally responsible sources” mean? Essentially Kimberly-Clark will be buying fiber from sources that are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. The FSC has 10 main criteria to follow for companies that want to earn its certification, and thereafter each site is subject to a year inspection to ensure ongoing compliance.

Overall this is a step in the right direction, and congrats to Greenpeace for keeping up the pressure for so long!