11_octnov_NEWS SHORT ISSUES

Short Issues

Kimberly-Clark has boosted its health and beauty offerings with the launch of a range of facial cleansing products under its Kleenex brand. The range includes facial cleansing and eye makeup removal wipes, facial cloths and shine absorbing sheets. Alana Hedley, European brand manager for Kleenex, said: “The facial cloths in particular are an innovation in the otherwise stagnant cotton wool category, providing a more effective, softer and larger alternative for removing cleansers, face washes and facemasks.”


Canadian tissue manufacturer Kruger Products has expanded its presence in North America after it invested US$316m in a new tissue machine and facility at its Memphis mill. It will be partly financed by a US$211m loan from the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, a Canadian institutional fund manager. Mario Gosselin, chief operating officer for Kruger Products, said: “The proximity of our Memphis mill to growing US markets will further strengthen our competitive position in North America, which will benefit all our establishments in both Canada and the US”.


(RISI) – Industrie Cartarie Tronchetti (ICT) has started production at its greenfield site in Montargis, in the Loiret region of France. Startup of the site’s 70,000 tpy tissue machine took place in mid-July and both the paper mill and the converting facility are now in full operation, according to a company spokesperson. Metso supplied the 5.5m wide tissue line, which has an operating speed of 1,900m/min. The unit will use 100% virgin pulp as raw material.


Clearwater Paper Corporation will now offer FSC certified premium and ultra-premium bath tissue and ultra-premium paper towel products in response to customer demand. The Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood Program performed all certification audits to ensure conformance to the FSC standards. Matt Van Vleet, director of corporate communications, said: “We are finding that more and more customers are asking for FSC products. FSC is a relatively new concept to everyday consumers and retailers. Once they know and understand the relevance of certified fibre, they embrace the idea.


CPI’s director general David Workman has launched his latest briefing to MPs, which highlights carbon abatement, renewable energy and environmental compliance schemes as the key issues facing the paper and tissue industry. He said the sector is becoming increasingly alarmed by the prospects of further punitive measures being imposed by government both in the UK and in Brussels. CPI represents the UK’s paper industries, including tissue makers.


Wacker Polymers has raised the price of its vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE) and ethylenevinyl chloride-based copolymer dispersions in the Americas as of 14 October. The producer of binders and polymer additives has implemented a price increase of $0.03 per wet pound. The company said the measure has been necessitated by the continued increase in raw-material and distribution cost. The VAE dispersions are used in the tissue sector, for products such as nonwoven table tops and runners, disposable washcloths, baby wipes, cleansing and disinfectant wipes and moist tissues.


SCA Packaging is calling on students and non-professional packaging designers around the world to submit work to its Design Challenge 03. This year’s challenge is to create an innovative packaging design for SCA’s Tempo tissue box and LEGO’s ‘Bricks and More’ starter set. The winning participants will be invited to a two day workshop in one of SCA’s design centres, and winning designs might make it into production. Submissions will be accepted until 4 December 2011.