Kimberly-Clark receives top marks for 2011 sustainability report

Kimberly-Clark has been granted an A-plus rating for its 2011 corporate sustainability report Full Circle from the not-for-profit organisation Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

The document – which outlined the company's progress towards its Sustainability 2015 action plan goals – earned this top rating after fulfilling all 79 indicators set out by GRI.

Some of the firm's 2011 achievements include sourcing 99.9 percent of its fibre from suppliers certified by sustainable forestry practices, generating 13 percent of sales from environmentally innovative products and accomplishing its goal of zero workplace deaths.

In this way, Kimberly-Clark has proven its commitment to enshrining sustainable business practices as a key element of its strategy.

Peggy Ward, director for sustainability strategy at Kimberly-Clark, said: "While we are proud of our 2011 progress and the quality level of our sustainability report, we recognise that sustainability is a journey that we will never complete."

Earlier this year, the firm made new pledges to make significant reductions to its forest fibre footprint, including sourcing at least 50 percent of wood fibre from alternative sources by 2025.