Kimberly-Clark Corporation has launched a proprietary technology platform that transforms a low-water succulent plant into a sustainable material for its personal care products.
Developed over two decades of materials research, the initiative aims to reduce the consumer goods manufacturer’s dependence on traditional wood pulp and forest-based raw materials.
After evaluating more than 70 different plants for their affordability and effectiveness, scientists selected hesperaloe, a succulent that thrives in dry, desert regions like the Southwestern US.
To support the commercial scaling of this patented process, the company is building a specialised pilot production facility in Yuma, Arizona. They have also partnered with local farmers, researchers, and city officials in California and Arizona to explore the possibility of growing this crop year-round.
Cultivating hesperaloe requires less water than conventional crops in the region, which will help conserve local water resources.
“This represents an exciting moonshot for Kimberly-Clark and the culmination of more than two decades of materials and plant science expertise,” said Craig Slavtcheff, chief research and development officer at Kimberly-Clark.
“We have developed a highly proprietary technology platform rooted in alternative fibre research and believe that these novel natural fibres will form our next great materials platform – an innovation with the potential to reshape the hygiene category.”
While testing is still underway, the company plans to gradually use this new plant material in its main tissue and personal hygiene products to protect its business against fluctuating wood and timber prices.
“Our Alternative Natural Fibre program is an example of our Powering Care strategy in motion and how we are pushing the boundaries of what we can deliver to consumers to meaningfully enhance how they experience products they rely on every day,” said Jeff Melucci, chief strategy, business development, and administrative officer at Kimberly-Clark.
“We are energised by all the ways this promising innovation can reset the standards in our product categories, while delivering the care consumers seek from us and ongoing value to our shareholders.”
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