March 25, 2009—Kimberly-Clark Corporation has been named a 2009 Energy Star Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The award recognizes the company’s ongoing efforts to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its operations.
Kimberly-Clark is reportedly committed to achieving energy efficiency targets for its manufacturing processes and has set energy conservation goals for each of its facilities. K-C estimates it increased its worldwide energy efficiency by 3.2 percent in 2008 over 2007, while reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 2.2 percent. The company’s energy efficiency initiative is generating annual cost savings of more than $80 million compared to 2005 efficiency levels,
In choosing Kimberly-Clark as an Energy Star Partner of the Year, EPA recognized the company’s comprehensive approach to energy management, which includes rigorous tracking of energy usage at K-C facilities, the use of more energy-efficient equipment and lighting fixtures, programs to raise employees’ awareness of their role in improving energy efficiency, and greater use of renewable energy sources including landfill gas and biomass to power manufacturing sites and offices.
The Energy Star award follows the company’s recent ranking by EPA as the ninth largest green power user among Fortune 500 companies based on its use of renewable energy resources. In addition, for the fourth consecutive year, Kimberly-Clark ranked No. 1 in 2008 among personal products companies in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, based on the long-term economic, environmental, and social performance of leading global companies across 57 industries.
