Kimberly-Clark Australia
OVERALL |
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Owned |
USA |
Rating |
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Personal paper products
In 2019 they closed down its Sydney manufacturing site with production moved to Asia. They still operate a manufacturing site in South Australia.
Company Ownership
Kimberly-Clark Australia Pty Ltd | AUS | website | ||||
Kimberly-Clark Corporation ![]() owns 100% of Kimberly-Clark Australia Pty Ltd |
USA | website | ||||
Personal paper products World's #1 maker of personal paper products. A five year boycott call by Greenpeace ended in 2009 when Kimberly-Clark released a new environmental policy. |
Company Assessment
PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
Kimberly-Clark Australia Pty Ltd | ||||
This company received a packaging performance level of 4 (Leading) in its 2023 APCO Annual Report. Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is a not-for-profit organisation leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. Each year, APCO Members are required to submit an APCO Annual Report and Action Plan, which includes an overall performance level from 1 (Getting Started) to 5 (Beyond Best Practice).
Source: APCO (2023) |
The Federal Court has ordered this company to pay a penalty of $200,000 for misleading consumers by falsely representing on its website that its Kleenex Cottonelle 'flushable cleansing cloths' were made in Australia, when they were actually made in Germany, South Korea or the UK. In the same case, the Court dismissed the major aspect of the ACCC's case about whether the wipes were suitable to be flushed down the toilet, finding the company had not made false and misleading claims about the flushabilty of the wipes. These findings were upheld by the Full Federal Court on appeal.
Source: ACCC (2021) |
Named and shamed in the 2013 CHOICE Shonky Awards for shrinking its Kleenex Mansize tissues by almost 14%, while trying to reassure us that they're still "big, strong two-ply tissues you love, just in a smaller box". Yet the wording is clever: we're not getting the same big, strong tissues we love â just big strong tissues in general.
Source: Choice (2013)
Named and shamed in the 2015 CHOICE Shonky Awards for claims its kids' flushable wipes disintegrate "like toilet paper", which would be great ... except they don't. Wipe-related damage to Australian water services is estimated at $15 million and growing.
Source: Choice (2015)
This company won the 2013 FSC Supplier of the Year Award from the Forest Stewardship Council Australia Excellence Awards. These awards reward organisations that exemplify the spirit and intent of the FSC system through their management practices, contribution and promotion of FSC Certification and products.
Source: FSC Australia (2013)
This company worked with WWF from 2011 to 2018 to source the timber-based fibre used to make its tissue and towel products from forests that have been certified as sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC label tells consumers that a timber or paper product is from a well-managed forest. This work was carried out through WWF's Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN), which Kimberly-Clark Australia-NZ joined in 2010.
Source: WWF Australia (2018)
This company holds Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Certification, and sells products certified as FSC Mix and FSC 100%.
Source: FSC (2023)
This company is listed by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) as a Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation holder. The citation is designed to encourage, recognise and promote active commitment to achieving gender equality in Australian workplaces.
Source: WGEA (2022)
This company has a number of sustainability claims on its website including a stated commitment to reducing the impact of their environmental footprint, and an outline of their Sustainability 2015 Goals.
Source: company website (2014)
This company became a participant in the Australian chapter of the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN) in 2010. The Global Forest and Trade Network seeks to mainstream the principles of responsible forest management and sustainable trade throughout the global forest products industry, by providing technical assistance and fostering linkages between committed companies. Independent forest certification is a key tool in this process.
Source: WWF (2019)
Human Rights Law Centre's 2022 report, "Broken Promises: Two years of corporate reporting under Australia's Modern Slavery Act", examines statements submitted to the Government's Modern Slavery Register by 92 companies sourcing from four sectors with known risks of modern slavery: garments from China, rubber gloves from Malaysia, seafood from Thailand and fresh produce from Australia. Modern slavery statements are analysed to see if they comply with the mandatory reporting requirements, identify or disclose obvious modern slavery risks, and demonstrate effective actions to address risks. This company's modern slavery disclosure statement received a rating in the 31-40% range. The average score was 44% and the highest score was 89%.
Source: Human Rights Law Centre (2022)
According to data released by the Australian Tax Office in Jan 2022, this company was one of many local and foreign-based companies that paid no tax in Australia in 2019-20. Please note however that companies pay income tax on profits, not revenue (total income). While some companies use tax havens and loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of tax in Australia, other companies that paid no tax have perfectly legitimate reasons.
Source: ATO (2022) |
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Kimberly-Clark Corporation | ||||
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of A-.
Source: CDP (2022)
America's Most Responsible Companies 2022 by Newsweek and Statista recognises the Top 500 most responsible companies in the United States. Companies were evaluated in three areas: environmental (waste, energy use, etc.), social (leadership diversity, employees and philanthropy) and governance (transparency and economic performance). This company received a total score of 84.4/100, ranking 7th in the Consumer Goods sector, and 57th overall.
Source: Newsweek (2021)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts towards removing commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation from its direct operations and supply chains. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Forests Score of B.
Source: CDP (2022)
This company is listed on the EPA Green Power Partnership website (USA) as using renewable energy for 55% of its organisation-wide electricity use in the USA.
Source: EPA (2023)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources. Responding companies are scored on six key metrics: transparency; governance & strategy; measuring & monitoring; risk assessment; targets & goals; and value chain engagement. This company received a CDP Water Security Score of B.
Source: CDP (2022)
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2023 rankings JUST Capital asked a representative sample of 3,002 Americans to compare 20 different business Issues on a head-to-head basis, producing a reliable hierarchy of Issues ranked in order of priority. Issues are organised under the headings Workers, Customers, Communities, the Environment, or Shareholders & Governance. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 220th of 951 companies, and 4th of 10 Personal Products companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2023) |
A 2019 report by two major environmental groups, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Stand.earth, rated companies on their efforts to source sustainable materials for their tissue products. This company received a rating of 'D'.
Source: NRDC (2019)
As You Sow's 2019 report, Mining the Disclosures, is a deep analysis of 215 companies' human rights performance in relation to sourcing conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This company's score was 49.3% (Minimal).
Source: As You Sow (2019)
In 2022 Kimberly-Clark agreed to pay out $20 million to U.S. consumers of its flushable wipes and their lawyers. The settlement ended claims made in a pair of class actions alleging its flushable wipes damage or clog pipes and septic systems.
Source: Top Class Actions (2022)
In 2019 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$47,328. The CEO was paid 254 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Source: AFL-CIO (2020)
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 29/100 in the Household Products category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 16 Dec 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022) |
In June 2011 Kimberly-Clark and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced the expansion of Kimberly-Clark's membership in the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), a WWF initiative to eliminate illegal logging and conserve the world's most valuable and threatened forests. Kimberly-Clark will now include its worldwide operations in the initiative, building on its existing GFTN membership in select countries. The participation scope now includes all wood fibres sourced for all of the company's products sold globally in the Personal Care, Consumer Tissue and Kimberly-Clark Professional businesses.
Source: WWF (2011)
As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: adopt a science-based emissions reduction target.
Source: We Mean Business (2021)
This company has a number of sustainability claims on its website built around the pillars of People, Planet, and Products.
Source: company website (2016)
This company is a Silver Member of the Sustainable Brands Network, the leading peer to peer, learning and networking group designed to support brands in meeting their sustainability goals and ultimately become those leaders of the next sustainable economy.
Source: Sustainable Brands (2018)
This company is a participant in WWF's Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN), which seeks to mainstream the principles of responsible forest management and sustainable trade throughout the global forest products industry, by providing technical assistance and fostering linkages between committed companies. Independent forest certification is a key tool in this process.
Source: WWF (2019)
This company is a signatory to the US Plastics Pact, a collaborative effort organized by The Recycling Partnership and the World Wildlife Fund, launched as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's global Plastics Pact network to unify diverse public-private stakeholders across the plastics value chain to rethink the way we design, use, and reuse plastics, to create a path forward to realize a circular economy for plastic in the United States. In line with the Ellen McArthur Foundation's vision of a circular economy for plastics, which unites more than 850+ organizations, the US Plastics Pact brings together companies, government entities, NGOs, researchers, and other stakeholders to work collectively toward scalable solutions tailored to the unique needs and challenges within the U.S. landscape, through vital knowledge sharing and coordinated action.
Source: US Plastics Pact (2023)
This company is a member of the Trash Free Seas Alliance, the oldest forum of its kind focused on innovative and pragmatic solutions to rid the ocean of plastic pollution and other forms of marine debris. Corporate members have collectively committed millions of dollars for research on ways to improve waste collection and recycling in parts of the world most impacted by ocean plastic pollution. Members have also pledged to eliminate or replace up to half a million tons of virgin plastic from products and packaging each year.
Source: Ocean Conservancy (2020)
This company is a member of How2Recycle. The How2Recycle Label is a voluntary, standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. Companies must be a member of the program to use the How2Recycle Label.
Source: How2Recycle (2023)
In 2022 after more than 170 nations backed a historic UN resolution to end plastic pollution, global businesses across the plastics value chain, financial institutions, and NGOs came together to announce a common vision for an effective and ambitious Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution. The vision will form the basis for future policy engagements with governments through a newly launched Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty which will be convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF. This company has endorsed the vision statement of the treaty.
Source: Global Plastics Treaty (2023)
Greenpeace's 'Kleercut' campaign against Kimberly-Clark began in 2004 and called for a boycott of the company for using pulp from clearcut ancient forests, including North America's Boreal forest. The boycott ended in 2009 when the company announced its Global Fibre Procurement Policy, highlights of which include: 1. Not use any fibre from the world's most ecologically sensitive forests areas, 2. Buy Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified fibre over any other virgin wood fibre, 3. Phase out its use of all pulp from Canada's Boreal Forest that is not FSC certified by 2012, 4. Increase its use of FSC and recycled fibre drastically over the next two years , 5. Buy post-consumer recycled fibre over pre-consumer recycled fibre, 6. Not use conflict wood or illegally harvest fibre.
Source: Greenpeace (2009)
As You Sow's 2021 Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard ranks companies on plastic packaging pollution. The study measures the progress of 50 large companies in the beverage, quick-service restaurant, consumer packaged goods, and retail sectors on six core pillars where swift action is needed to reduce plastic pollution: 1) Packaging Design, 2) Reusable Packaging, 3) Recycled Content, 4) Public Data Transparency, 5) Support for Recycling, and 6) Producer Responsibility. This company received a grade of C-
Source: As You Sow (2021)
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This company received a score of 43%.
Source: Forest 500 (2022)
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: company website (2016)
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
Source: Open Secrets (2020) |
Company Details
Type | Wholly-owned subsidiary |
Revenue | 962 million AUD (2018) |
Employees | 950 (2018) |
Aus Manufacturing | Yes |
Contact Details
Address | Level 4 Kimberley-Clark House, 52 Alfred St, Milsons Point, NSW, 2061, Australia |
Phone | 02 9963 8888 |
Freecall | 1800 028 334 |
Website | www.kca.com.au |
Products / Brands
Kimberly-Clark Australia
Delsey Toilet Paper Depend Incontinence Needs Dry Nites Nappies Huggies Baby Toiletries Huggies Nappies Huggies Baby Wipes Kleenex Tissues Kleenex Toilet Paper Kleenex Paper Towels Kleenex Toilet Paper (Commercial) |
Little Swimmers Nappies Poise Incontinence Needs Poise Feminine Hygiene Pull Ups Nappies Scott Toilet Paper (Commercial) Snugglers Nappies U by Kotex Feminine Hygiene Viva Paper Towels Viva Scourers, Sponges & Wipes |