K-C's Scott Naturals brand of paper towels, bath tissue surpasses US$100M in annual retail sales after less than five years in national markets, company says

Nevin Barich

DALLAS , April 22, 2013 (press release) – Celebrates Sales Milestone, Green Commitment and the Launch of Operation Secret Swap

Kimberly-Clark Corporation's Scott Naturals brand is delivering common sense solutions for mainstream green consumers and driving category growth. After less than five years in national markets, Scott Naturals brand has surpassed $100 million in annual retail sales, making it the category leader and fastest growing brand in environmentally-conscious bath tissue and paper towels. Now, Scott Naturals is launching a new program that invites consumers to conduct operation "secret swap," switching from their traditional rolls of bath tissue and paper towels to Scott Naturals rolls, and is reaffirming its commitment to developing solutions that deliver strong performance plus environmental benefits.

Launching today, the Scott Naturals Secret Swap program encourages consumers to secretly swap out their current bath tissue and paper towels with Scott Naturals to see if their family will notice the difference. The brand is confident the family won't notice a difference in quality. Scott Naturals will provide more than two million product samples to consumers nationwide and will ask them to conduct the Secret Swap at home and share their experience on SecretSwap.com. The program also includes in-store shopper marketing initiatives, retailer specific coupons to incentivize purchase, a free standing insert (FSI), customer relationship management (CRM) and website creative, all designed to encourage the "Swap."

"The Scott Naturals brand is growing because these products deliver quality, performance and environmental benefits at a competitive price," said Alma Alejandro , Scott Naturals Brand Manager. "With the 'Secret Swap' program, we are inviting consumers to experience these innovative products first hand and see why they outperform environmentally-conscious bath tissue and paper towel products currently available in the market."

Taking Green Mainstream

There has long been a niche market for green products with environmental benefits among the so-called "genuine green" consumers. Thanks to Scott Naturals, that frontier has been expanded to include mainstream, environmentally-conscious shoppers who don't want to sacrifice quality or spend the "green" to be green.

Scott Naturals bath tissue, paper towels and flushable cleansing cloths are made using proprietary technologies that enable them to deliver the quality and value consumers expect from the trusted Scott brand. These Scott Naturals paper products are each made with at least 20 percent blend of recycled and virgin materials in products or packaging, which enable them to deliver the performance consumers expect and enable them to take a green step. The Scott brand first launched a recycled fiber bath tissue in a small test market of 100 stores in 2007. Its success fueled wider distribution to all retailers and a wider portfolio including the addition of Scott Naturals paper towels and flushable cleansing cloths in 2009 and Scott Naturals Tube Free bath tissue* in 2010.

Commitment to Taking a Green Step

Kimberly-Clark's Family Care business has set a long-term goal to replace a significant amount of wood fiber in tissue products with alternative fibers by 2025. Many different alternative fibers are being investigated including bamboo, algae and agriculture waste like wheat straw and corn stover.

"The potential for alternative fibers in our consumer paper products is really exciting," said Brenda Nelson , Director of Business Planning and Sustainability for Family Care. "Scott Naturals has the potential to establish a leadership position in the use of alternative fibers such as bamboo and algae for consumer bath tissue which could lead to other businesses and brands also innovating in this space and driving sustainable change in our industry."

In the interim, Kimberly-Clark has taken steps to ensure its existing fiber supplies are obtained from sustainable sources. Two years ago, Kimberly-Clark became the first U.S. tissue maker to offer branded consumer tissue products that meet the rigorous sustainable sourcing requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Consumers can now identify FSC- Scott brand and Kleenex brand products by the FSC label on every package. In 2012, Scott Naturals bath tissue and paper towels also met the Good Housekeeping Green Seal environmental standard for paper goods based on recycled content and other factors.

For more information about Scott Naturals and the Secret Swap program, visit SecretSwap.com

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust K-C's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 141-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.