Essity has entered a multi-year collaboration with Accenture and Microsoft to accelerate the adoption of AI agents across its global hygiene and health operations.
Announced on November 11, the partnership aims to boost business agility, productivity and long-term growth through a new cloud-based foundation for next-generation artificial intelligence.
The three companies will work together through Essity’s AI Centre of Excellence, where Accenture specialists in cloud, data and AI will collaborate closely with Microsoft experts. The initiative will leverage Microsoft technologies such as Azure, Copilot Studio and Power Platform to build a scalable platform designed to test, refine and deploy AI capabilities across Essity’s core business functions.
The first phase will focus on procurement and finance, where cross-functional teams will pilot AI agents to streamline processes, reduce manual workloads and improve decision-making. Essity intends to expand the use of AI across additional end-to-end business processes over time, enabling new pathways for value creation and operational efficiency.
“To accelerate value generation for our consumers, customers and our employees, we are collaborating with Accenture and Microsoft to access strong industry, functional, technical and product expertise,” said Carl-Magnus Månsson, Essity’s Chief Digital and Information Officer. “We are creating a robust and flexible foundation for developing and embedding data and AI in our core business processes to deliver growth. The platform will be built within a responsible AI framework aligned with our company values.”
Accenture said the partnership reflects Essity’s ambition to lead digital reinvention within the hygiene and health sector. “Essity has taken a bold step forward in reinventing key business processes with AI so it can move forward, faster,” said Patrik Malm, managing director at Accenture. “Together with Microsoft, we are creating a cloud-based platform for collaboration and co-creation.”
Microsoft highlighted the speed at which AI capabilities—and expectations—are evolving. “We’re operating in a transformative era of AI,” said Sophia Wikander, CEO of Microsoft Sweden. “Through this collaboration, we’re bringing agentic AI technologies and technical expertise to help Essity reimagine its core operations and unlock new levels of agility and value.”
Essity is a global hygiene and health company operating in around 150 countries with leading brands including TENA, Tork, Libresse, Lotus, Tempo, Nosotras, Zewa, Modibodi and Knix. In 2024, Essity reported net sales of approximately SEK 146 billion (EUR 13 billion) and employed 36,000 people worldwide.
Accenture is a global professional services company with around 779,000 employees, offering strategy, consulting, technology and operations services to help organizations build their digital core and scale AI-driven reinvention.
Source: Essity
