Kimberly-Clark wins Australian Business Award for Environmental Sustainability

Kimberly-Clark Australia has been declared one of nine winners in the Environmental Sustainability category of The Australian Business Awards 2013.

Now in its eighth year, the awards program honours organisations’ industry-leading initiatives and products, assessing the core values of business excellence, product excellence, sustainability and responsibility. This year saw 100 winners in total announced across 20 business and product award categories.

“An Australian Business Award solidifies a place as a leader alongside our best in business,” explained Program Director Tara Johnston.

“The awards raise the bar across all aspects of quality management and provide organisations with ways to review their business and product performance as well as identify their core strengths.”

Through its brands like Kleenex Tissues, Kleenex Cottonelle, Viva Paper Towel and Huggies Nappies, Kimberly-Clark has helped raise consumer awareness of key sustainability and social issues affecting the community. It has partnered with WWF’s Love Your Forests program to raise awareness of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, which is carried by all its locally made tissue and paper towel products. More recently, the company developed a partnership between the Huggies brand and the Children’s Hospital Foundations Australia.

Sustainability and CSR Manager Jacquie Fegent-McGeachie said Kimberly-Clark Australia has substantially reduced its environmental footprint since implementing its local sustainability strategy, Our Essential World, at the beginning of 2012. The company’s 2012 sustainability report highlights the progress the company has made towards its 2015 goals. One of its achievements is the reduction of its carbon dioxide emissions by 24% in the last financial year.

“We’re also nearing completion of a $30 million cogeneration facility at our Millicent Tissue Mill in South Australia, which will generate 92% of the mill’s total electricity and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 80,000 tonnes - the equivalent of powering 36,000 average homes for a year,” Fegent-McGeachie added.

Johnston said Kimberly-Clark Australia is “a worthy recipient and has demonstrated a commitment to excellence that stands out amongst a dynamic field of Australia’s elite”.

The other Environmental Sustainability winners are:

• Club Assist
• Department of Water, WA
• Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics Australia
• Oaks Flats Bowling & Recreation Club
• SEQ Catchments
• SITA Australia
• Staples Australia
• Toxfree Gorgon Project Business Unit