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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
4.26.2006 ET
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Kimberly-Clark Releases Third Annual Sustainability Report
Significant Progress Made in Economic, Environmental and Social Arenas;
Company Concludes Its Vision 2005 Environmental Program
(CSRwire) DALLAS - Reflecting its ongoing commitment to creating sustainable
growth and shareholder value, Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) today released
its 2005 Sustainability Report, available on-line at http://www.kimberly-clark.com/aboutus/Sustainability2005.
The report details the company's major achievements in economic,
environmental and social areas and outlines plans for continued progress
in the future.
Last year, Kimberly-Clark concluded its Vision 2005 environmental
program, the second phase of a 10-year sustainability effort. In the
process, the company improved energy efficiency by 19 percent and water
use efficiency by 29 percent and also reduced the amount of solid waste
sent to landfills by 30 percent. This was accomplished while reducing
costs by approximately $150 million on an annual basis compared with costs
in 2000. The company has established even more ambitious goals for its
next phase, called Vision 2010, which will be announced later in 2006.
"Sustainability considerations touch our business on a number of
fronts," said Thomas J. Falk, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Kimberly-Clark. "In order to achieve our business goals and mission of
enhancing the health, hygiene and well-being of people every day,
everywhere, we must understand the major economic, environmental and
social issues facing our company and the communities in which we live and
work."
Kimberly-Clark made significant progress in attaining the goals set
forth in its sustainability initiatives. Accomplishments in 2005 led to
recognition by several prestigious sustainability organizations and
further enhanced Kimberly-Clark's strong positive record in this area.
Highlights include:
Kimberly-Clark being ranked No. 1 among personal care companies in
the 2006 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. Of the 2,500 largest
companies worldwide, only about 10 percent qualify for inclusion in this
prestigious Index.
K-C earned the highest scores in its sector for a number of criteria,
including corporate governance, environmental and social reporting, and
environmental management systems.
Kimberly-Clark becoming the first tissue company to commit to using
only virgin wood pulp from suppliers that had certified their forestlands
or wood fiber procurement activities to an internationally recognized
standard. Since only about 7 percent of the world's forests are
certified, this means K-C restricts its purchases of virgin fiber to that
small portion of the world's woodlands where Sustainable Forestry
Management practices have been independently confirmed.
The company being invited to join the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development. This membership broadens Kimberly-Clark's
perspective on the many ways it can contribute to global sustainable
development solutions, as it opens the door to collaborate and consult
with peer companies and many other sectors of society.
K-C being among only 33 corporations receiving the highest corporate
governance score in a survey of 3,200 global companies by Government
Metrics International, a corporate governance research and ratings
agency.
Kimberly-Clark and its employees contributing approximately $28
million to global charitable organizations, and donating more than $2.5
million worth of product, primarily to disaster relief for victims of the
South Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
"I'm proud of the important progress we have shown in improving the
sustainability of our products and processes and in supporting our
diverse, global team in contributing to communities where we operate,"
said Falk. "Our future plan is quite simple: Carry forward the momentum
we've created in making sustainability a critical component of doing
business at Kimberly-Clark."
About Kimberly-Clark's 2005 Sustainability Report
In compiling the report, Kimberly-Clark relied on the Global Reporting
Initiative's 2002 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, feedback from
various organizations, as well as internal and external stakeholder
insights.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable
part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion
people - nearly a quarter of the world's population - trust K-C brands and
the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and
well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex
and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more
than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more
about the company's 134-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com.
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