Feature story - 14 April, 2009
What’s it take to get the makers of Kleenex to protect forests as vigilantly as they protect profits? Kimberly-Clark, the parent company of Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle, and Viva, will be holding its annual shareholder meeting in Dallas at the end of April 2009, and we plan to be there to push for forest protection.
Kleenex - wiping away Canadian forests, one sheet of toilet paper at a time
In the run up to the meeting, we’ll be focusing a lot of attention on Kimberly-Clark's destructive business practices, starting with a video entitled "What’s inside your box of Kleenex?"
The answer, of course, is that every box of Kleenex is filled with ancient forests.
Kimberly-Clark doesn’t use recycled content in most of its consumer paper products, and the “What’s inside your box of Kleenex?”video shows just how much forest destruction Kimberly-Clark is packing into every box.
Tissue Guide provides consumers with alternatives to Kimberly-Clark’s forest destruction.
We released the Greenpeace Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide in February to help consumers find alternatives to Kimberly-Clark’s forest-destroying products. The story was picked up by the New York Times, The Guardian and other media outlets.
Kimberly-Clark continues to wipe away ancient forests to make disposable products because the company does not have a comprehensive plan for protecting forests. The company itself has admitted that recycled fiber can provide “the product softness and quality consumers have come to expect from the Kleenex brand.”
So why doesn't Kimberly-Clark have a plan that ensures it's not buying any virgin fiber from the Boreal or any other endangered forests?
Kimberly-Clark’s annual shareholder meeting brings executives, boardmembers, and shareholders together to chart a course for the company over the next year. It is the most important meeting Kimberly-Clark holds, so we plan on sending a strong message about protecting forests. You can help get that message through, and let Kimberly-Clark know it's time they made forest protection as integral to their plans as profit protection.
Take action
Send a letter to Kimberly-Clark and let them know that you'll only use recycled products, like those found in our tissue guide, until they cleans up their act.
Donate
Greenpeace can criticize companies like Kimberly-Clark because we don't take money from Kimberly-Clark. In fact, we take no money from any corporations or governments, to ensure that independence. That means we rely on small donations from people like you. Please donate whatever you can.