DALLAS, Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark has been recognized by Ethisphere for the third consecutive year as one of the 2021 World's Most Ethical Companies and a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

"Now more than ever, we must continue to foster our culture and values and empower each of our employees around the world to use their voice to bring issues to light and create positive change," said Jeff Melucci, Kimberly-Clark's Chief Transformation, Business Development and Legal Officer. "Sustained recognition by Ethisphere is a testament to our long-term commitment to the highest levels of ethics, business integrity and compliance."

"We take pride in conducting business with the highest ethics and an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing in all that we do," said Kurt Drake, Kimberly-Clark's Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer. "Our high expectations for compliance allow us to earn the continued trust of our consumers, customers, communities and shareholders."

Grounded in Ethisphere's proprietary Ethics Quotient®, the World's Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity and initiatives to support a strong value chain. The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organizations across industries and around the globe.

This year, the process was streamlined to include an expanded question set to gauge how applicants are adapting and responding to the global health pandemic, environmental, social, and governance factors, safety, equity, and inclusion and social justice.

"While addressing the tough challenges of 2020, we saw companies lead – above all other institutions – on earning the trust of stakeholders through resilience and a commitment to ethics and integrity," said Ethisphere CEO, Timothy Erblich. "The World's Most Ethical Companies honorees continue to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to the highest values and positively impacting the communities they serve. Congratulations to everyone at Kimberly-Clark for earning the World's Most Ethical Companies designation."

Kimberly-Clark is one of only four honorees in the Consumer Products industry. In 2021, Ethisphere recognized 135 honorees spanning 22 countries and 47 industries.

The full list of the 2021 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at:
https://www.worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees.

Learn more about Kimberly-Clark's commitment to ethics and compliance at:
https://www.kimberly-clark.com/responsibility/ethics-governance.

About the Ethisphere Institute
The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character and measure and improve culture. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World's Most Ethical Companies recognition program and provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA). More information about Ethisphere can be found at: https://ethisphere.com.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build stronger communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company's nearly 150-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.

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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corporation