ASPEN, CO - The Aspen Skiing Co.'s latest environmental initiative is nothing to sneeze at. The Skico has removed all Kimberly-Clark paper products from their ski mountains, hotels and restaurants due to Kimberly-Clark's atrocious environmental practices. Diners at the Skico's 15 restaurants will no longer use Kimberly-Clark napkins when they bite into a cheeseburger and send ketchup squirting down their chins; guests at the posh Little Nell Hotel will not reach for a Kimberly-Clark Kleenex when they need to blow their nose. And to show they really mean business, Skico officials have even decided to drop all printed references to Kleenex Corner, an iconic spot on Aspen Mountain on the catwalk that connects Spar Gulch and the top of Little Nell. Observant skiers and riders might have noticed the removal of a trail sign for Kleenex Corner before this season.
The Skico has implemented the paper product changes over the past few months, according to Matt Hamilton, Skico manager of community and environmental responsibility. Additionally, the Skico sent a letter Monday to Thomas Falk, the chief executive officer of Kimberly-Clark in the U.S that stated, "We are taking these actions because Kimberly-Clark's use of pulp from endangered forests and lack of recycled fiber in consumer tissue paper products is contradictory to our guiding principles." The Skico wants the company to stop using fiber from endangered forests, increase its use of recycled fiber and only use virgin fiber from logging operations that follow procedures certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Aspen Skiing Company hosts 1.4 million skiers each winter, is one of the largest businesses in western Colorado, and is one of the leading ski resorts in the ski industry.
