ROSWELL, Ga., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark Professional™, a global leader in personal protective equipment (PPE) for industrial and scientific applications, has bestowed the 2023 Greenovation Awards on 49 companies for demonstrating sustainability leadership and reducing their environmental impact by participating in landfill diversion programs.

The companies were recognized for diverting a total of 439,227 pounds of PPE waste from landfills in 2022 through The RightCycle™ Program. The program helps a wide range of Kimberly-Clark Professional's customers reduce their solid waste streams by enabling them to recycle single-use items such as garments, gloves, hoods, boot covers, masks and safety eyewear.

Some of the companies recognized this year for running collection sites include:

• Boston Scientific (Dorado, Puerto Rico)
• Catalent (Madison, Wisconsin)
• Cook Medical (Bloomington Indiana)
• Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
• The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor and Ellsworth, Maine)
• MilliporeSigma (Danvers, Massachusetts)
• Pfizer (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
• Philips (Reedsville, Pennsylvania)
• Promega (Fitchburg, Wisconsin)
• Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana)
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (Rensselaer, New York)
• W. L. Gore (Phoenix, Arizona; Flagstaff, Arizona; Elkton, Maryland)

Since its inception in 2011, The RightCycle Program has helped over 1,000 customers divert more than 4.5 million pounds of PPE waste from landfills.¹

Jameson Wentworth, senior EHS specialist at MilliporeSigma, a 2023 award recipient, said, "Millipore Sigma has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. The RightCycle program made it easy for us to maintain that commitment and achieve our sustainability goals."

"Our customers have displayed exceptional leadership in sustainability through this program as well as other initiatives to reduce their environmental impact," said Ashley Davis, global sustainability manager, Kimberly-Clark Professional. "We commend them on their accomplishments and wish them continued success on their sustainability journeys."

The Greenovation Awards were established by Kimberly-Clark Professional in 2013 to honor the waste diversion efforts of its customers. Each year, Kimberly-Clark Professional recognizes companies for leadership in sustainability and a commitment to reducing their environmental impact.

The RightCycle Program collects used PPE and sends these items to regional recycling partners to become plastic pellets used to manufacture consumer products, including lawn furniture, benches and bicycle racks.

Kimberly-Clark Professional aspires to be at the forefront of the transition to a circular, reuse economy by reducing waste, promoting waste-handling system improvements and innovating new ways of providing people with the products they need to live their best lives. As part of its global goal to reduce its environmental footprint by 50% by 2030, the company is focused on the areas where it can make the biggest difference – climate, forests, water and plastics.

To learn more, visit The RightCycle Program website.

¹ source: 2022 WasteBits and 2022 Kimberly-Clark Corporation proprietary insights.

About Kimberly-Clark Professional™
Kimberly-Clark Professional™ partners with businesses to create Exceptional Workplaces, helping to make them healthier, safer and more productive. Key brands in this segment include Kleenex, Scott, WypAll, KleenGuard and Kimtech. To see how Kimberly-Clark Professional™ is helping people around the world to work better, please visit www.kcprofessional.com.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. We are proud to be recognized as one of the world's most ethical companies by Ethisphere for the fifth year in a row. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company's 150-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.

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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Professional