Kimberly-Clark World Headquarters Earns Energy Star Rating
Jul 16, 2012
 

Kimberly-Clark World Headquarters Earns Energy Star Rating

DALLAS, July 16, 2012 - Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) today announced that its headquarters facility in Irving, Texas, has earned the prestigious Energy Star rating. The rating, presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, signifies superior energy efficiency and environmental protection.

Kimberly-Clark's 130,000 square-foot headquarters building had to rank amongst the top 25 percent most energy-efficient facilities in the U.S. to earn this rating. Each Energy Star-rated facility across the country has earned a score of 75 or higher on the 1-100 energy performance scale, weighted by energy use, cost to operate and greenhouse gas emissions. Kimberly-Clark scored a 90 this year to earn the Energy Start rating after scoring a 38 in 2010.

"We are excited to receive the Energy Star rating that demonstrates our continued emphasis on sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment," said Tom Mielke, Kimberly-Clark's senior vice president general counsel and chief compliance officer. "I'm proud of the work done by our team in Irving to make such a dramatic improvement in the energy efficiency of our building in such a short time, and I look forward to more progress in the future."

"This is a tremendous achievement for a company I respect very much," said Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne. "Kimberly-Clark is a genuine business leader. I am thrilled that management took the initiative to better an existing facility and reinvest in the structure. They have not only benefited the environment and their employees, but the entire Irving community."

Kimberly-Clark takes strides in reducing carbon footprint

Kimberly-Clark has implemented energy-efficient technology and numerous initiatives throughout the course of the last two years to improve the energy efficiency of its headquarters building. Through these combined efforts, Kimberly-Clark has saved 2,341,470 kilowatt hours (kWh) over the past 27 months, which would estimate enough savings to power 162 Texas homes for a year.1

To help accomplish this transformation, Kimberly-Clark adopted the Building Automation System that permits Kimberly-Clark to control all energy-providing units from remote devices, such as laptops. Kimberly-Clark currently utilizes the system for lighting, air-conditioning and heating automation. "We are continually looking for ways to use the building's automation system to make our equipment run even more efficiently," said Robert Goodwin, client relationship manager at the World Headquarters.

Kimberly-Clark has taken additional measures to further decrease their carbon footprint:

  • Test/balance of air. The entire building was tested for the balance of air flow to detect leaks and ensure all rooms are getting adequate and equal ventilation.
  • Decreasing light entry. Kimberly-Clark replaced the exterior awning over the glass in atrium that aids in cooling the room by decreasing the light that enters the space by 15 percent.
  • Light bulb modification. As lights go out, bulbs are replaced with Compact Fluorescent bulbs, saving 75 watts of power per bulb in the ceiling; LED lighting has all been added in parts of the building, as well.

For more information on Kimberly-Clark's commitment to the environment, visit the company's 2011 Sustainability Report.

About Kimberly-Clark 
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust K-C's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 140-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

About ENERGY STAR 
Launched in 1992 by EPA, Energy Star is a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. This year marks Energy Star's 20th anniversary. Over the past 20 years, with help from Energy Star, American families and businesses have saved about $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of carbon pollution. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products and more than 1.3 million new homes.

1Source: http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=97&t=3

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