Kimberly-Clark facilities are working hard to help the environment
The Kimberly-Clark Professional facility in Villey-Saint-Étienne, France (VSE) is committed to the company's sustainability goals. The achievements include a 100% secondary fiber product and reduction of its carbon and waste footprint
Kimberly-Clark manufacturing facilities play a critical role to help the company deliver on its 2030 sustainability ambition and reduce their environmental footprint by half.
The Kimberly-Clark Professional facility in Villey-Saint-Étienne, France (VSE) produces rolled and folded paper towels for businesses. Over the past several years, it has taken extensive measures to drive down its environmental impact.
The latest achievement was the reduction of their reliance on virgin fiber. The team adjusted the process set-up, operating parameters, and chemical package in order to produce – for the first time in the facility’s history – a product based on 100% secondary fiber.
By substituting virgin fiber with secondary fiber sourced, the VSE facility cut its annual usage of virgin pulp from 54,000 metric tons to 13,000 metric tons.
The facility has also made continuous improvements to reduce its carbon and waste footprint. VSE completed a LED lighting project that resulted in a 35% reduction in the facility’s lighting electricity consumption. In addition, the facility has maintained zero waste to landfill status.
The VSE facility received a Team Excellence Award for Forest Footprint and a Mill Excellence Award. They got a “Crystal Tree Awards,” which are the internal highest recognition for sustainability leadership.
“We are fully committed to enhancing our performance, and we’re continuously searching for new ideas we can bring to life to make a meaningful difference to the surrounding environment.” – said Oliver Coquet, VSE Mill Manager.
The efforts to innovate and reduce the impacts on Environment have been taken for such a long time. In 2019 the team installed beehives on the site, and last year, they were able to harvest the first honey and redistribute it to the facility employees. This project demonstrates the facility’s holistic commitment to sustainability.
