ROSWELL, Ga., June 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark
Professional has expanded its innovative recycling program –
RightCycle by Kimberly-Clark Professional – to manufacturing and
other industrial environments, enabling these customers to divert
non-hazardous waste, such as nitrile gloves and apparel, from
landfills.
RightCycle is the first large-scale recycling program for
non-hazardous lab, cleanroom and industrial waste. Since its launch
in 2011, the program has diverted more than 300 tons of waste from
landfills. The items are sent to recyclers in the United States and turned into nitrile
powder and pellets that are used to create eco-responsible consumer
products and durable goods, such as flowerpots and lawn furniture,
benches and bicycle racks.
"By recycling rather than discarding nitrile gloves and
single-use apparel, customers can divert these hard-to-recycle
waste streams from the landfill in order to get one step closer to
achieving their zero waste goals while reducing their waste
disposal costs at the same time," said John
R. Adams, industrial business leader, Kimberly-Clark
Professional. "In addition, we are helping to give our safety and
industrial products a second life."
RightCycle enables customers to recycle thin mil nitrile gloves,
apparel (including accessories such as hoods, masks, shoe covers
and other items) and Kimtech Pure 100 percent polypropylene wipers.
To qualify for the program, the items must be free of hazardous
materials, biohazards and wet food.
"As a rule of thumb, if our personal protective equipment
products, such as nitrile gloves and apparel, are being disposed of
as regular trash versus hazardous waste, then we can likely accept
them," Adams added.
California Success Story
Participants in the
RightCycle Program have reaped many benefits and one – Lundberg
Family Farms of Richvale, Calif. –
credits the program with helping it achieve a Platinum Zero Waste
Facility Certification from the U.S. Zero Waste Business
Council.
Gloves previously represented about 15 percent of the company's
landfill waste, so switching to Kimberly-Clark Professional gloves
and the RightCycle program was an easy decision. The company now
expects to divert four tons of glove waste annually.
"The changeover was really painless," said Ashley Vega, the company's sustainability
specialist. "And our employees are actively recycling the gloves –
even more than we anticipated."
Sustainability is a big part of the family-owned company's
culture. "Our company is committed to nourishing a healthier planet
and protecting the environment for generations to come," Vega
added. "This expands our solid waste reduction and recycling
efforts."
Lundberg Family Farms recycled close to one ton of nitrile
gloves in its first few months in the RightCycle program. "You're
either throwing the gloves away or giving them a second life. The
latter is always better," Vega said.
In addition to the industrial program launch, Kimberly-Clark
Professional is continuing to expand the RightCycle program –
bringing it to Western Europe and
exploring expansion in other regions. For more information, visit
www.KCProfessional.com/rightcycle.
Kimberly-Clark Professional has a long history of innovation and
environmental leadership, and has been recognized by leading
environmental non-governmental organizations for its efforts. In
2015, it became the first major manufacturer in North America to produce bath tissue and towel
products incorporating domestically sourced non-wood fiber. It also
was the first away-from-home towel and tissue products company in
North America to obtain Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC®) certification for a broad range of towel
and tissue products, and currently holds the largest portfolio of
FSC-certified towel and tissue products in North America. To
learn more about Kimberly-Clark's global sustainability efforts,
visit http://sustainabilityreport2022.kimberly-clark.com/.
About Lundberg Family Farms
Since 1937, the Lundberg
Family has been farming rice and producing rice products at their
farms in the Sacramento Valley. Now led by its third generation,
Lundberg Family Farms uses organic and eco-positive farming
practices to produce wholesome, healthful rice products while
protecting and improving the environment for future generations.
For more information, visit Lundberg.com and follow us on Facebook,
Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.
About Kimberly-Clark Professional
Kimberly-Clark
Professional partners with businesses to create Exceptional
Workplaces, helping to make them healthier, safer and more
productive. Key brands in this segment include: Kleenex,
Scott, WypAll, Kimtech and Jackson Safety. Kimberly-Clark
Professional, located in Roswell,
Georgia, is one of three Kimberly-Clark business sectors. To
see how Kimberly-Clark Professional is helping people around the
world to work better, please visit www.kcprofessional.com.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and
its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for
people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of
the world's population trust Kimberly-Clark's brands and the
solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and
well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups,
Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No. 1 or No. 2 share
positions in 80 countries. To keep up with the latest news and to
learn more about the Company's 144-year history of innovation,
visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on
Facebook or Twitter.
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