Kimberly-Clark is to upgrade each of its three manufacturing sites across New South Wales and South Australia in order to greatly increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse emissions.

In what the company describes as a strong vote of confidence in its Australian manufacturing future, Kimberly-Clark Australia’s managing director Glen Watts announced in early July a $65 million of reinvestment in Kimberly-Clark’s Australian plants.

The investment includes $28 million to enable local manufacture of disposable pants at the company’s Ingleburn Mill; $6.5 million at the Albury Mill expanding its capability to make innovative products as well as reduce carbon emissions; and $30 million for a combined heat and power generation project greatly increasing energy efficiencies and significantly reducing greenhouse emissions for the Millicent Mill located in South Australia, site of Kleenex tissue product manufacturing.

“These investments demonstrate Kimberly-Clark’s commitment to maintaining an effective Australian manufacturing presence. We continue to look to the Australian Government to play its part to maintain an effective economic environment for Australian manufacturing,” stated Watts.

In keeping with the company’s ongoing sustainability quests, about half of the $65 million investment addresses energy costs and greenhouse gas emission reduction from its manufacturing. The reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will be of the order of 90,000 tons per year by 2013 when the investments are completed. “This reduction is equivalent to removing 32,000 small cars from the road or alternatively to planting 10,000 hectare of trees per year,” explained Watts.