Kimberly-Clark Professional has become the first manufacturer to introduce 100 per cent bio-based and recyclable hand towel core plugs.
The plastic-free core plugs, to be introduced in Scott® and Kleenex® hand towel ranges across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, are made primarily from starch and fibre, replacing the plastic core plugs currently in use. The move is aimed at reducing plastic by over 30 tons per year – equivalent to 1.5 million plastic bottles.
When replacing the hand towel roll, cleaning professionals typically separate the card-based hand towel roll from the plastic core plug for their different disposal or recycling streams. With this new plastic-free core plug, there is no need to spend time separating the waste into paper and plastic, as the towel roll and plug can be disposed of together in paper recycling streams.
Olena Neznal, VP for Kimberly-Clark Professional in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, said: “I am proud that we are designing innovative products with circularity in mind and taking this step to eliminate unnecessary plastic in our hand towel range with this game-changing solution. In doing so, we are reducing plastic waste, helping our customers improve their recycling rates, and saving cleaning professionals’ time.”
Kimberly-Clark has set a goal to reduce its plastic footprint by 50 per cent by 2030 by using less virgin, fossil-fuel-based plastic and more recycled, renewable, or degradable materials while finding ways to support the transition to a circular economy. This will contribute to the company’s global ambition to improve the lives of 1 billion people in underserved communities around the globe by 2030 with the smallest environmental footprint.
