Kimberly-Clark invests over $165 million towards Green Hydrogen for the decarbonization of UK manufacturing operations.
The UK government is supporting two significant hydrogen projects by Kimberly-Clark, a leading consumer goods company, as part of its efforts to scale up hydrogen production and use in industry. The projects, located at Barrow-in-Furness and Northfleet, are expected to cut industrial emissions, support industrial renewal, and create thousands of jobs.
Kimberly-Clark is investing over £125 million (around US$165–169 million) to develop green hydrogen facilities at its UK manufacturing sites in Barrow-in-Furness and Northfleet. The investment is a key part of the company's decarbonization strategy.
The Barrow-in-Furness Facility
The Barrow-in-Furness facility, which received planning consent in June 2023, will produce approximately 100 GWh of green hydrogen annually. The facility has secured government support through the UK's Hydrogen Allocation Round One (HAR1) and the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund. It will be the first of several green hydrogen installations Kimberly-Clark plans in the next 2-4 years.
The Northfleet Facility
The Northfleet facility, which received planning consent in August 2024, will produce around 47 GWh of green hydrogen annually. Like the Barrow facility, it also benefits from HAR1 funding support. Progress on this site is well advanced, with partnership operations underway with HYRO, a joint venture between Octopus Energy Generation and RES.
Impact on Kimberly-Clark and UK's Industrial Emissions
The green hydrogen produced at both facilities will replace natural gas used in steam generation processes at the plants, cutting Kimberly-Clark’s natural gas consumption in the UK by 50% starting in 2027 compared to 2024 levels. Combined, the two projects are expected to reduce carbon emissions by 28,500 tonnes annually—equivalent to taking 20,000 petrol cars off UK roads.
The Barrow and Northfleet sites are among Kimberly-Clark’s highest-energy-use European operations, producing nearly 1 billion Andrex toilet rolls and 150 million Kleenex tissue boxes annually. The adoption of green hydrogen here sets an example for energy-intensive industries.
Broader Significance for the UK
The projects are part of the UK government’s push to scale up hydrogen production and use in industry to reduce industrial emissions, supporting industrial renewal and job creation in UK heartlands. They represent one of the first commercial-scale consumer goods manufacturing green hydrogen initiatives in the UK, signaling industrial uptake of clean, homegrown renewable energy.
Kimberly-Clark continues to grow its renewable energy footprint across Europe and Africa. In 2023, the company signed a power purchase agreement linked to a £75 million onshore wind farm in Scotland.
These green hydrogen projects not only decarbonize major manufacturing operations of household products but also align with UK government hydrogen strategies to decarbonize industrial sectors and stimulate renewable energy infrastructure.
The investment of over £125 million by Kimberly-Clark in their green hydrogen facilities at Barrow-in-Furness and Northfleet is a part of the finance sector backing the renewable-energy industry, as the company's decarbonization strategy includes the production of green hydrogen for use in their energy-intensive business operations. The implementation of these projects will create thousands of jobs, support industrial renewal, and cut industrial emissions by 28,500 tonnes annually, aligning with the UK government's efforts to scale up hydrogen production and use in the industry.
