Kleenex maker Kimberly-Clark’s use of fast-growing bamboo is “a game-changer” says Greenpeace
In experiments with alternative fibres in everything from textiles to hardwoods and house wares, niche suppliers have never scaled up to a point of industrial relevance. That may soon change, after a little-noticed announcement by Kimberly-Clark at the Rio+20 sustainability conference.
By 2025 the giant paper products company aims to shift its entire supply chain to 50% alternative fibres. That this might be an achievable goal is thanks in large part to bamboo propagation technology developed by Booshoot, a Washington-based biotechnology company that recently entered into a vendor contract to develop a Kimberly-Clark mass-market toilet paper using 20% bamboo fibre.
“The importance of this announcement is that it provides a real opportunity to reduce the pressure on natural forests, such as the Canadian boreal forest,” says Richard Brooks, Greenpeace forest campaign coordinator. At present, Kimberly-Clark sells an Eco toilet tissue in the UK, which contains 10% bamboo and 90% recycled fibre. But the bamboo comes from China and presents an unworkable long-term supply-chain model.
The south-east US is a likely location for the bamboo project, owing to warm weather and plentiful rainfall. The region is also home to 30m acres of industrial pine plantations supplying major pulp and paper mills, says Scott Paul, director of strategic partnerships for Booshoot. Those machines will not require a major retooling to accommodate bamboo fibre – one of the chief advantages of bamboo over other alternative fibres.
Five-year rollout
Paul predicts a five-year timeframe before any large-scale rollout – roughly how long it takes so-called timber bamboo, known as moso, to grow to its full 90ft height. By contrast, the fastest-growing tree species need at least 20 years regeneration and often inhibit local biodiversity, while consuming large amounts of water. Bamboo actually replenishes water tables and, if well managed, can successfully host habitats, with a level of biological complexity.
The chief impediment is an old-school industry that does not readily embrace innovation. “They’ve increased efficiency, sure, but they are still getting forest fibre predominately from natural forests,” says Brooks. Still, the writing may already be on the wall, given a looming supply-chain crunch linked to declining supplies of “green” recovered paper.
Kimberly-Clark’s move to alternative fibre, in the company’s words, “helps insulate [us] from continuing volatile price fluctuations in the world fibre market”.
The shift towards recycled and alternative fibre has coincided with a high level of cooperation between Greenpeace and Kimberly-Clark. The two have worked together since a 2009 agreement brought an end to a vigorous campaign linking the company’s Kleenex brand to clearcutting of Canada’s ancient boreal forests. In this instance, Kimberly-Clark reportedly approached Greenpeace and other environmental groups with the idea of linking up with Booshoot – a move that, according to Paul, caught the global environmental movement somewhat off-guard.
“The truth is we didn’t know a lot about bamboo,” says Paul, who worked with Greenpeace for 14 years before joining Booshoot in 2012.
Brooks says companies are both worried and excited. “This is probably the biggest announcement in the pulp-and-paper and forestry world we have seen in the last decade.”
He warns that the Canadian forest industry will see this as a threat and will come out in opposition to alternative fibres.
But for all the ambitious talk, can alternative fibres really replace the traditional pulp market?
“This isn’t some mom-and-pop operation making T-shirts out of hemp fibre,” says Brooks. “This is a global company where a billion people use their products every year … If there is a company that is going to push it over the edge in terms of the real development and commercialisation of alternative fibres, it’s Kimberly-Clark. It’s a game changer.”