Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a U.S.-based multinational specializing in personal care and hygiene products, with flagship brands including Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex, Depend, and Scott. Operating in over 175 countries, it dominates key household and health-related categories worldwide. The company maintains a direct commercial presence in Israel through its 2015 full acquisition of Hogla-Kimberly, now Kimberly-Clark Israel. Historically, its supply chain also included Avgol Industries, a nonwoven fabric supplier tied to production in the West Bank’s Barkan settlement zone until operations there ceased in 2019–2020.

Beyond its political entanglements, Kimberly-Clark has been repeatedly criticized for labor and environmental violations across its global footprint. Allegations of forced labor in Malaysian glove suppliers (Brightway Group) have led to litigation and NGO scrutiny, while watchdogs have flagged systemic wage and safety violations in supplier factories across Asia.

Environmentally, the company was long targeted by Greenpeace’s “Kleercut” campaign for reliance on old-growth and endangered forests, prompting forest-sourcing reforms between 2007–2011. Despite updated standards and a 2024 Forest, Land & Agriculture Policy, Kimberly-Clark continues to face lawsuits over PFAS contamination, plastics pollution, and biodiversity impacts linked to its sourcing and packaging practices.