ROSWELL, Georgia — To the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. sustainability is not simply an initiative, it is integral to every aspect of its operations. The company has won numerous local, state and national awards for its efforts and its Chico, California, headquarters has onsite wastewater treatment and composting facilities as well as the largest solar installation of any craft brewer.
Sierra Nevada has taken another step in its sustainability journey – diverting thousands of pounds of nitrile gloves from its manufacturing waste stream through The RightCycle Program from Kimberly-Clark Professional. Since 2016, the company has diverted more than 6,800 pounds of gloves, equivalent to the weight of more than 450 bowling balls.
The RightCycle Program is the first large-scale recycling program for manufacturers and companies with non-hazardous lab, cleanroom and industrial waste. Since its launch in 2011, the program has diverted more than 500 tons of waste from landfills. As part of the program, used nitrile gloves and single-use apparel are sent to recyclers in the United States and turned into plastic pellets that are used to create new consumer goods such as flowerpots and lawn furniture, totes and storage bins.
“What’s cool about Kimberly-Clark and The RightCycle Program is they were the first to focus on this material,” said Mandi McKay, sustainability coordinator for Sierra Nevada’s Chico headquarters. “Nitrile gloves are not easily recycled. They can’t be comingled with other items. It has to be its own process.”
Sierra Nevada learned about the program from Lundberg Family Farms, an organic food producer that brought the program to its manufacturing facilities in 2015. When employees in Sierra Nevada’s Mills River, North Carolina, facility found out about The RightCycle Program they were so eager to pilot it that they began collecting gloves even before the program was implemented.
The reaction to the program throughout Sierra Nevada has been highly positive. “People think it’s great,” McKay said. “They like that we have an outlet for the gloves. They’re proud. It’s part of our culture, part of their daily job.”
And, she added, “It aligns with our company values. It makes sense for us, by contributing to a more positive environmental impact overall. We tend to pioneer a lot of things and I’m glad we’re part of a program like this.”
For more information about The RightCycle Program, visit www.KCProfessional.com/rightcycle.
About Sierra Nevada
Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America’s premier craft breweries, highly regarded for using only the finest quality ingredients. The pioneering spirit that launched Sierra Nevada now spans both coasts with breweries in Chico, California and Mills River, North Carolina. Sierra Nevada has set the standard for craft brewers worldwide with innovation in the brewhouse as well as advances in sustainability. It is famous for its extensive line of beers including Pale Ale, Sidecar Orange Pale Ale, Torpedo, Tropical Torpedo, Hop Hunter IPA, Nooner Pilsner, Otra Vez, Kellerweis, Porter, Stout and a host of seasonal, specialty and limited release beers. Learn more at https://www.sierranevada.com.
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, Kimtech and Jackson Safety. 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, PullUps, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Viva and WypAll, hold the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build stronger communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company’s 146-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.