Kimberly-Clark Corp., Irving, Texas, has introduced a research program focused on developing alternative natural fibers for hygiene products. Company researchers created a patented technology platform that transforms fibers from a rapidly renewable succulent plant into material intended to support product performance and sustainability goals.
“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 fiber research and believe that these novel natural fibers will form our next great materials platform — an innovation with the potential to reshape the hygiene category.”
Testing of the material is continuing. The company expects the program to reduce its dependence on traditional fiber sources while supporting supply-chain resilience and the development of differentiated hygiene products.
The initiative is part of Kimberly-Clark’s consumer-led innovation platform, through which the company invests in technologies intended to balance product performance, cost and resource stewardship.
