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The Forest Stewardship Council ANZ Board has appointed Judy Alexander to the Standards Development Group responsible for revising the Forest Stewardship Standard (FSS) for Australia. Source: Timberbiz Ms Alexander replaces Tim McBride, who had to resign from the SDG following his departure from the organisation that nominated him. Ms Alexander, a member of FSC ANZ through her consulting firm, Foresa Consulting, brings a well-rounded skill set to the Standards Development Group from her close to 30 years in the industry. This includes experience developing, implementing, and auditing forestry standards in native and plantation forestry.

The American-owned Kimberly-Clark Australia Millicent Mill increased its production of tissue products by an unspecified amount in the last calendar year. Kimberly-Clark’s Millicent Mill is in South Australia and produces the Kleenex brand of tissues. Sources: The SE Voice The Kimberly-Clark Corporation released its annual results to the New York Stock Exchange at 10pm last night (Tuesday) This was the only reference to Australia in the document. KCC chief executive and chairman Mike Hsu announced the fourth quarter and full year 2024 results, and his remarks had an upbeat tone. He said the results illustrated the strength of its innovation-led growth model, driving volume gains, improving product mix, and generating significant efficiencies enabling reinvestment in its brands, new capabilities, and generating attractive returns to its shareholders. “2024 was a breakthrough year for Kimberly-Clark with the launch of our transformative, multi-year Powering Care strategy and successfully rewiring our organization into three powerhouse segments with world-class functional support,” Mr Hsu said. “Our full-year results exceeded our new long-term growth algorithm – supported by consistent execution across the organisation and we established a strong foundation to accelerate our strategy in 2025 and beyond. “We delivered organic top-line growth with an upward inflection in volume-plus-mix. “This, coupled with improved productivity, has driven strong adjusted profit growth and fuelled investments to advance our competitive advantage. “We’re excited about this new chapter of Kimberly-Clark, and we look forward to build-ing on our momentum and enhancing value for all stakeholders.” As per company policy, the financial results of KCA and other individual countries were not stated. Major Kimberly-Clark Corporation operational decisions are often announced at this time. Mr Hsu is due to attend a press conference scheduled for this morning (South Australian time). Last week, the Millicent Mill was inspected by Supply chain manager Ganesh Krishnamurthy who is based at the Kimberly-Clark Corporation Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. Australian companies erected the plant now known as the KCA Millicent Mill on a greenfield site in 1958 with production commencing two years later. The Kimberly-Clark Corporation took a 50% stake in 1963 and then assumed full ownership in 2001. At its height in the 1980s, the Millicent Mill had a workforce of 1000. Nowadays, there are around 350 company employees and 50 contractors. KCA has closed its five other manufacturing plants across Australia over the past 25 years. The Millicent Mill has solely processed imported pulp since 2011.

Up to 300 Maryvale Mill production team members and the CFMEU remain locked out of the mill as negotiations on a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement are at a stalemate, with fears growing about the economic impact on the local community. Source: By Katrina Brandon – Latrobe Valley Express, Timberbiz Opal company negotiators are overseas, while workers remain keen to return to work, although some who were on leave or sick have retained their work privileges. The dispute began on Thursday, January 16 when Opal, according to the union, gave an hour’s notice to workers that they wouldn’t be returning to work until a new EBA was agreed upon. “They are all shattered that this has happened. We have always worked with the company,” CFMEU Maryvale Sub-Branch Secretary, Anthony Pavey, told the Express. “We had seven operators take a six-hour stoppage, and the company decided to give us one hour’s notice and locked us out. This is the first work stoppage by our members for over two decades. They want to talk about clauses that strip away all our rights and allow them to dictate terms at the drop of the hat,” he said. Since January 21, one hundred of the locked-out workers, who would have previously been working, camped out at the mill during work hours (8am to 3pm) to establish a presence and show that they want to return to work. Opal said given the protected action and planned lockdowns by the CFMEU, it could not operate its paper production plant and had been forced under the Fair Work Act to undertake a legal lockout. “Maryvale Mill’s operations have been severely impacted by the loss of wood supply from VicForests and the subsequent end to white paper manufacturing,” the company said. Opal said the terms and conditions from the previous enterprise agreements were no longer relevant in a more competitive market. “Clearly, Nippon Paper’s Opal has no regard for either their employees or other businesses and their employees,” Denise Campbell-Burns, the Pulp and Paper Worker District Secretary, said. “Like our members – who were given 60 minutes notice of the lockout – we understand these other companies were given no warning and were caught unprepared, leaving them and their employees blindsided by Opal’s directive.” Last week, the locked-out workers received support from the broader trade union movement, with the ACTU weighing in and the AMWU, Mining and Energy Union, and Victorian Trades Hall Council pledging support. At a mass meeting on January 20, the locked-out Opal workers vowed to stand firm and seek a fair deal that does not undermine their existing terms and conditions. Mr Pavey said all staff on approved sick or annual leave were revoked initially due to the lockout, but on January 23, the company was made to honour those on leave. Australian Forest Contractors Association general manager Tim Lester said timber deliveries to the mill had stopped, and the forest services businesses involved had received confirmation of Force Majeure. “Our estimates, and advice is that more than 120 people from contracting businesses will be directly affected, with flow on impacts for a large number of families and businesses in Gippsland,” he said. “It is unclear how long the situation will last although the current expectation is about four weeks. However, there are likely to be further delays in timber deliveries recommencing as the stockpile of timber already in the wood yard clears.