Starting any new job at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge, but for Susan Gambardella–the president of Kimberly-Clark Professional North America – her top priorities were taking care of her team members as well as the essential heroes in the commercial cleaning industry who use Kimberly-Clark Professional’s trusted brands to keep others safe.  

The impact of water stress is felt across Kimberly-Clark’s value chain, from its fiber sources to its manufacturing facilities to the communities where its employees and consumers live and work.

The company’s Askar manufacturing facility in Bahrain is in one of the most water-stressed regions in the world. Empowered by Kimberly-Clark’s 2030 goal to reduce its water footprint by 50%, and driven by the increasing cost of water, the team at the facility was determined to figure out how to use every drop of fresh water, responsibly and efficiently.

When Vani Malik joined Kimberly-Clark as the general manager for our Nigeria operations last summer, she didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic stop her from accelerating Kimberly-Clark’s efforts to tackle major obstacles that mothers and girls face in Nigeria.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and most populated country, with one of the highest birth rates in the world – more than 6 million babies are born every year. Kimberly-Clark has invested $100 million to date in this strategic market, including a new diaper manufacturing facility that will open this year.

Following the release of its 2030 ambitions last year to halve its environmental impact, Kimberly-Clark improved its ranking to 34th on Barron’s 2021 list of 100 Most Sustainable Companies.