Kimberly-Clark Announces First Tissue Manufacturing Site on Path to 100% Renewable Energy
Kimberly-Clark has announced that its manufacturing site in Koblenz, Germany has become the company’s first tissue manufacturing facility globally with a pathway to transition its operations to 100% renewable energy. The site will electrify its heating needs as well as source its electricity demand via a portfolio of European power purchase agreements of offsite renewables. The transition is intended to be completed by 2029 latest. The move has been made possible by a Carbon Contract for Difference grant from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, combined with K-C’s recently announced multi-country European purchase power agreements. As a result, toilet paper, hand towels and wipers under brands Kleenex, Scottex, Scott, WypAll, Page & Hakle, manufactured at the Koblenz facility, will be produced with significantly less carbon emissions. The CCFD is a financial mechanism to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. Improvements at the Koblenz site supported by the grant will include switching a natural gas boiler, hood heaters and related infrastructure to electric. These updates will achieve an energy efficiency of almost 99% and remove over 13,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (MTCO2e) annually at the Koblenz facility.