Consumables
Kimberly-Clark Announces Nationwide Launch of Scott Naturals
Thursday 09. April 2009 - Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB) today announced the national launch of Scott Naturals - a family of bath tissue, towels, napkins and flushable wipes products that deliver quality, performance and environmental benefits, at a competitive price.
Scott Naturals bath tissue, towels and napkins contain a blend of recycled and virgin fiber – 40 percent recycled fiber in bath tissue, 60 percent in towels, and 80 percent in napkins. The balance of recycled and virgin fibers in these products, enable them to perform comparably to competitors’ branded offerings and outperform 100 percent branded recycled fiber tissue products in market today.
The 2-ply bath tissue delivers the softness consumers expect from the Scott brand, while the towels feature fast-absorbing ridges that soak up spills and get the job done right. The flushable wipes are made with natural Aloe Vera and 100 percent of fibers derived from sustainable resources.
“The lower quality and higher price perceptions of products containing recycled fiber has limited consumer acceptance,” said Erik Seidel, Scott Brand Director. “Scott Naturals bath tissue, towels, napkins and flushable wipes are made using proprietary technologies that enable K-C to deliver high performance, quality, and value consumers expect from the trusted Scott brand.”
Delivering Quality & Environmental Benefits
Scott Naturals products offer additional environmental benefits that make these solutions a smart choice for consumers. Scott Naturals bath tissue and towels are available in long-lasting rolls that minimize packaging materials and shipping impacts, while providing consumers with the long-lasting value they expect from the Scott brand. Scott Naturals towels offer Choose-A-Size sheets that help eliminate waste by allowing consumers to select the right amount to clean-up spills. Finally, the bath tissue and towels’ outer packaging is made from 20 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, and the cardboard cores are made from 100 percent recycled fiber.
While some surveys have revealed approximately 86 percent of the general U.S. population are interested in using more ‘green’ household products, the market share of products containing recycled fiber, which includes bath tissue and towels products, is less than one percent due to the lack of quality, high cost and limited availability of these products.
“As a company, K-C is making progress in many areas of sustainability,” said Seidel. “We believe Scott Naturals products demonstrate K-C’s commitment in developing products that include a responsible balance of recycled and virgin fiber, and still deliver strong performance and environmental benefits.”
Building a Bigger Basket with Scott Naturals
In limited distribution over the past year, Scott Naturals bath tissue and towels have proven to be among the fastest turning products in their category, securing eight percent of the recycled-fiber bath tissue and towels markets. Now, by launching Scott Naturals on a national basis, K-C believes the Scott Naturals line is well-positioned to capture additional market share in these categories.
To support the nationwide roll-out of these products, K-C will launch a marketing campaign that includes the Scott Naturals brand providing ‘green’ home improvement tips in a web video series hosted by Kahi Lee, interior designer from the cable network show Design on a Dime. The video series can be seen on the Scott Common Sense Web site and other online video networks. Additional elements of the campaign include print advertising in upcoming ‘green’ issues of consumer magazines, high-value coupons, billboard sponsorships on HGTV and HGTV.com, targeted online social networking and blogger outreach, experiential marketing and public relations activities.