3 min read - 24 Jul, 2025
Kimberly-Clark signs landmark £125m green hydrogen deal
Kimberly-Clark UK & Ireland has become the first major consumer products company in the UK to make a significant commitment to green hydrogen.
The Andrex and Kleenex producer is investing over £125m into the emerging energy solution at its two plants in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and Northfleet, Kent. Combined, the two sites produce nearly one billion Andrex toilet rolls and over 150 million boxes of Kleenex tissues every year.
Compared to 2024 levels, Kimberly-Clark expects to achieve a 50% reduction in natural gas consumption across its UK production lines from 2027, supporting the firm’s ambition to move its UK manufacturing operations to 100% renewable energy by 2030.
The two long-term hydrogen supply agreements, signed with energy partners Carlton Power and HYRO, will mean a green hydrogen facility is installed next to Kimberly-Clark’s Barrow plant, while a separate facility will be built on Kimberly-Clark’s Northfleet plant.
CGI image of Barrow installation (for illustration only) / Picture: Kimberly-Clark
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The Barrow hydrogen project will supply 100GWh of hydrogen per annum while the Northfleet project will supply 47GWh per annum. Collectively, the displacement of natural gas with hydrogen will reduce carbon emissions by 28,500 tonnes per annum, equivalent to removing approximately 20,000 petrol cars off the road every year.
These projects will further decarbonise the production of toilet and facial tissues by directly replacing fossil-fuel natural gas used for steam generation. Green hydrogen – created through the electrolysis of water using electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar – allows a versatile energy source to be generated and stored without emitting polluting gases during combustion or production.
Dan Howell, vice president and managing director at Kimberly-Clark UK & Ireland, said: “Now is the right time for us to tap into hydrogen’s significant potential, improving energy supply and our decarbonisation needs. We are delighted to be the first UK consumer goods manufacturer to really embrace green hydrogen, showing that an energy intensive industry can take the lead and overcome the technical challenge and adopt green hydrogen at scale. This initiative builds on the investments and progress we’ve already made with innovative technologies for our business, our consumers and our customers.”
An aerial view of the tissue producer’s Barrow plant / Picture: Kimberly-Clark
The initiatives are expected to enable Kimberly-Clark UK & Ireland to achieve a total reduction of its operational greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80% in 2027 (vs 2015 baseline). These improvements will also help Kimberly-Clark meet its sustainability ambitions to achieve a 50% reduction of absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions globally, from a 2015 base year by 2030.
It represents another major milestone in Kimberly-Clark’s drive towards low carbon energy in the UK, following its announcement in September 2023 of a power purchase agreement supporting the opening of a new £75m onshore wind farm in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
These two green hydrogen projects are being supported with funding from the UK government following its selection for the government’s first Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1). Carlton Power’s Barrow green hydrogen project secured local planning consent in June 2023. HYRO’s project at the Northfleet paper mill received planning permission, after the local council granted consent for the scheme in August 2024.
