Kleercut.Net Kimberly-Clark and Kleenex are wiping away ancient forests

When tissue giant and forest destroyer Kimberly-Clark launched a $100 million advertising blitz for its Cottonelle brand, activists were there to greet them on the first day.

The set-up was as silly as it was expensive: Cottonelle paid for a strange-looking dog-bus filled with public relations folks to tour New York City and urging people to “be kind to your behind.” This, apparently, was supposed to sell toilet paper.

But things don’t always go smoothly when you are selling products that destroy ancient forests. Before long, people began asking Cottonelle reps tough questions about the Boreal forest, recycled fiber and other issues they’d rather ignore. Cottonelle’s day spiraled down the drain from there.

High profile companies like Kimberly-Clark, Sears, and Best Buy accused of fuelling the destruction of Canada’s Boreal Forest

March 27, 2008 Four Greenpeace activists have been arrested after attempting to unfurl a massive 3.1 x 34 metre banner inside Toronto’s Eaton Center. The message: “Sears, Best Buy, Indigo Books, Toys “R” Us, Canadian Tire and Kleenex = Boreal Forest Destruction.”

Remember when a Kleenex commercial crew was surprised by Greenpeace activists in New York City this spring? Well, it’s happened again.

This time, Kimberly-Clark showed up outside Wrigley Field – home of the Chicago Cubs. As usual, they invited the public to sit on a couch and "let it out" to a fake shrink. What they didn’t consider was the irony of advertising Kleenex at a Cubs game while destroying habitat for cubs (and bears) in the Boreal Forest.

You could say they walked right into the pitch.

At the Bank of America Annual Investor Conference that wraps up today in San Francisco, Kimberly-Clark was singled out as a bad investment. On Monday activists gathered outside of the Ritz-Carlton with Kleercut banners and shirts conveying to investors the failure of Kimberly-Clark to protect the Boreal forest. In addition to the presence outside each hotel guest received a copy of the spoofed conference newsletter. After explaining Bank of America's role in funding environmentally destructive practices the newsletter went on to highlight Kimberly-Clark as an unsustainable company to avoid.

It isn't only Kimberly-Clark causing the destruction of the Boreal Forest. Other companies are fueling this destruction -- but all need to step up and take action to protect the forest, not just hide their heads in the sand.

On Friday morning, the Greenpeace Ship Artic Sunrise began a blockade of the freighter Jaeger Arrow in Quebec’s Saguenay River, preventing the export of thousands of tonnes of pulp to Europe. The pulp, manufactured by SFK Pulp from destructive logging in Canada’s Boreal Forest, is destined for paper giant Stora Enso in Germany and France. Courageous Greenpeace activists are preventing the freighter from departing. They are risking arrest and injury to stop the export of Boreal forest destruction.

Members of the University of Chicago Environmental Concerns Organization delivered a singing telegram to Kimberly-Clark Board member Linda Johnson Rice's receptionist, Helena Boyd. The video is difficult to see so please focus on the audio.

Boyd was so impressed, she promised to deliver a letter to Linda Johnson Rice, and asked for a copy of the video footage from the event to share with Rice.

You may have noticed lately the new Kleenex Let It Out tv commercials and massive PR campaign where folks stop to sit on a blue couch and share personal stories that make them 'cry' into some facial tissue. On Saturday, Kleenex and Kimberly-Clark got more than they bargained for when Kleercut activists arrived to Let It Out about the fact that they are making tissue from ancient forests during their New York City filming.

On Feb 12, 2007 four activists locked themselves together with chains inside Kimberly-Clark?s Canadian headquarters in Toronto. They announced that they would stay put until K-C?s Vice President of Environment, Ken Strassner, agreed to meet with Greenpeace.

Students on campuses across the US are playing key roles in the Kleercut campaign. These students are organizing around the campaign and getting their campuses to send a clear message to Kimberly-Clark. As large educational institutions are increasingly deciding not to buy K-C products, the company will be forced to make an important decision: in order to regain consumer support, will it continue with ancient forest destruction or will it use recycled and FSC-certified fiber?