Kimberly-Clark Corp.

Kimberly-Clark is a US-based company known for personal care and tissue products, such as Huggies, Kleenex, Cottonelle, Scott, and Kotex brands. Due to the nature of production, which includes water in the process of manufacturing, transporting, and cleaning, water use plays a significant role in the company's ESG performance.

The company sets a sustainability performance target for water use at risk sites: "Continuing to reduce water consumption at water stressed facilities." In 2025, the company updated the list of water-risk sites to understand the risks better at different locations, including water scarcity, poor quality, and access to water. Instead of being a global perspective on water use, the company set its sights on the water intensity of each site and the water risk in the particular area.

Its main sustainability performance outcome related to water is an ongoing effort to "reduce water consumption in manufacturing processes at water stressed facilities." Kimberly-Clark's progress towards its water sustainability performance targets reflects well on its ESG performance. The data presented in the withdrawal table demonstrate that the company has effectively reduced water intensity by 45% since 2015. For instance, the number of withdrawn liters, measured in megaliters (Ml), has decreased from 13,034 in 2015 to 7,760 in 2025. Furthermore, the company's distribution between surface water, groundwater, and third-party withdrawals has seen a decrease over the years. Nevertheless, the company faced three water-related incidents in 2025, which have increased the consumption of water.

The company has implemented its wastewater management program that focuses on reusing and recycling water to make sure that the discharge meets regulatory and business requirements. Unfortunately, the sustainability report reveals no information on the number of liters reused within the company and its water intensity. Moreover, there is a 4.5% inconsistency between the given 45% reduction in water usage and the data provided in the withdrawal table, which states a 40.5% reduction.