Kimberly-Clark Australia has partnered with Woolworths on a packaging trial that\u2019s set to remove tonnes of plastic waste from supermarkets and supply chains across the country.<\/p>\n
As part of an ongoing commitment to cut virgin plastic usage by half by 2030, the partnership will enable Kimberly-Clark Australia to save 15 tonnes of plastic annually – equivalent to approximately 1.6 million 500ml plastic water bottles.<\/p>\n
The trial saw VIVA paper towels packed directly onto pallets for Woolworths, without the use of secondary packaging or \u2018bundling\u2019 – which is commonplace across most supply chains for product transportation and is often \u2018invisible\u2019 to consumers, as it\u2019s removed prior to products hitting shelves.<\/p>\n
After more than a year in development and testing, the packaging trial reached stores in mid-September and has been deemed a preliminary success, with staff highlighting time efficiencies for stock replenishment and plastic disposal as an additional benefit to the change.<\/p>\n
Both parties have agreed to continue with the new approach and actualise those plastic savings.<\/p>\n
Kimberly-Clark Australia Millicent mill manager Adam Carpenter said Aussie consumers were looking to them to reduce plastic across the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we’ve worked incredibly hard with the Woolworths team to bring this trial to life – and it\u2019s safe to say we\u2019re thrilled with results to date,\u201d he said. \u201cRemoving an \u2018invisible\u2019 layer of packaging might not sound like a major achievement, but it represents a significant change to the way products have been manufactured and distributed across Australia for many years – and it\u2019s taken a great deal of problem-solving and persistence to deliver these savings.<\/p>\n
\u201cRethinking our approach to packaging – and how things have always been done – was instrumental to the success of this project, and now we\u2019ve shown what\u2019s possible, we\u2019ll be looking at other opportunities to roll this out further. We\u2019re looking forward to future collaborations with our customers, including Woolworths, that help reduce plastic waste in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woolworths Category Manager for Paper Goods, Period & Continence Care Tim Moffatt said they were really pleased to see their trade partners working to remove and reduce unnecessary plastic packaging through the supply chain.<\/p>\n
\u201cPackaging used to transport products through our network can be a significant opportunity for sustainability improvements but requires close collaboration to ensure team safety and product quality is maintained,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kimberly-Clark Australia has partnered with Woolworths on a packaging trial that\u2019s set to remove tonnes of plastic waste from supermarkets and supply chains across the country. As part of an ongoing commitment to cut virgin plastic usage by half by 2030, the partnership will enable Kimberly-Clark Australia to save 15 tonnes of plastic annually – […]<\/p>\n