Kleenex, Bowel Cancer Australia, launch new awareness campaign to combat “stigma and taboo”

Kleenex, the toilet paper brand made at Kimberly-Clark Australia’s Millicent Mill in South Australia, has partnered with Bowel Cancer Australia on a new awareness campaign urging people to watch for early signs of the nation’s second-deadliest type of cancer.

In a statement on Tuesday, Kleenex said the pair were urging Australians to “Check your poo” ahead of Bowel Cancer Month in June. It cited a “stigma and taboo” attached to checking bodily waste, which could help alert a person to signs of bowel cancer. 

Research by PureProfile in April 2025 and commissioned by Kleenex ANZ, polling 1,006 adult Australians, found 73.6 per cent admitted “they aren’t checking their poo for possible signs of bowel cancer” and 43.2 per cent were “unable to correctly identify three key bowel cancer symptoms.”

A list from BCA can be found here, with common symptoms including “Blood in your poo or rectal bleeding”, as well as “A recent, persistent change in bowel habit” and “A change in shape or appearance of your poo”.

Adam Carpenter, Mill Manager at Kimberly-Clark Australia, said, “Thousands of Aussies already trust Kleenex in the bathroom – and this crucial initiative transforms the humble loo roll into a bowel cancer awareness game-changer that helps Aussies to break the poo taboo.” 

The statement said that Kleenex rolls will now encourage Australians “to use their toilet time wisely” with an “action-oriented message on the cardboard core” (see picture) and a dedicated poocheck.com.au support hub.

Picture: supplied

Further reading

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Removing “invisible layer” promises to save 15 tonnes a year of plastic: Kimberly-Clark 

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Kimberly-Clark closes its Australian Huggies factory