Kimberly-Clark turns away from 'natural' trees to make toilet paper. The maker of hygiene products under the Scott, Kotex, Kleenex and Huggies brands will source fiber from a low-water, native U.S. plant. Key Takeaways: * Kimberly-Clark has tested more than 70 regenerative natural fibers to replace wood pulp. * The company cut fiber use from "natural forests" by 50 percent from a 2011 baseline year. * Procter & Gamble and Georgia Pacific are also researching non-wood fiber alternatives. Two years after making a "natural forest-free" paper sourcing commitment, Kimberly-Clark is building a manufacturing plant to scale its use of hesperaloe, one of 70 regenerative natural fibers it has tabbed as an alternative to wood pulp. The consumer products company hasn't declared a deadline for its "natural forest-free" pledge - beyond saying it will be after 2030 - but it achieved a 50 percent reduction in fiber use from natural forests in 2025 compared with a 2011 baseline, according to its 2025 sustainability report. Kimberly-Clark's definition of "natural forests" encompasses old-growth trees and those that naturally generate, mostly in boreal or temperate climates. The company used pulp certified under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) guidelines for 77 percent of its virgin fiber purchases. But, while FSC-certified sources will make up the bulk of the company's purchases for some time, it is also betting on hesperaloe, a low-water succulent that is native to the southwest United States. Kimberley-Clark is building a facility in Yuma, Arizona, to scale the supply of hesperaloe available for its toilet paper, tissues, diapers and feminine hygiene products, which it sells under the Scott, Kleenex, Huggies and Kotex brands. "While testing continues, we are optimistic about early results and believe this material will provide curve-bending performance in our products while strengthening our long-term growth and supply chain resilience and accelerating our journey toward a future less dependent on traditional fiber sources," said Craig Slavtcheff, chief research and development officer at Kimberly-Clark. The company is also developing alternative sources using fiber from wheat straw, sugar cane and sorghum, among other plants. It has spent roughly $250 million over the past decade on research. "This is just the beginning but signals a potentially market-shifting breakthrough," said Shelley Vinyard, director of global nature at the Natural Resources Defense Council, "If Kimberly-Clark can scale up production of this fiber sustainably and without displacing other native ecosystems, this could alleviate significant pressure on the forests currently used to make tissue products." Smaller hygiene product brands are already leaning into alternative fiber sources. One example: Paddy Paper, which launches Aug. 25 and uses leftover straw from rice, the world's third-largest food crop. Presently, an estimated 220 billion pounds of rice straw are burned annually. The big consumer products companies have been slower to embrace new sources. P&G talks up its forest certification initiatives and has tested limited bamboo versions of its products. More recently, it committed another $20 million to finding non-wood fiber alternatives. Georgia Pacific uses bast fibers including hemp and jute, although not for its bathroom tissue lines. Other progress. In addition to its 2025 paper sourcing milestone, Kimberly-Clark said it cut the absolute greenhouse gas emissions from its operations (Scope 1) and purchased electricity (Scope 2) by 46 percent since its 2015 baseline year, well on the way to the 50 percent reduction it has pledged to meet by 2030. These categories account for roughly 30 percent of the company's overall emissions. The footprint of indirect activities (Scope 3) was reduced by 16 percent. Kimberly-Clark's target for 2030 is 20 percent for emissions from two Scope 3 categories: purchased goods and services, and end-of-life treatment of sold products. Get real case studies, expert action steps and the latest sustainability trends in a concise morning email. Heather Clancy's articles have appeared in Entrepreneur, Fortune, The International Herald Tribune and The New York Times.

Vitas resigns as Moline city administrator. By: QCBJ News Staff | August 17, 2026 The City of Moline is looking for a new city administrator with the sudden resignation of Bob Vitas from that position. Mr. Vitas, who was administrator since 2021, resigned as of Friday, Aug. 14. He had been on paid administrative leave since Friday, Aug. 7, according to City of Moline officials. "We thank Bob Vitas for more than five years of consistent leadership and service to Moline, particularly in economic development and in building strong partnerships across the Quad Cities to move Moline forward," said Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati in a news release. "Bob helped stabilize our workforce, negotiate significant development deals and worked closely with the city council to turn a shared vision for Moline into action through our Strategic Plan. We appreciate his contributions to Moline and wish him well in his future endeavors." When he was hired five years ago, City of Moline officials praised Mr. Vitas for his decades of experience in the municipal planning sector, including economic development strengths, business attraction and retention, and urban planning. They pointed out that some of his accomplishments were the restructuring of the tax increment financing (TIF) district in Lake Zurich, Illinois; attraction of Walmart Corporation's New England distribution center to Lewiston, Maine; and attraction of Kimberly Clark Corporation's research and development center and a new manufacturing facility in Menasha, Wisconsin. In the recent news release, the City of Moline had this statement regarding the resignation: "The City consistently conducts an annual evaluation process for administrative leadership. As with any employment relationship, that process can lead to a range of outcomes, including a change in leadership. The City followed its established process in this case. We won't be discussing additional details related to personnel matters." Assistant City Administrator Barry Dykhuizen will serve as interim city administrator. He has 19 years of local government leadership experience, including the past four years as Moline's assistant city administrator. He previously served as city manager of Guttenberg, Iowa, and city administrator of Morrison, Illinois. Mr. Dykhuizen holds a master's degree in public service management from DePaul University, is an ICMA Credentialed Manager and holds an executive certificate in public leadership from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. "City operations and services will continue without interruption under (Mr.) Dykhuizen's leadership," according to a news release. The Moline City Council is responsible for appointing Moline's next city administrator and will begin that process immediately. In fact, the council is expected to approve a resolution to accept Mr. Vitas' resignation. That resolution is on the council's agenda for its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Kimberly-Clark promotes deputy GC to legal head role amid Kenvue acquisition. Suzana Blades replaces GC Grant McGee, who left to join Target in June 17 August 2026 Suzana Blades US personal care company Kimberly-Clark Corporation has promoted deputy general counsel for litigation Suzana Blades to the GC role, replacing Grant McGee who left the company back in June. Blades' elevation to GC comes as Kimberly-Clark completes its acquisition of US consumer health business Kenvue. She will take on her new role as GC of the combined business from 1 September, reporting to chief strategy, business development and administrative officer Jeff Melucci. She will also serve on the company's executive leadership team. Irving, Texas-based Kimberly-Clark owns household brand names including Kleenex, Andrex and Huggies nappies. Advertisement Mike Hsu, chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark, said: "Serving as general counsel at one of the most transformational moments in Kimberly-Clark's history requires a rare combination of global legal expertise and leadership, a deep understanding of our business, sound judgement and grit. "Suzana is that kind of leader. Over nearly four years at Kimberly-Clark, she has helped advance our 'Powering Care' strategy while earning the trust and respect of colleagues across the company. I am confident she will play a critical part in our work to build a new kind of health and wellness company focused on raising the standard of care for billions of people around the world." Blades has been deputy GC for litigation since joining the company in 2022, with her most recent remit also including government relations, legal operations and serving as GC for the company's Natural Solutions business. As deputy GC for litigation, she oversaw the company's global disputes and investigations matters, as well as advising on public policy and government affairs. LAW OVER BORDERS COMPARATIVE GUIDES Fashion Law Guide Fashion Law Over Borders Comparative Guide brings together leading fashion and intellectual property lawyers to provide a comprehensive analysis of the legal landscape shaping today's global fashion industry... | 4mos. She was previously managing counsel for commercial litigation and arbitration at ConocoPhillips for more than a decade. She also spent a year as a contract lawyer at Hess Corporation, having started her career in private practice at Arnold & Porter. Melucci said: "Suzana is a well-rounded leader with deep international experience, a relentless drive to win and a passion for developing people and building high-performing teams. Combined with her strong commitment to Kimberly-Clark's purpose and values, she is exceptionally well positioned to lead the legal organisation through this transformational period." McGee, meanwhile, exited in June to become chief legal officer at US retail giant Target. He rejoined Kimberly-Clark in February 2024 as GC from American Airlines, where he was deputy GC. He replaced CLO Melucci, who at the time had transitioned to chief business and transformation officer. McGee had previously worked at Kimberly-Clark for seven years until 2020, latterly as senior deputy GC.