Kimberly-Clark Corp. has promoted Lisa Morden to chief sustainability officer, the consumer products giant announced.
Here are four things to know about Kimberly-Clark's business focus and sustainability strategy, and Morden's experience.
1. Business Scope and Scale: Kimberly-Clark, founded in 1872, is based in Irving, Texas. The company's key brands include Huggies, Kleenex and plenty more. Net sales were $5.1 billion in Q1 of 2024, down 1% from Q1 of 2023. The company has roughly 44,000 employees.
2. Sustainability Milestones: The company as of 2023 achieved an absolute reduction in operational (Scope 1 and 2) GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions of 40.9% towards its goal of a 50% reduction by 2030, and a 10.4% energy efficiency improvement over its 2015 baseline.
3. Lisa Morden's Experience: New Chief Sustainability Officer Lisa Morden previously was VP of safety, sustainability and occupational health. She joined Kimberly-Clark Professional in 2008, moved to Kimberly Clark Corp. in 2012, and has earned promotions from manager and director and VP ahead of taking on the CSO role.
4. Executive Perspectives: In a prepared statement, Morden said: "We are proud of our progress and, in 2023, we continued to address challenges associated with single-use plastics, carbon emissions, and water use in our operations and value chain, while working to decrease forest reliance and increasing our use of renewable energy. We recognize that there are still challenges and opportunities ahead and we remain dedicated to supporting a more sustainable future for all."
Chief Sustainability Officers: Why Technology Partners Should Care
By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.
The bottom line: Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO customer needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.