NBA team

The Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), State Farm Arena and Kimberly-Clark Professional announced a new multi-year, sustainability-focused partnership.

Throughout the award-winning downtown Atlanta venue, Kimberly-Clark Professional branding and products, including Scott paper towels and Kleenex tissue, soap dispensers and hand sanitizers will be featured at select Hawks’ home games. Kimberly-Clark Professional branding will also appear on the uniform shirts worn by the Hawks’ Mop Crew, who are responsible for cleaning the hardwood floor during timeouts and halftime.

Kimberly-Clark recently earned the #2 spot on Barron’s list of most sustainable U.S. companies for its achievements in reducing its environmental footprint and announced its ambition to be 100 percent Natural Forest Free in all its products.

“We are excited to continue our sustainability efforts by partnering with Kimberly-Clark Professional,” says Hawks’ EVP and State Farm Arena General Manager Brett Stefansson. “Our two organizations have continued to focus on quality and innovation in the realm of workplace hygiene and safety, and we truly believe that this new relationship will help us prioritize the well-being of our Atlanta community.”

In April 2022, Green Business Certification Inc., the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing body, announced that State Farm Arena earned a TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) Platinum certification. With this achievement, State Farm Arena is now the world’s first and only sports and live entertainment venue to receive TRUE certification and has been recertified to maintain this standard of excellence. Since May 2021, the venue has consistently diverted a minimum of 90 percent of all waste from landfills.

“At Kimberly-Clark Professional, our purpose is to provide Better Care for a Better World,” says Susan Gambardella, president, Kimberly-Clark Professional North America. “We look forward to helping this important customer meet their sustainability goals with environmentally responsible products and programs.”

As an additional part of this partnership, State Farm Arena will be integrated into a successful product recycling program created by Kimberly-Clark Professional to help further advance the venue’s sustainability goals. Since 2011, this program has helped Kimberly-Clark Professional customers divert over 5.5 million pounds of plastic waste streams from landfill. 

“We’re dedicated to the teamwork it takes to help create better customer experiences,” said Ignacio Suit, chief customer officer, Kimberly-Clark Professional. “Many customers know our brands, and these brands serve as a promise to guests of safety and cleanliness from a responsible and ethical source.”