Kimberly-Clark ceases production of Kleenex paper products in Russia
US hygiene products manufacturer Kimberly-Clark has stopped producing Kleenex-branded paper products at its Russian plant, Syktyvkar Tissue Group JSC (STG), Vedomosti reports, citing Kimberly-Clark LLC's 2024 financial statements (signed in July 2025).
In Russia, Kimberly-Clark produces Huggies nappies and Kotex female hygiene products at its own facility in Stupino, Moscow Region. Paper products under the Kleenex brand were produced under a manufacturing agreement with STG until 30 April 2024, according to Kimberly-Clark's notes to the financial statements.
STG confirmed to Vedomosti that the company is not currently producing Kleenex products (toilet paper and paper towels). According to Nielsen, the Kleenex brand accounted for just 0.1% in monetary terms of toilet paper sales in retail household product chains and online for the 12-month period from June 2024 to May 2025.
Kimberly-Clark products are sold not only in Russia, but also in neighboring countries and beyond – Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Great Britain, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and South Africa, according to the Kimberly-Clark financial statements.
In March 2022, Kimberly-Clark announced it would cease investing and advertising in Russia, but pledged to continue making essential products, particularly baby nappies and women's sanitary pads.
According to Kimberly-Clark's financial statements, at the end of 2022, its co-owners (75% owned by the US-based Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Inc. and 25% by Germany's Kimberly-Clark GmbH) decided to distribute RUB 2bn in dividends for 2021. In October 2023, according to a Russian Finance Ministry letter, the company was allowed to pay its 2021 dividends in instalments if the agreed key performance indicators were met, so that by the end of 2024 it had paid out RUB 1bn to participants. The remaining half is payable in monthly instalments of RUB 10m starting 1 June 2025, it said in a note to the statements. Under Russia's counter-sanctions regulations, amounts up to RUB 10m per month can be withdrawn to pay non-residents without authorisation from a special subcommittee.
In 2023 and 2024, Kimberly-Clark decided to distribute a further RUB 4.2bn of dividends for 2022 and 2023, respectively. These payments require authorisation from the Russian Finance Ministry, which has not yet been received as of July 2025.
Kimberly-Clark LLC's revenue in 2024 was RUB 43.4bn (up 2.6% from 2023) and net profit was RUB 2.79bn (down 30%).