Kimberly-Clark Australia and Woolworths Set to Reduce Plastic Waste Following Successful Packaging Trial

Removing ‘invisible’ secondary packaging from VIVA paper towels will save the equivalent of 1.6 million plastic bottles each year.

Kimberly-Clark Australia, one of the nation’s leading personal care product manufacturers, has partnered with Woolworths on a packaging trial that’s 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 - equivalent to approximately 1.6 million 500ml plastic water bottles.

The trial saw VIVA paper towels packed directly onto pallets for Woolworths, without the use of secondary packaging or ‘bundling’ - which is commonplace across most supply chains for product transportation and is often ‘invisible’ to consumers, as it’s removed prior to products hitting shelves. 

After over 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. Both parties have agreed to continue with the new approach and actualise those plastic savings. 

Commenting on the trial, Adam Carpenter, Mill Manager at Kimberly-Clark Australia, said:  

“Aussie consumers are looking to us to reduce plastic across the board, so we've worked incredibly hard with the Woolworths team to bring this trial to life - and it’s safe to say we’re thrilled with results to date. 

“Removing an ‘invisible’ 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’s taken a great deal of problem-solving and persistence to deliver these savings. 

“Rethinking our approach to packaging - and how things have always been done - was instrumental to the success of this project, and now we’ve shown what’s possible, we’ll be looking at other opportunities to roll this out further. We’re looking forward to future collaborations with our customers, including Woolworths, that help reduce plastic waste in Australia.” 

Tim Moffatt, Woolworths Category Manager for Paper Goods, Period & Continence Care at Woolworths, added: 

"We're really pleased to see our trade partners working to remove and reduce unnecessary plastic packaging through the supply chain. Packaging 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.”

More information about Kimberly-Clark Australia and its portfolio of personal care brands can be found here.