Greenpeace applauds Kleenex manufacturer Kimberly-Clark, the world’s largest tissue product manufacturer, for committing to reduce its impact on natural forests by 50%. By switching to alternatives fibres such as bamboo, kenaf and agricultural residues, the company will use less pulp from natural forests such as the Canadian Boreal Forest. With this commitment, to be implemented by 2025, the company will use 375,000 tonnes less pulp from natural forests.

From 2004-2009 Greenpeace waged a global campaign against Kimberly-Clark because of their sourcing from the Boreal forests and rainforests in Canada. In 2009, Kimberly-Clark announced a new procurement policy. "Taking pressure off of natural forests is a key measure to helping the world’s remaining forests and curbing deforestation and degradation. If done right, Kimberly-Clark’s innovative practices could be groundbreaking and potentially set a new high bar for other companies to meet - said Richard Brooks, of Greenpeace - We applaud Kimberly-Clark on this initiative."

Greenhouse gas emissions associated with deforestation of the Amazon and Indonesia are one of the leading causes of global warming. In Canada, degradation of forests such as the Boreal Forest through unsustainable forestry, has led to the endangerment of such wildlife as woodland caribou and wolverine.

"For a company of the size of Kimberly-Clark to make this type of move, when it has been using fibre from forests for nearly a hundred years, is a big deal - said Brooks - This could be the beginning of a reimagining of the global pulp and paper industry."

The company has begun to test market products containing wheat and bamboo fibres in both North America and Europe.