(Photo: Kimberly-Clark’s manufacturing facility in Tuas, Singapore. Credit: Kimberly-Clark)
Kimberly-Clark recently activated a new solar roof at the company’s manufacturing facility in Tuas, Singapore. The plant’s 7,730 photovoltaic panels are expected to generate 3.5 gigawatt-hours of energy.
The company says the panels are one of the largest solar energy installations in the country. This investment should replace 15% of conventional energy used at the plant, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by around 1,600 metric tons annually, according to Kimberly-Clark.
Singapore-based solar energy provider Sunseap installed the solar roof panels in partnership with Kimberly-Clark, which called Sunseap instrumental in developing many grid-connected PV systems, pioneering the solar energy movement in the country. Last year, Microsoft signed its first renewable energy deal in Asia with Sunseap.
Over the past several years, the Tuas plant has been aiming to reduce its environmental footprint. In 2016, the facility established an in-house wastewater treatment plant that recycles 75% of the water used for wet wipes production, the company says.
In addition, the plant has had a partnership with Ngee Ann Polytechnic researchers since 2017 to find uses for material waste generated during the production process, part of a broader Kimberly-Clark effort to reuse or recycle all waste.
“Sustainable development is not just central to the mitigation of climate change and protection of the environment,” Masagos Zulkifli, Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources said at a ceremony for the Tuas plant’s solar roof. “When thoughtfully incorporated, it can benefit business operations and reduce costs in the long run.”
Kimberly-Clark’s brand portfolio includes Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Viva, and WypAll. The Tuas plant produces Huggies diapers and Huggies baby wipes.