KIMBERLY CLARK CORP (KMB) Business

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

Description of Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark Corporation was founded in 1872 and incorporated in Delaware in 1928. We are a global company focused on delivering essential products and solutions that solve unmet consumer needs and provide Better Care for a Better World. We are principally engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of a wide range of products made from natural or synthetic fibers and materials using advanced technologies in fibers, nonwovens and absorbency. Kimberly-Clark and our trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries and territories. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 70 countries and encompass five global daily-need product categories: Baby & Child Care, Adult Care, Feminine Care, Family Care, and Professional. We are committed to using sustainable practices that are designed to support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and enable our business to thrive for decades to come. Unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms "Corporation," "Company," "Kimberly-Clark," "K-C," "we," "our" and "us" refer to Kimberly-Clark Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Amounts within this Annual Report on Form 10-K are reported in millions, except per share amounts, unless otherwise noted.

Recent Business Developments

Pending Acquisition of Kenvue, Inc.

On November 2, 2025, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement") to acquire the outstanding equity interests of Kenvue, Inc. ("Kenvue"), a global consumer health leader, for stock and cash consideration (the "Kenvue Acquisition"). Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, which was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of each of Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue, each share of Kenvue common stock, par value $0.01 per share, issued and outstanding at the close of the Kenvue Acquisition (subject to certain provisions within the Merger Agreement) will be converted into the right to receive (i) 0.14625 shares of Kimberly-Clark common stock, par value $1.25 per share (the "Stock Consideration"), plus (ii) $3.50 in cash (the "Cash Consideration" and, together with the Stock Consideration, the "Merger Consideration"). In total, we expect approximately 280 million shares of common stock to be issued and approximately $6.7 billion to be paid for the Merger Consideration. The Cash Consideration is expected to be funded through a combination of cash on hand, proceeds from new debt issuance, and proceeds from the IFP Transaction (as defined below). The actual value of the transaction will fluctuate based upon changes in the price of Kimberly-Clark common stock and the number of shares of Kenvue common stock outstanding at the time of closing. See Item 8, Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details.

International Family Care and Professional ("IFP") Transaction

On June 5, 2025, we announced that the Company will form a joint venture with Suzano S.A. ("Suzano") and Suzano International Holding B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Suzano ("Buyer"), comprised of substantially all the operations of the Company's former International Family Care and Professional ("IFP") segment (the "IFP Business"). To facilitate this transaction, we entered into an Equity and Asset Purchase Agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") with Buyer, pursuant to which we will, among other things, effectuate a reorganization through the transfer of certain assets, liabilities and equity interests of the IFP Business to Kimberly-Clark IFP NewCo B.V., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (the "Joint Venture"). At the time of closing, which is expected to take place in mid-2026 and will only take place following the satisfaction of consultation requirements and customary closing conditions, including obtaining required regulatory approvals, Buyer will acquire a 51% interest in the Joint Venture for a purchase price of approximately $1.7 billion, subject to certain closing adjustments set forth in the Purchase Agreement, and we will retain a 49% equity interest (the "IFP Transaction"). As a result, the results of the IFP Business are reported as discontinued operations and excluded from both continuing operations and segment results for all periods presented. Unless otherwise noted, all amounts, percentages and disclosures in this Annual Report on Form 10-K reflect only Kimberly-Clark's continuing operations. See Item 8, Notes 1 and 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details.

Segment Reporting

As a result of the IFP Transaction discussed above, the Company's continuing operations are now organized into two reportable segments defined by geographic region: North America ("NA") and International Personal Care ("IPC"). The results of the IFP Business, including certain costs that were previously allocated to the IPC segment that relate to assets or activities that are part of the IFP Transaction, are reported as discontinued operations and excluded from segment results for all periods presented. Additionally, certain operations and commercial activities of the former IFP segment retained by the Company are now reported in the NA and IPC segments. Further, Corporate and Other was updated for all periods presented to include the following:

•Operations of the former IFP segment that were divested prior to the IFP Transaction and therefore not reported as discontinued operations.

•Costs previously allocated to the former IFP segment that are not directly attributable to the operations included in the IFP Transaction and therefore are not reported as discontinued operations.

Segments are described in greater detail in Item 8, Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

2024 Transformation Initiative

During fiscal 2024, we announced our 2024 Transformation Initiative in order to create a more agile and focused operating model. As part of this, we launched our Powering Care business strategy to sharpen our focus on proprietary right-to-win spaces and improve our growth trajectory, profitability, and returns on investment. This new operating model and strategy leverages three synergistic pillars:

•Accelerating pioneering innovation to capture significant growth available in our product categories by investing in science-based and proprietary technology to solve unmet and evolving consumer needs, and delivering breakthrough storytelling to drive category participation and brand love;

•Optimizing our margin structure to deliver superior consumer propositions at every rung of the good, better, best ladder, and implement initiatives and deploy technology and data analytics designed to create a fast, adaptable, integrated supply chain with greater visibility that can deliver continuous improvement; and

•Wiring our organization for growth to drive agility, speed, and focused execution that extends our competitive advantages further into the future.

Distribution and Customers

Our essential products for household use are sold directly to supermarkets, mass merchandisers, drugstores, warehouse clubs, variety and department stores and other retail outlets, as well as through other distributors and e-commerce. Products for professional use are sold through distributors, directly to manufacturing, lodging, office building, food service, and high-volume public facilities, and through e-commerce.

Our largest customer, Walmart Inc., represented approximately 16% in 2025 and 2024 and 15% in 2023 of our net sales from continuing operations. Net sales to Walmart Inc. were primarily in the NA segment.

Acquisitions and Divestitures

During the periods included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we completed the following acquisition and divestiture activity:

•2024 - The sale of our personal protective equipment business which included Kimtech branded products such as gloves, apparel and masks, and KleenGuard branded products such as gloves, apparel, respirators and eyewear.

•2023 - The acquisition of the remaining shares of Thinx Inc. (“Thinx”), an industry leader in the reusable period and incontinence underwear category.

•2023 - The sale of our Neve tissue brand and related consumer and professional tissue assets in Brazil.

These transactions are discussed in greater detail in Item 8, Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Patents and Trademarks

We own various patents and trademarks registered domestically and in many foreign countries. We consider the patents and trademarks that we own and the trademarks under which we sell certain of our products to be material to our business. Consequently, we seek patent and trademark protection by all available means, including registration.

Raw Materials

Cellulose fiber, in the form of kraft pulp or fiber recycled from recovered waste paper, is the primary raw material for our tissue products, and in the form of fluff pulp, is a component of disposable diapers, training and youth pants, feminine pads and incontinence care products.

Polypropylene and other synthetics and chemicals are the primary raw materials for manufacturing nonwoven fabrics, which are used in disposable diapers, training and youth pants, wet wipes, feminine pads, incontinence care products, and professional wipers and apparel. Superabsorbent materials are important components of disposable diapers, training and youth pants and incontinence care products.

Raw materials are purchased from third parties, and we consider the supply to be adequate to meet the needs of our businesses. See Item 1A, "Risk Factors."

Competition

We have several major competitors in most of our markets, some of which are larger and more diversified than us. The principal methods and elements of competition include brand recognition and loyalty, product innovation, quality and performance, price, and marketing and distribution capabilities. For additional discussion of the competitive environment in which we conduct our business, see Item 1A, "Risk Factors."

Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability

We are a purpose-led company with purposeful brands. Our longstanding focus on sustainability and our commitment to provide Better Care for a Better World comes to life through four interconnected pillars: Better Products, Better Planet, Better Workplace and Better Society.

Delivering our purpose begins with focusing on the health and safety of our customers, consumers, and employees; promoting the value of inclusion and belonging within our business; and making efforts to protect the rights of workers across our supply chain. We believe we can make meaningful contributions through our business activities, operations and global charitable partnerships to clean water and sanitation, the advancement of essential care for underserved communities, climate action and responsible consumption and production. Our sustainability strategy puts our brand, supply chain and innovation teams to work with the goal of creating shared value by addressing relevant global challenges and is focused on addressing key climate-related risks and opportunities throughout our value chain.

We strive to make lives better while also working to help safeguard the earth’s natural ecosystems. We implement this effort by considering our sustainability goals during our business and capital planning processes, coordinating the priorities of our supply chain, brand and innovation teams, and establishing meaningful performance indicators. Our environmental priorities include reducing our use of new fossil fuel-based plastic, while enabling circular systems to recover the materials in our products and packaging; reducing our products’ use of natural forest fiber, while supporting forest biodiversity and forest dependent communities; reducing greenhouse gas emissions along our value chain, with goals approved by the Science Based Targets initiative ("SBTi"); and building resilience to water risk at our facilities and in our communities in water-stressed regions around the world. We have aligned our goals with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals framework. Progress on our strategy is outlined in our Global Sustainability reports.

For 2026 and 2027, we expect total operating expenses for environmental compliance, including pollution control equipment operation and maintenance costs, governmental fees, and research and engineering costs, to be approximately $150 and $140, respectively.

Total environmental capital expenditures and operating expenses are not expected to have a material effect on our total capital and operating expenditures, consolidated earnings or competitive position. Current environmental spending estimates could be modified as a result of changes in our plans or changes in legal requirements, including any requirements related to global climate change or other factors.

Regulatory Compliance

We are subject to many laws and regulations across all the countries in which we do business, and we are particularly impacted by those relating to product safety, environmental protection and data privacy and protection. We are also subject to anti-corruption laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and antitrust and competition laws and regulations that govern our dealings with suppliers, customers, competitors and government officials.

We are obligated to comply with regulations that cover product safety, efficacy, manufacturing, advertising, labeling and safety reporting. These include requirements that we provide a label that highlights perceived concerns about a product or warns consumers of risks of using our products. In some cases, it may be necessary to initiate product recalls if safety risks are considered to exist. All our facilities and other operations are subject to various environmental protection statutes and regulations, including those relating to the use of water resources and the discharge of wastewater. We are also subject to expanding laws and regulations related to sustainability-related matters, non-financial reporting and diligence, labor and employment, trade, taxation and data privacy and protection, including, but not limited to, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, Brazil's General Data Protection Law, China's Personal Information Protection Law, and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018.

Our policy is to abide by all applicable laws and regulations, and we have internal programs in place to manage global compliance with these various requirements. We also expect that our many suppliers, consultants and other third parties working on our behalf share our commitment to compliance, and we have policies and procedures in place to manage these relationships, though they inherently involve a lesser degree of control over operations and governance. We monitor each of these areas for new or changed regulatory requirements, particularly in the rapidly evolving area of data privacy and protection. We have made, and plan to continue making, necessary expenditures for compliance with applicable laws and regulations; however, total capital expenditures and operating expenses related to compliance are not expected to have a material effect on our total capital and operating expenditures, consolidated earnings or competitive position.

Human Capital Management

As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately 36,000 employees in our consolidated operations, including employees of our IFP Business reported as discontinued operations. Approximately 35% of our employees were located in North America. The remaining employees were located in approximately 55 countries outside of North America. Approximately 50% of our workforce was directly involved in manufacturing and distribution operations.

In order to recruit, retain, develop, protect and fairly compensate our employees, we focus on the following three key areas:

•Health and safety

We strive to protect the health and safety of our employees. We create and administer company-wide policies and processes designed to protect our employees and to comply with applicable safety regulations. Health and safety training is regularly provided to our employees. We review and monitor our performance closely to drive continuous improvement in our safety programs.

•Employee development and employee engagement

Our long-term business success is tied to building a purpose-led, performance-driven employee culture where our people feel included, valued, heard, and supported. It is demonstrated through our:

–Talent and succession planning processes, leadership and management development programs, and broad learning opportunities

We believe that developing and engaging employees at all levels of the organization is critical to their skill advancement and professional growth.

–Continuous listening

We hold regular Town Hall meetings where employees can ask executives questions and make their voices heard. We host a series of conversations to drive employee and leadership engagement across a variety of topics, including belonging and inclusion. We conduct global surveys that offer our employees the ability to provide feedback and valuable insights to help address potential issues and identify opportunities to improve and support our employees’ experience.

–Commitment to belonging and inclusion

By embracing different perspectives and experiences, we strengthen our ability to unlock innovative solutions and understand consumers. Belonging and inclusion are not only fundamental business strategies, but they’re essential to who we are.

We offer all employees the opportunity to join any of our voluntary inclusion networks. These networks foster professional development, build connections, amplify insights that inform our business strategy, and celebrate the wide range of perspectives and experiences throughout our company. By creating spaces for learning and connection for all employees, our inclusion networks drive belonging and inclusion efforts across our company and support career growth for all. The Management Development and Compensation Committee (“MDC”) of the Board of Directors is responsible for reviewing our belonging and inclusion strategy.

•Compensation and benefits

We provide market-based competitive compensation through our salary, annual incentive and long-term incentive programs and robust benefits packages that promote employee well-being across all aspects of their lives.

Eligible employees are compensated for their contributions to our success with both short-term cash incentives and long-term equity-based incentives. We also provide a variety of resources and services to help our employees plan for retirement. We believe the structure of our compensation packages provides the appropriate incentives to attract, retain and motivate our employees.

MDC is responsible for establishing and administering the policies governing annual compensation and long-term compensation to ensure that the policies are designed to align compensation with our overall business strategy and performance.

Available Information

We make financial information, news releases and other information available on our corporate website at www.kimberly-clark.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge on this website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file these reports and amendments with, or furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The information contained on or connected to our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and should not be considered part of this or any other report filed with the SEC. Stockholders may also contact Stockholder Services, P.O. Box 612606, Dallas, Texas 75261-2606 to obtain a hard copy of these reports without charge.