Kimberly-Clark celebrates sustainability investments

Kimberly-Clark Australia held an event today at the company’s manufacturing facility in Millicent, South Australia, to celebrate recent sustainability achievements and additional investment into South Australian manufacturing. The event was attended by Kimberly-Clark Australia Managing Director Robbert Rietbroek and the Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP, South Australian Treasurer and Minister for Finance.

Rietbroek announced at the event that Kimberly-Clark Australia is investing $20 million into manufacturing in the south-east region of South Australia, where it remains the single largest employer. He said the investment will “go into capacity improvements and equipment upgrades to enable us to sustain and increase production of our high-quality Kleenex products”.

Rietbroek revealed that the company has invested over $370 million into the region in the past decade, some of which has gone towards improving the quality of the wastewater at the Millicent Mill. Since 2007, Kimberly-Clark Australia has been working closely with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the local community to transition into a licensing agreement which covers wastewater in the area surrounding the Millicent Mill.

“Kimberly-Clark has not only dramatically reduced the volume of its wastewater discharges, but the quality of that water has improved greatly, with a 95% reduction in phosphorous load and an 89% reduction in nitrogen load in recent years,” said EPA Chief Executive Tony Circelli. The company’s wastewater now meets Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

The event also celebrates the successful start-up of a $33 million cogeneration facility, which takes the Millicent Mill off the electricity grid and reduces its carbon dioxide emissions by around 80,000 tonnes per annum. Koutsantonis said the facility “supports the Premier’s strategic priority of growth through innovation and the government’s commitment to advanced manufacturing”.

Rietbroek acknowledged the leadership of the Millicent Mill in assisting Kimberly-Clark Australia progress its 2015 sustainability targets. He concluded, “Our experience has been that sustainability initiatives are not only good for the environment, they are also good for business.”