Kimberly-Clark announces new water sustainability scheme

Kimberly-Clark has announced the debut of Water for Life, a new programme aimed at promoting the sustainable use and supply of water.

Launched in celebration of Earth Week, the new focus area is part of the company's Sustainability 2015 strategy and will see Kimberly-Clark collaborate with non-governmental organisations to provide clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education to communities around the world.

It is estimated that Kimberly-Clark uses 34 billion gallons of water per year, but returns 94 percent of the water it uses, carrying out related conservation projects in India, Israel and Spain last year.

Under the Water for Life scheme, the company hopes to return at least 200 million gallons, or the equivalent of more than 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools, in water-stressed areas around the world annually.

Suhas Apte, vice-president for global sustainability at Kimberly-Clark, said: "Water was chosen as a sustainability focus area, as the availability of potable water is a serious global issue and also has a significant impact on our business."

Last month, the Ethisphere Institute thinktank named Kimberly-Clark as one of the world's most ethical businesses.