Contamination specialist Kimberly-Clark Professional has announced it has become a sponsor of the My Green Lab Ambassador Program.
My Green Lab is a non-profit organisation dedicated to building a global culture of sustainability in science. They are the world leaders in developing internationally recognised sustainability standards for laboratories and laboratory products, bringing sustainability to the community responsible for the world's life-changing medical and technical innovations.
The RightCycle Program is the first large-scale recycling effort for non-hazardous lab, cleanroom, and industrial PPE waste.
"My Green Lab is a leader in making labs more sustainable," said Ashley Davis, global sustainability manager, Kimberly-Clark Professional. "This sponsorship is in keeping with Kimberly-Clark's global 2030 ambition, which is to improve the lives of 1 billion people in underserved communities around the globe with the smallest environmental footprint."
The Ambassador Program offers a free online learning program for scientists and laboratory professionals motivated to encourage their labs to be more sustainable. Furthermore, the program provides opportunities to network, learn, and discuss laboratory sustainability with other ambassadors as well as My Green Lab staff through a dedicated discussion channel and organised virtual meetings.
"We are pleased to have Kimberly-Clark Professional as a sponsor of a program that trains and inspires people to jumpstart their labs' journeys into sustainability," said Ryan Arnold, vice president of Investments & Partnerships, My Green Lab. "Partnerships like this enable us to help scientists and lab professionals reduce their environmental footprint and enhance their stewardship efforts."
Partnerships like this enable us to help scientists and lab professionals reduce their environmental footprint
- Ryan Arnold, VP of Investments & Partnerships, My Green Lab
The My Green Lab sponsorship is another example of Kimberly-Clark's aspiration 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.
In 2011, Kimberly-Clark Professional launched The RightCycle Program, the first large-scale recycling effort for non-hazardous lab, cleanroom, and industrial PPE waste. Since its inception, it has helped more than 1,000 customers divert over 2,000 metric tons of PPE waste. Originating in the U.S. with a few scientific manufacturing customers, it is now available in 11 countries across Europe and North America with a wide range of customers that include universities and research institutions, pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well as manufacturing facilities, breweries and other businesses.
The RightCycle Program collects previously hard-to-recycle personal protective equipment (PPE) such as garments, masks, gloves and eye protection.* These items are then recycled by regional partners who create new plastic pellets, which are used to produce consumer products and durable goods, including lawn furniture, benches, and bicycle racks.
In 2021, the company expanded The RightCycle Program in Europe to other categories to include the recycling of both plastic dispensers and hand towels. In 2022, it expanded the program in the US and Canada to accept flex-film plastic packaging from Kimtech and KleenGuard products. This provides Kimberly-Clark Professional with an even greater opportunity to reduce its environmental footprint in collaboration with its customers.
Kimberly-Clark understands that a strong and enduring focus on safeguarding natural systems is essential to helping people live a better life. To that end, the company is focused on the areas where it can make the biggest difference – climate, forests, water and plastics.
