Cleaning Up Kleenex

In a major industry breakthrough, Kimberly-Clark — manufacturer of Kleenex, Scott and Cottonelle tissue products — just announced that it has joined hands with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), setting a goal of obtaining 100 percent of its fiber from environmentally responsible sources. According to a press statement, "By the end of 2011, Kimberly-Clark will ensure that 40 percent of its North American tissue fiber — representing an estimated 600,000 tons — is either recycled or FSC-certified, an increase of 70 percent of 2007 levels." Moreover, by 2011, Kimberly-Clark will also end purchases of fibers from the uncertified Canadian Boreal forest.

"Today's announcement demonstrates Kimberly-Clark's commitment to the responsible use of wood fiber and reflects its industry-leading practices in this area," said Corey Brinkema, President FSC-US.These developments end the five-year Kleercut campaign, launched by Greenpeace in 2004, when activists began pressuring Kimberly-Clark to cease sourcing its fiber from the Canada's ancient Boreal forest.

"It takes 90 years to grow a box of Kleenex, but a few seconds to throw away a facial tissue," said Richard Brooks, Greenpeace Canada's forests campaigner, launching the campaign back in Nov. 2004. "Consumers need to know that when they buy Kleenex brand products, they are contributing to the clearcutting of one of the few remaining ancient forests in North America."

In 2003, Kimberly-Clark used 2.5 million metric tons of virgin fiber for its products. Only 19 percent of its pulp used in North America was recycled. Canada's Boreal region contains the biggest area of wetlands of anywhere in the world. The forest is a splendor of biodiversity and is home to a million aboriginal North Americans. According to Greenpeace, over 90 percent of the Boreal's southern frontier is being clear cut, with some of the clear cuts extending over 24,000 acres.

"We commend Greenpeace for helping us develop more sustainable standards," said Suhas Apte, vice president for the environmental arm of Kimberly-Clark. And a big hats-off to Kimberly-Clark, but despite their progressive move, other tissue makers continue to use virgin fiber derived from ancient forests in their products. In Sept. 2009, Kimberly-Clark products will bear the Forest Stewardship Council's certification logo for easy consumer identification.

Photos: top courtesy of Greenpeace/Calhoun. Bottom, courtesy of Greenpeace/Meenu Bhardwaj