Kimberly-Clark Corp., Experimental Mill
Green Tier - Tier 2 Participant

Kimberly-Clark Experimental Mill is located in Neenah, WI. The facility's primary function is to develop and deliver a continuous stream of innovative product and process solutions for the Family Care business sector. Kimberly-Clark believes that sustainability is not only the right thing to do, but that it is a business imperative. Its approach to sustainability is to identify initiatives that generate a competitive advantage, improve business relations, and fulfill responsibilities as a member of the global community.

The Experimental Mill participated at the Tier 1 level of Green Tier for over 5 years before developing a Tier 2 contract with DNR. Kimberly-Clark Experimental Mill is not seeking any regulatory flexibility from the DNR in the contract. As part of the Green Tier program, the Experimental Mill has initiated energy and water use reduction programs and waste minimization programs, including recycling 100 percent of base sheet, cardboard, poly-wrap, packaging material, scrap wood, scrap metal, bulbs, batteries, used oil and anti-freeze, and office waste.

• Replaced over 500 metal halide light fixtures with high-efficiency fluorescent fixtures for a savings of 180,916 kilowatt hours since 2006.
• Installed programmable thermostats and automatic interior lighting controls to reduce energy usage when the facility is not in operation (e.g., nights, weekends, holidays).
• Identified and repaired leaks in the compressed air equipment. The repaired equipment runs more efficiently and uses less energy. Also programmed part of the air compressor system to shut down when it detects low demand.
• Reduced amount of water used for equipment washing by approximately 50 percent. Achieved this by turning down water pressure in hoses used for cleaning equipment from 160 pounds per square inch (psi) to 60 psi.
• Made progress on ground water remediation by making a model that uses site data to identify sources of contamination. The model pointed out opportunities for cleaning contaminated soils and upgrading the existing ground water extraction remediation system. Ongoing data collection continues to provide new ideas for improving ground water.
• Helped the community’s redevelopment efforts by selling a large section of parking lot to the City of Neenah to turn into permanent green space. Also negotiated with the local utility provider to move power line supports out of the adjacent lake, Little Lake Butte des Morts.

Participation Contract

• Contract for Superior Environmental Performance between Kimberly-Clark, Experimental Mill and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources [PDF] January 18, 2012

News Release

• Kimberly-Clark Experimental Mill moves to next level of environmental program [PDF 24KB] January 18, 2012

Annual Report

• 2010 Annual Report from Kimberly-Clark Corp., Experimental Mill [PDF 90KB]

Application

• Application [PDF 250KB] Posted January 20, 2010
• Letter of Intent [PDF 43KB]
• Attachment 2: Environmental Performance [PDF 184KB]
• Attachment 3: Environmental Management System [PDF 72KB]

More about Kimberly-Clark Corp., Experimental Mill's Tier 1 Participation 2006-2012