DALLAS, Nov. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark has been named one of America's Most JUST Companies for 2020, according to Forbes and JUST Capital, the leading corporate measurement platform for the stakeholder economy.

The list of America's Most JUST Companies celebrates U.S. corporations like Kimberly-Clark that outperform their peers in the Russell 1000 on issues like fair pay, ethical leadership, good benefits and work-life balance, equal opportunity, social and environmental responsibility, and shareholder return.

Over the past year, Kimberly-Clark has announced key milestones on its sustainability journey, including exceeding its GHG reduction goal three years early and resetting the goal to 40% GHG reduction by 2022. The company was also recently reconfirmed as a constituent of the Ethibel Sustainability Index (ESI) Excellence Global.

"Treating our consumers, employees, partners and shareholders responsibly, with fairness and transparency, is grounded in the guiding principles on which we were founded nearly 150 years ago," said Kurt Drake, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Kimberly-Clark. "This drives our day-to-day actions to ensure we conduct business with the highest standards and integrity, and we are proud to be listed among other companies who believe that as well."

This marks Kimberly-Clark's 3^rd consecutive year among the 100 highest ranked companies, ranking 31^st overall among the 1,000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies which were evaluated on a range of factors determined through one of the most comprehensive survey processes ever conducted on public attitudes toward corporate behavior.

"America's Most JUST Companies are measurably outperforming their peers on the key issues Americans care about most: taking care of employees by paying a fair and living wage, providing good benefits, as well as equal opportunity and career development," said Martin Whittaker, CEO of JUST Capital. "Creating value for shareholders and stakeholders is not a zero-sum game, with JUST companies earning 6% higher Return-on-Equity than their peers." 

All of America's Most JUST Companies will be included in Goldman Sachs Asset Management's JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (Ticker: JUST) – the first ever exchange-traded fund based on just business behavior, constructed from JUST Capital's annual Rankings, which will rebalance in December 2019. 

About JUST Capital
JUST Capital, an independent, nonprofit organization, aligns business practices with the priorities of the American people to ensure capitalism works for all. Our research, rankings, indexes, and data-driven tools help people make more informed decisions about where to invest, work, and buy to direct capital toward companies advancing a more just future.

About Forbes Media
Forbes Media is a global media, branding and technology company, with a focus on news and information about business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and affluent lifestyles. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia magazines, as well as Forbes.com. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 117 million people worldwide with its business message each month through its magazines and 38 licensed local editions around the globe, Forbes.com, TV, conferences, research, social and mobile platforms. Forbes Media's brand extensions include conferences, education, financial services and brand licensing.

About Methodology
JUST Capital conducted its 2019 Survey, which included 9,000 respondents, in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago and YouGov. The survey work consists of both qualitative focus groups and quantitative surveys, as described in the Rankings methodology. JUST Capital then tracks and evaluates corporate performance against the people's priorities across 380,000 data points and creates the ranking model that drives America's Most JUST Companies, including the JUST 100 and Industry Leader lists. The selection of companies draws from the Russell 1000 Index, which represents over 90 percent of the U.S. stock market value. 

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, 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 147-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark