Kimberly-Clark proclaims its partnership with the US Plastics Pact
Kimberly-Clark is committed to addressing the social and environmental challenges of the next decade with commitments to improve the lives and wellbeing of one billion people in underserved communities around the world with the lowest environmental footprint
Kimberly-Clark announced that it will join the US Plastics Pact, a collaborative, solution-oriented initiative based on four ambitious goals that aim to drive significant system change by unifying different cross-sectoral approaches, defining a national strategy and creating scalable solutions to a path after Leading the Way to a Circular Plastics Economy in the United States by 2025.
The US pact, the first North American pact of its kind, is a collaboration led by The Recycling Partnership, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Under the US Plastics Pact, the company and its trusted brands are including Kleenex, Cottonelle and Hugs Join more than 70 brands, retailers, NGOs and government agencies along the plastics value chain for a voice for US packaging through coordinated initiatives and innovative solutions to rethink products, packaging and business models.
"We strive to be at the forefront of the transition to a circular economy and to find new ways to give consumers the products they need," said Kim Underhill, president of Kimberly-Clark's North American Consumer Business. "We understand that getting there will require breakthrough innovation and we know we can rise to the challenge of doing more by joining the US Plastics Pact."
As the founding activator of the U.S. Plastics Pact, Kimberly-Clark has agreed to work together to achieve these four ambitious goals across the U.S. business in line with the company's 2030 strategy and goals.
By 2021, define a list of packaging that should be classified as problematic or unnecessary and take action to eliminate it by 2025. By 2025, ensure that all plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable. Take ambitious measures by 2025 to effectively recycle or compost 50% of plastic packaging. By 2025, the average content of recycled or responsible bio-based ingredients in plastic packaging will be 30%.
The US Plastics Pact complements and follows the ambitious precedents of the existing global network of plastics pacts, but is tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges of the US market. The pact will reflect national priorities and realities while bringing the nation closer to other industrialized nations in terms of plastic waste disposal.
"Together through the US Plastics Pact, we will initiate the system change to accelerate progress towards a circular economy," said Sarah Dearman, Vice President of Circular Ventures for The Recycling Partnership.
“The US Compact will accelerate system-wide change by inspiring and supporting upstream innovation through a coordinated national strategy, creating a unified framework, and enabling members to accelerate progress toward our ambitious 2025 sustainability goals. The full participation of members will be crucial to achieving our common goals. "
Achieving this vision requires a new level of accountability in all areas of the plastics supply chain. The US Plastics Pact emphasizes measurable change, and as such, Kimberly-Clark is committed to transparent annual reporting, conducted by WWF's ReFource: Plastic Footprint Tracker, which is used to document annual progress toward our four goals.
The first task of the founding activators of the US Plastics Pact is to create a "roadmap" in the first quarter of 2021 to identify key milestones and national solutions to achieve the US goals and achieve a circular economy in which plastics will never be Waste becomes.
In addition to joining the U.S. Plastics Pact, Kimberly-Clark recently announced its new sustainability strategy and goals for 2030, which aim to meet the social and environmental challenges of the next decade and to commit to the lives and wellbeing of one billion People in underserved communities make the world a better place with the lowest ecological footprint.
Kimberly-Clark understands that a strong and ongoing focus on the smallest footprint is just as important in helping people live better lives. To do this, the company is focusing on the areas where it can make the most difference – climate, forests, water and plastics.
