Water Footprint

The impact of water insecurity and water scarcity is felt across our value chain, from the sources of our fiber to the facilities that create our products to the communities where our employees and consumers live. This increasing impact on our communities and our planet led us to elevate the issue’s importance in Kimberly-Clark’s sustainability strategy for 2030.

As we look to 2030, relentlessly pursuing short-term milestones and making meaningful improvements in our own operations, in our surrounding communities, and in our supply chain will help us achieve our long-term aspirations for sustainable water use.

Although a global challenge, addressing water stress is inherently a local issue. Our strategy maximizes the benefit we can drive by targeting the majority of our efforts towards regions at greatest risk and customizing our approach and ambition for the specific needs of each water basin.

We developed a methodology that engages holistic, private-public groups composed of local government, NGOs, and business to review scientific assessments of the watershed's challenges, share best practices and approaches, and implement solutions that drive economic, social, and environmental value at the community and watershed level.

We recognize the need for strong water stewardship practices within our supply chain and are helping suppliers apply the methodology we’ve developed for our own operations to their facilities. By working with suppliers to set and achieve sustainable water use targets for their facilities in water-stressed regions, we can magnify the impact of our efforts.