H4. Customers and consumers

Customer surveys

Essity conducts systematic customer and consumer follow-up, which includes external reports, independent surveys and global systems for feedback. Essity places high value on opportunities for direct customer contact. Customer feedback enables Essity to offer better products and services.

Every business unit has processes to investigate customer satisfaction. Essity also offers expertise and support for the development of operations in, for example, nursing homes and professional environments, where the company can help make a difference and create value for its customers and users.

The retail trade accounts for a significant part, 61%, of Essity’s net sales. The company uses external comparison reports in which the largest retail chains assess their suppliers based on customer service, logistics, sales support, marketing and product development. Consumers who purchase retail products are followed up through general brand and product recognition surveys.

Complaints have remained at a low and stable level in recent years. For Personal Care products, the complaint frequency is lower than 1 in a million supplied products. In the Tissue operations, the corresponding figure is 2.1 per thousand tons.

Product safety

Essity ensures that all products are safe for their intended purpose throughout their entire life cycle. Essity sold no products containing substances on the California DTSC Candidate Chemicals List above 0.1%. The only exception was the use of isopropyl alcohol where this is important for the products’ functionality, for example as biocide ingredient in hand sanitizer, an important hygiene product during the COVID-19 pandemic. Essity’s sales of products containing chemicals on the REACH SVHC candidate list were below 0.1% of total sales.

Read more about how Essity works with Customers and consumers in the chapter Well-being.