KIMBERLY-CLARK Australia, the single largest employer in the state's South East, is investing $20 million more in its Millicent Mill to upgrade equipment and increase production of its Kleenex products.
It follows a $33m investment earlier this year in a new energy-saving cogeneration plant, which has taken the Millicent Mill off the electricity grid and greatly reduced the company’s carbon emissions.
Speaking at an event to celebrate the company’s achievements, Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis also announced a new licensing agreement between Kimberly-Clark Australia and the Environment Protection Authority, which will build on waste water improvements and sustainability initiatives already achieved by the leading South Australian manufacturer.
“While we acknowledge the challenges facing the sector, we commend Kimberly-Clark Australia for facing them head on and leading the way as a sustainable and competitive manufacturer in SA,” Mr Koutsantonis said.
“Kimberly-Clark Australia’s $20m investment adds to more than $370m it has invested in the South East over the past decade.
“Kimberly-Clark Australia is not only making an investment, but a statement about its commitment to manufacturing, this region and the 900 people directly or indirectly employed by the mill.”
Kimberly-Clark Australia injects about $130m into SA's economy each year.
Mr Koutsantonis said that for the past 50 years, the company had operated under an indenture agreement which provided regulatory certainty for the mill’s operators.
The indenture allowed Kimberly-Clark Australia to discharge wastewater, outside of normal environmental regulations, into drains that flow into Lake Bonney in the South East, one of the state’s largest freshwater lakes.
The EPA and the company had been working together for several years to ensure a smooth transition to full licensing, ahead of the expiry of the indenture.
Mr Koutsantonis said Kimberly-Clark Australia had made significant investments to reduce and improve wastewater, along with its carbon footprint.
“The company says its mill’s wastewater discharges have gone from 35 megalitres a day in 2010 to about 10 megalitres a day currently, and now meets Australian Drinking Water Guidelines,” he said.