Kimberly-Clark Corporation has reported declines in global sales and profit for the first quarter ended March 31.

The company’s net sales fell 6 per cent year-on-year to US$4.8 billion, which it attributed to foreign currency translation, the divestiture of its personal protective equipment division, and the exit of its private label diaper business in the US.

Organic sales decreased 1.6 per cent driven by a 1.5 per cent decline in price.

By segment, North America net sales dropped 3.9 per cent, international personal care net sales slid 8.9 per cent, and international family care and professional net sales were down 7.7 per cent.

On the bottom line, operating profit fell from $853 million last year to $769 million and net income of equity companies decreased from $61 million to $44 million.

Chairman and CEO Mike Hsu said the results were consistent with the company’s full-year plan despite “the evolving external landscape”.

“The current environment will now mean greater costs across our global supply chain versus our expectations at the beginning of the year. However, we remain confident in our ability to offset these costs over time and unlock our long-term potential,” Hsu added.

To reflect a reassessment of its cost base, including potential impacts from changes in the global geopolitical landscape, the company expects full-year operating profit to be flat to positive, compared to a previous expectation of high single-digit growth.

Kimberly-Clark owns personal care brands such as Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, GoodNites, Plenitud, Sweety, Viva and WypAll.

The company reported net sales of $20.1 billion in the last fiscal year, representing a 1.8 per cent decline year-on-year.