Celebrating Sustainability at Kimberly-Clark
On Saturday, April 22, millions of people across the globe celebrated Earth Day to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. At Kimberly-Clark, it’s also a day to reflect on Kimberly-Clark’s sustainability achievements and where we’re going in the future.
Of course, sustainability has come a long way since Kimberly-Clark was formed in 1872! Throughout our history, we’ve continuously improved how we operate and embed sustainable practices into our business.
Today, our Sustainability 2022 strategy outlines five priorities to guide our work out to our 150th anniversary: Social Impact, Forests & Fiber, Waste & Recycling, Energy & Climate, and Supply Chain. At the heart of these priorities is our hope to not just sustain… but to grow, to improve, and to thrive.
Our annual Crystal Tree Awards recognize teams who have demonstrated exceptional leadership to deliver meaningful outcomes toward these social and environmental priorities. With input from our Sustainability Advisory Board, made up of external leaders in sustainability, Crystal Trees were awarded this year to three mills and five teams.
Crystal Tree Awards for Mill Excellence
In the first year of the new Sustainability 2022 standards, three mills – Pune (India), Taejon (Korea) and Nanjing North (China) – were recognized for meeting the more stringent set of energy, waste, safety, environmental and social compliance criteria based on key sustainability performance data.
Crystal Tree Awards for Team Excellence
• Social Impact: Toilets Change Lives (Bolivia and Peru) – In 2016, the implementation of Toilets Change Lives in Bolivia and Peru helped rehabilitate water and disinfection systems, and provide education and sanitation products and services.
• Forests & Fiber: Fiber Substitution (EMEA Region) – The team developed a method for the substitution of softwood fibers with hardwood fibers, which will help replace approximately 23,000 tons of softwood pulp over two years.
• Waste & Recycling: Composting Partnership (K-C Professional North America) – The Guide to Workplace Composting was developed in partnership between K-C Professional, the US Composting Council and Keep America Beautiful, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists the guide on their website as a key resource for “Managing and Reducing Wastes: A Guide for Commercial Buildings.”
• Energy & Climate: Sitio del Niño GHG Reduction (El Salvador) – Our Sitio del Niño mill implemented an energy and environmental strategy that allowed the mill to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 6,000 MT CO2e - an 8.3% reduction in GHG emissions.
• Sustainable Supply Chain: Tuas Wastewater Treatment Plant (Singapore) – Our Tuas mill invested in a modularized waste water treatment plant to treat and recycle nearly 75% its waste water for non-domestic uses, contributing to Singapore’s long-term water sustainability strategy.
From reducing water usage and landfill waste, to social impact programs that made a difference in millions of lives, these teams are making positive, lasting changes that will be felt by future generations.
