Replaces wood for paper products. Grows in arid zones. Result of a “moonshot” research program.
Implications for forestry, carbon sinks, and maybe, wildfires?
For two decades, Kimberly-Clark has scoured the Earth for a material that could replace wood fiber. The maker of Scott paper towels, Cottonelle toilet paper and Huggies diapers now says it has made a breakthrough.
Paper-based products of the future, the company says, could be made with hesperaloe, a plant with long, pointy leaves that grows in arid climates.
Fiber from the plant can be used to make paper towels, toilet paper and other products that are both stronger and softer than wood-based equivalents, executives from Kimberly-Clark said. If production reaches scale, it could also be cheaper and less environmentally damaging than cutting down trees, they say.
“We call it our Goldilocks discovery,” said Craig Slavtcheff, the company’s top research-and-development officer. The company plans to announce its findings later Monday.
Kimberly-Clark describes its continuing efforts to commercialize the findings as a “moonshot,” and executives caution that there is a long research runway ahead. Still, they expressed hope that hesperaloe could help them reach a previously stated ambition to eventually stop using fibers from natural forests in their products. The company is one of the biggest makers of paper-based products in the world.
Kimberly-Clark says it is the first to do substantial research on hesperaloe. It already holds more than 30 patents related to its findings.
A viable alternative to wood fiber would be a scientific breakthrough that could reshape the consumer-products landscape. And if hesperaloe delivers on the promise that Kimberly-Clark researchers say it might have, it would be a blow to the companies that earn billions each year harvesting the trees used to make the wood fiber in the world’s paper products. A significant portion of it comes from boreal forests in Canada and across Scandinavia. The U.S. is also a big supplier.
An alternative to wood fiber would also be an environmental breakthrough. Reduced demand for wood would leave more trees able to suck up carbon emissions.
Currently, bamboo and recycled paper are the primary alternatives to traditional wood fiber in paper-based products. Many American shoppers find them to be less plush or too rough for products such as paper towels and toilet paper.
Kimberly-Clark has so far invested about $250 million in research on hesperaloe and to develop the technology that will allow it to be used in future products. The company says it will take multiples of that sum to commercialize the discovery.
The company is accelerating its research. It is building a pilot facility in Yuma, Ariz., and is collaborating with farmers and technical experts in Arizona, California and elsewhere to further evaluate hesperaloe’s viability as a commercial crop. Compared with some other crops grown in the U.S. Southwest, hesperaloe requires less water to cultivate, another potential benefit in a region where water can be scarce.
Kimberly-Clark:
After evaluating more than 70 fiber candidates across performance, sustainability and cost criteria, Kimberly-Clark research scientists identified a promising solution in hesperaloe, a native, low-water-use plant that thrives in the arid climate of the Southwest United States. The Company’s innovation program, based in Yuma, Arizona, has demonstrated this plant and its proprietary technologies yield a rapidly renewable natural fiber source that carries the performance and quality standards consumers expect from Kimberly-Clark’s trusted brands.
As part of this innovation program, Kimberly-Clark is building a pilot facility in Yuma and hiring local, specialized talent to support it. The Company is also collaborating with growers, technical experts, and community stakeholders in Arizona, California, and across the broader U.S. Southwest to evaluate hesperaloe’s potential as a year-round source of agricultural and economic opportunity. Compared with several crops currently grown in the region, hesperaloe requires less water to cultivate, offering potential benefits for growers, local communities, and regional water stewardship efforts.