Cleaning & Maintenance - June 2022

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

Sustainability

Four articles take a detailed look at sustainability this month – one from The Floorbrite Group’s Nina Wyers, one from Jamie Wright, managing director of Incentive QAS, one from Dr Salomé Giao, senior microbiologist and scientist at Dyson, and one that looks at sustainable workwear.

Scrubber Dryers & Sweepers

This feature considers the benefits of using scrubber dryers and sweepers to clean large areas and what to look for when choosing these machines.

THE OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE CLEANING SHOW

Sustainability is top of the agenda

Sustainability is very much top of the agenda in this month’s issue of C&M. Every conversation I’ve had this past month has focused on sustainability – the previously hot topic of the pandemic has been relegated to second place at best!

The discussion kicks off in this issue with an excellent article by Nina Wyers following on from her fabulous presentation at the Manchester Cleaning Show. And her warning is stark: ‘We only have nine years left to make a difference! Climate breakdown will occur within the next nine years unless we see a difference. It’s not a lot is it? But thousands of years have led to this point, and we only have a few left to reverse the effects of climate change.’ Nina goes on to discuss the impact of single use plastics and VOCs and what the cleaning sector can do to limit the impact of everyday practices on the environment.

Continuing the theme, Jamie Wright outlines the initiatives being taken by his company, Incentive QAS, as it continues on its journey towards a sustainable future: ‘Achieving net zero is crucial and within the Incentive Group we are well on our way to achieving it by 2030. We have revised our purchasing policies to acquire more environmentally friendly products and invested in several sustainability projects which will create a legacy for our staff and company, demonstrating our continuous and lifelong approach to this important subject.’

Also in this issue, Dr Salomé Giao, senior microbiologist and scientist at Dyson, looks at environmentally friendly washrooms, commenting: ‘Our past experiences are changing the future of key amenities, and pushing us to implement more innovative, environmentally friendly solutions throughout. One of the key areas within a business’s space that can reap the rewards of this is the washroom. Experiencing high volumes of traffic, the washroom must be made as hygienic and sustainable as possible, both for user confidence and to help businesses lower their carbon footprint. In fact, Dyson’s 2021 Washroom Attitudes Survey showed that 75% of respondents are washing their

hands five or more times a day, illustrating the importance of clean washroom facilities. Yet are some practices as beneficial for people and the planet as they seem?’

An article on sustainable workwear further develops the theme.

In his regular column on Page 15, Lee Andrews looks at the business case for an effective ESG policy. He said: ‘You might also ask, what is the difference between the CSR policies of 20 years ago and the ESG policies of 2022? The answer is surely that the underlying crises they are trying to solve are all of a sudden more real and in some cases looking increasingly irreversible. Which is why the difference between the demands of those who promote ESG today and those who used to extol CSR is that whereas before it was enough just to be attempting the remedies, it is now necessary to demonstrate by way of record keeping and verifiable metrics that you are actually delivering on the remedies and achieving your ESG objectives year-on-year. In our industry that could mean reducing C02 emissions, paying the Real Living Wage, switching to probiotic cleaning products, or whatever channels you are pursuing to operate responsibly.’

Whatever part your organisations plays in the cleaning and hygiene sectors, one thing is clear: it is no longer sufficient to be ‘ticking the green box’ – real action with tangible results is essential. As Nina Wyers reminds us, we only have nine years… beyond that it will be too late.

I wish you a clean, tidy and healthy month ahead.

Neil Nixon, Editor Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine

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INDUSTRY NEWS

In the news this month… £3 billion sales boost for FM market in 2022 – report, Cleanology joins Living Wage leadership group.

PEOPLE

Personnel news and new appointments from across the cleaning and FM sectors.

CONTRACTS

We take a look at all the latest contracts awarded across the industry.

SPECIAL REPORT: THE JOURNEY TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

Jamie Wright, managing director of Incentive QAS, reports.

SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY IN THE WASHROOMTHE ROLE OF HAND DRYERS.

Dr Salomé Giao, senior microbiologist and scientist at Dyson, reports.

SPECIAL REPORT: SWITCH TO PLASTIC-FREE WORKWEAR COULD IMPROVE YOUR CSR CREDENTIALS

With some insights from Ann Dowdeswell at Jermyn Street Design, we take a look at how you can reduce your business’s environmental impact through opting for sustainable uniforms, whilst gaining more positive brand awareness, increasing your employee satisfaction rate and cutting costs in the long run.

NEW PRODUCTS

An overview of some of the new products available on the market this month.

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SPECIAL REPORT: CLEANING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE – JUST NINE YEARS LEFT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Following on from her compelling presentation at the Manchester Cleaning Show, Nina Wyers, marketing and brand director at The Floorbrite Group, reports.

FEATURE: SCRUBBER DRYERS & SWEEPERS

This feature considers the benefits of using scrubber dryers and sweepers to clean large areas and what to look for when choosing these machines.

14

BICSc Comment NEWS. Stan Atkins, CEO of BICSc, reports.

Editor’s Comment

A look at the cleaning sector this month.

BCC Comment Cleaning and hygiene sector makes good progress on key issues. Jim Melvin, chairman of the BCC, reports.

15 Contractor’s blog Lee Andrews reports.

£3 billion sales boost for FM market in 2022 – report

A new report on the UK facilities management market from MTW Research has found that whilst the cost of COVID-19 will exceed £11 billion in lost revenue by 2026, prospects for the market are positive with a £3 billion sales uplift in 2022.

The 100-page report reviews the legacy of COVID-19, highlighting near term labour, profitability and other operational challenges but places this into context within wider positive FM market trends and opportunities, forecasting double digit growth over the next four years.

Proptech represents a key positive FM market trend in 2022 according to MTW, with growth in disruptive technology boosting healthy sales opportunities. MTW’s director Mark Waddy, said: “Trends in FM technology and process innovation are enabling FM providers to develop an ‘empathic response’ to service provision, boosting added value by more closely integrating with the client and

anticipating their needs.”

Public sector FM grew share of the FM market in 2020/21 as commercial demand slowed in response to the pandemic. MTW identifies that this trend is now reversing in 2022 though public spending plans published in March 2022 were further revised upward by 2.8%, on top of a real terms increase of £150 billion announced in 2021. This growth, coupled with a steadily strengthening private FM outsourcing sector, underlines a fundamental strength in the FM market for the medium to longer term with MTW forecasting the market will reach 98% of pre-COVID sales in 2022. Despite high inflation, real term growth is set to return in H2 2022 with full year 2023 growth expected to outpace inflation as international and domestic inflationary pressures steadily ease. However, MTW also identifies a number of issues dampening growth prospects. One example is

the trend of insourcing, with caterers, cleaners, security, and maintenance contractors having become so well integrated that they are viewed as the ‘lifeblood’ of the organisation and so are adopted as employees.

The report also highlights growing challenges in the TFM market, with a growing trend of FM contractors focusing on specialism rather than broad spectrum service delivery in order to develop more defined brands and enhance margin opportunities. More selective tender submissions and enhanced margin protection continue to become increasingly evident across the FM market in 2022 as the quality of service rather than volume of contracts grows in significance. Nevertheless, bundled FM services continue to dominate the market in 2022, rising by more than 13% over the entire review period. WWW.MARKETRESEARCHREPORTS.CO.UK

Cleanology joins Living Wage leadership group

CLEANOLOGY’S CEO, Dominic Ponniah, has joined the Living Wage Foundation’s Recognised Service Provider (RSP) Leadership Group. The group acts to encourage wider takeup of fair pay, and to make the accreditation scheme more effective.

Ponniah said: “I feel incredibly privileged to play a role in shaping the group and pioneering fair pay. In our industry, with many staff classed as low-skilled, decent pay is an issue for many. As a member of the leadership group, I hope to act as a bridge between the Living Wage Foundation and the cleaning industry, to increase our own client uptake of support for the Real Living Wage, and to promote transparency among businesses that display fair pay credentials.”

Cleanology publishes a monthly report on the number of new clients signing up to the Living Wage. In January, this figure was 100%.

In total, over 70% of the company’s workforce is paid a Real Living Wage rate or higher - the aim

is to reach 80% by the end of the year, rising to 100% within two years.

Sebastian Bachelier, programme manager at the Living Wage Foundation, welcomed Ponniah to the group, saying: “Dominic has been a great proponent of the Real Living Wage and the Recognised Service Provider accreditation and we, at the Living Wage Foundation, are delighted to have him join the Recognised Service Provider Leadership Group. He will make a brilliant addition to this group, bringing enthusiasm, specialist sector knowledge and a strong commitment to the Real Living Wage as well as a commitment to social causes more broadly, such as the Hygiene Bank and green business practices.”

WWW.CLEANOLOGY.COM

THE rising cost of raw materials and energy is creating the perfect opportunity for unscrupulous providers of cleaning and hygiene products warns the CHSA, which is encouraging purchasers to look for the CHSA Accreditation Mark to guarantee quality.

“Buyers of cleaning and hygiene products need to beware providers offering low-cost solutions,” said Lorcan Mekitarian, chair of

the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA). “Against the backdrop of the escalating cost of raw materials and energy, those reducing prices are likely to be cutting corners. The only way buyers can guarantee what they pay for is to look for the CHSA Accreditation Scheme mark.”

The CHSA now has six Accreditation Schemes: for manufacturers of paper-based products,

plastic-based products, cotton-based products, and cleaning chemicals, for general manufacturers, and for distributors. These, combined with the association’s rigorous code of practice signed by every member, guarantees CHSA members trade ethically and sustainably; provide quality, fit for purpose products; and make sure that ‘what’s on the box is what’s in the box’.

WWW.CHSA.CO.UK

‘Beware of low-cost solutions’ warns CHSA

Northwood Group and Consuma Paper Products join forces

NORTHWOOD Group and Consuma Paper Products have joined forces to create a market leading retail focussed business. Northwood’s retail business, Northwood Consumer Ltd (NCL), and Consuma Paper Products (CPP) have combined to offer multi-site tissue manufacturing with state-of-the-art equipment, offering a complete range of rolled and folded tissue products.

As part of this transaction, the shareholders of Northwood have acquired a significant share in CPP. The businesses will continue to operate out of its Birmingham and Grantham facilities, with innovation and sustainability at the heart of the company’s vision.

Northwood, with its integrated supply chain, has supplied CPP with tissue for over 20 years, providing both virgin and recycled tissue either from its own UK mills or from global supply partners. More recently, the partnership has evolved further with Northwood’s UK mills manufacturing recycled paper for some of CPP’s

retail customers, enabling them to reduce their carbon footprint. This partnership accelerates their joint aspirations to become ‘the sustainable paper company’ with local supply, vertical integration across the supply chain, consolidated truck loads, and new technology in the paper space delivering on lower energy usage as well as using less fibre.

Oday Abbosh, founder and CEO of Better All Round, CPP’s parent company, said: “Joining forces now is a natural extension of our relationship with Northwood, bringing together the best of two groups in serving our customers. Together, we will have increased capacity and be able to leverage new technology to deliver on our sustainability agenda for the benefit of all our customers. In a market that remains under significant pressure from a broad set of macro and geopolitical events, this will allow our customers to benefit from scale, multiple synergies and shared expertise.”

Paul Fecher, chairman of Northwood Group, said: “Our heritage in tissue production,

sourcing and converting across the Away from Home and Retail sectors, together with our forward-looking investments in state-of-the-art machinery, allow us to offer innovative products to our combined clients in the private label area. We are excited to join forces and to expand our retail range across the whole tissue sector of toilet, towel, facial, and pocket tissues in all formats. We look forward to working closely with the teams in Birmingham and Grantham. The two facilities complement each other and together we will create innovative and costeffective products for the growing retail sector. Additionally, across Northwood we operate four recycled mills which provides an essential and differentiated asset in serving the retail market. In the present turmoil across all sectors, as a British owned manufacturing business we are pleased to be able to offer a dedicated and reliable supply channel as we continue our investment into UK manufacturing.”

WWW.NORTHWOOD.CO.UK

NHS SBS launches £800 million hard FM framework with focus on sustainability

LEADING finance and accounting, digital, procurement, and workforce services provider, NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS), has launched its second-generation Hard FM framework agreement.

The second iteration of the organisation’s framework is designed to respond to the need within the NHS for high-quality, innovative and cost-effective solutions, which help NHS trusts manage their estates successfully. The new framework’s scope has broadened to encompass COVID-19 safety provisions and includes a specific emphasis on sustainability and innovation.

Data from NHS Digital’s ‘2020/21 Estates Return Information Collection’, shows that the annual cost of running the NHS Estate stands at £10.2 billion - a 4% increase on 2019/2020, with the cost of clearing the required maintenance backlog having risen 2.2% to £9.2 billion. To support this challenge, NHS SBS’s renewed Hard FM framework agreement has been specifically designed for the NHS and healthcare sector, with inputs from NHS trusts

(procurement, estate management and capital development personnel), the wider healthcare community and the public sector.

The framework can provide up to 10% savings for estate, facilities and capital development teams that buy services through

it. With an £800 million expected spend via the framework over the next four years, it could potentially equate to public sector savings of up to £80 million.

Brendan Griffin-Ryan, NHS SBS senior category manager - estates and facilities, said: “The management of NHS estates and facilities demands specialist expertise in areas such as strategic planning alongside comprehensive knowledge of the estate’s condition. Compliance, with an ever-increasing list of regulations, places further pressure on teams managing these vital services. This framework is designed to support estate managers meet these targets and provide a compliant route for reactive, planned and new installations of equipment and infrastructure. With an approach heavily focused on sustainability, NHS SBS’s new framework agreement ensures broader ethical environmental objectives are considered and met, tying into the strategies and ambitions detailed in NHS England’s ‘Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service’ plan.”

WWW.SBS.NHS.UK

Mitie launches Cleaning and Hygiene Centre of Excellence

MITIE has launched a new Cleaning and Hygiene Centre of Excellence in Birmingham to showcase the latest products and service innovations in the cleaning industry. Featuring a broad range of science and technology, the centre demonstrates how the science of service can ensure the highest cleaning standards, while limiting the impact the sector has on the environment.

With COVID-19 changing how we work and live, now, more than ever, businesses understand the value and importance of investing in cleaning. The pandemic, coupled with the ongoing climate crisis, has also driven the biggest acceleration of cleaning technology ever seen. With this in mind, Mitie has created its new

centre, which has been designed to bring together new equipment and solutions, test new products, develop market leading training for its cleaning colleagues, and trial new sustainability initiatives.

The centre consists of six zones, each highlighting how different solutions can drive innovation in the sector. To ensure the centre stays at the forefront of sector innovation, Mitie is constantly meeting with innovators that are developing solutions to create hygienic workspaces, while reducing the use of chemicals, water and energy. This means that the displays will regularly rotate and change as new products and services are trialled.

WWW.MITIE.COM/

Safety award treble for Sodexo

SODEXO’S healthcare teams have won three international safety awards from the British Safety Council. Distinctions went to Sodexo’s healthcare teams at Central Manchester Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital and its COVID-19 testing centre sites before their closure in March. The teams received the awards in recognition of their commitment to keeping workers and workplaces healthy and safe during the 2021 calendar year.

Philip Leigh, CEO of Sodexo UK and Ireland Healthcare, said: “We are delighted to have won three awards from the British Safety Council for our continued commitment to safety. Our teams are always looking for ways to continually improve our safety

performance, so this is a fantastic recognition of the systems and initiatives we have put in place.

The health, safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, customers and all those we serve remain our highest priority.”

WWW.SODEXO.COM

Philip Leigh, CEO of Sodexo UK and Ireland Healthcare

Westgrove receives RoSPA gold award for health and safety

THE Westgrove Group is celebrating after landing an internationally recognised award for high health and safety standards. The Warrington-based business who provides cleaning, security and maintenance to sites across the UK received a RoSPA gold health and safety award for working hard to ensure its colleagues and partners get home safely to

their families at the end of every working day.

“Being recognised as one of the world leaders in health and safety practices is a remarkable achievement and is testament to the outstanding hard work and commitment of the entire Westgrove team,” said Claire McKinley Smith, group managing director, the Westgrove Group.

Cleaning brand receives royal seal of approval

ASTONISH has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its growth across international markets over the last few years. Astonish has shown substantial growth year-on-year both in the UK and overseas with exports increasing to 75% over the last six years in markets including Pakistan, Lithuania, Malta, and India.

CEO of Astonish, Howard Moss, said: “We are thrilled to have our success in international trade recognised by such a prestigious and long-standing British institution as the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Our entire team, from those on the factory floor to our international sales team have worked tirelessly to ensure we have grown worldwide, while remaining true to our British and Yorkshire heritage. I’m so proud to say that we export to more than 40 countries and this continued success means

Kärcher ramps up support for Team BRIT

KÄRCHER has extended its support of alldisabled Team BRIT, further backing its efforts to drive forward accessibility in motorsport. The brand is a long-term supporter of the team, having first partnered during its entry in a 24-hour endurance at Silverstone in 2015. The brands reconnected in 2019 and now, for the fourth consecutive year, it is providing backing to the team which aims to make history by becoming the first ever all-disabled team to race in the Le Mans 24 hour.

we are now able to make an additional £25 million investment into the company and our people. We have ambitious growth plans for the business, which begin with a move to a brand new purpose-built premises within the coming months. This facility will triple our size from 52,000 sq ft to 128,000 sq ft, helping us to increase productivity with new state of the art equipment, quadrupling sales both domestically and around the globe. We will also be increasing our workforce by 10%, recruiting from our local pool of talent in Yorkshire.”

WWW.ASTONISH.CO.UK

ECH Awards presented in Brussels

THE 2022 winners of the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards were revealed at the end of April. Service providers, manufacturers and distributors from Europe’s cleaning and hygiene sector came together at Hotel Le Plaza, where the finalists were honoured and the winners unveiled.

The winners were:

• Best use of smart technology by service providers - Principle Cleaning Services & Landsec at Dashwood House.

• Investment in training - Breedweer Facilitaire Diensten.

• Excellence in client-contractor relationshipsIncentive FM with Beaumont Leys Shopping Centre.

• Start-up of the year – TRU.

• Sustainability best practice – joint first prize for Essity and Momentum Support.

• Commitment to diversity - Breedweer Facilitaire Diensten.

• Best initiative raising the profile of the cleaning sector – ANIP Confindustria for the 'In Buone Mani' campaign.

Kärcher supplies the team with access to a range of equipment to keep its Surrey-based workshop in top shape, along with web shop credit for products and consumables to help achieve its goals. This year, it has also increased its financial support as the team ramps up its move towards Le Mans, with its biggest ever contribution.

Mike Scudamore, commercial director at Team BRIT, said: “We are incredibly privileged and grateful to have had the support of Kärcher for so long. It’s fantastic that they have seen us grow over the past seven years, from a small team with big dreams, to a large organisation with huge impact on our sector. Their help and support is helping us move towards our Le Mans goal, but is also allowing us to inspire and motivate others through our work to make motorsport truly inclusive.”

WWW.KARCHER.CO.UK

• Technological innovation of the year –joint first prize for Gaussian Robotics and LionsBot.

• Leader of the year – Dominic Ponniah, Cleanology.

• Rising star - Martina Alexandrino, Principle Cleaning Services.

WWW.ECHAWARDS.COM

Business development role at Incentive QAS

INCENTIVE QAS has appointed Bryan Haley as business development manager to further support the ongoing development of the company following its

growth over recent years. He will be supporting the commercial team with all new business development opportunities, as well as the delivery of the Incentive QAS sales strategy.

Haley joins Incentive QAS from GSF, where he gained 13 years of industry experience in a variety of roles. In the last few years, he headed up business development on a national level. He said: “It’s an exciting time in my career to join Incentive QAS.

My previous experience and training from the development scheme has provided me with the skills and confidence to tackle this role. Having initially started as a cleaning operative and progressing through various management positions, I have great operational appreciation which means that I can truly understand our customer requirements, and provide solutions that will address all of their needs.”

WWW.INCENTIVE-FMGROUP.COM

Sodexo Healthcare staff recognised for dedication

11 Sodexo Healthcare staff members have gained a national award for their dedication, hard work and for going above and beyond to help others. They have been recognised for a number of reasons such as caring for patients, taking on extra work during the pandemic and - in one case - potentially saving a colleague’s life. The winners recently received a British Citizen Award (BCA) Quarterly CEO Medal of

Honour and were taken to London to celebrate their achievements.

The award winners were Jason Walker (Blackburn MTU), Abdulkadir Mohamoud (domestic support worker, Wythenshawe Hospital), Adele Chapple (housekeeper, North Devon District Hospital), Stephen Agyei (porter's team leader, Queen's Hospital, Romford), Kayley Davies (site lead, Bolton

LTS), Andrew Bryant (Stansted MTU), Oussama Ben Chikh (Stansted MTU), Melanie Kinsey (domestic worker, Hereford Hospital), Debbie Jarvis (North Devon District Hospital), Jasmine Davies (catering assistant, Birmingham Children's Hospital), and Ray Leversconte (floor team, Wythenshawe Hospital).

WWW.SODEXO.COM

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Eurostar train presentation and cleaning contract

CHURCHILL Group has won a contract with Eurostar for the provision of train presentation services, depot cleaning, office cleaning, and the running of a minibus service for visitors and employees to Eurostar’s Temple Mills depot.

The five-year contract, worth in excess of £20 million, started in 2021 following a technical implementation carried out over a six-week period. This was supported by the employment of a transformation manager for a 6-month period to ensure delivery against all implementation milestones.

Loredana Nistor, train presentation manager at Eurostar International, said: “At such a critical time for our industry we needed a partner with a strong track record of excellent

cleaning and hygiene work. Churchill impressed us throughout the tender process, from its commitment to sustainability through to its use

Contract renewal with Kent and Essex Police

KENT and Essex Police has re-awarded Incentive QAS with a new four-year contract following a competitive re-tender process. Incentive QAS has held this contract since 2004 and the new term will take the relationship with Kent Police to over 20 years. Under the agreement Incentive QAS will continue to provide cleaning, washroom, consumables supply, window cleaning, and emergency response cleaning for all police premises throughout both counties, 365 days per year. The revised contract will involve an enhanced specification to increase standards across the busier locations such as police stations with custody suites. There will also be an introduction of a 24/7 help desk service to meet new, enhanced SLAs for call outs. Incentive QAS will be responsible for the recruitment of additional emergency response operatives, and

the cleaning and maintenance of additional eco-friendly vans on the road to meet the increased service requirements.

Suzanne Barnes, performance and compliance co-ordinator at Kent and Essex Police, said: “We were delighted to award Incentive QAS with a contract renewal following a very competitive tender process. Throughout the recent pandemic they have consistently

ESS introduces chemical-free cleaning

ESS, the defence, energy and government services sector of Compass Group UK and Ireland, has completed the roll out of chemical free cleaning across its defence and government services estate, providing safety benefits for colleagues and clients and decreasing the environmental impact of the service.

The company has partnered with suppliers Tersano and Toucan Eco to deliver the project. The selected systems create powerful cleaning agents from tap water - Tersano using oxygen and Toucan Eco using table salt. Both produce

fast-acting antibacterial multi-surface cleaners that kill more than 99.99% of bacteria and microorganisms, including enveloped viruses like COVID-19.

of data. Hiring a transition manager to bridge the period between our previous supplier and Churchill has been greatly appreciated and we’re confident that Churchill will help us maintain the excellent standards our passengers expect.”

Antony Law, managing director at Churchill, added: “The Eurostar brand is synonymous with quality, and we’re delighted to have started this partnership. We’re using the full range of tools at our disposal to deliver an excellent service, including PRISM, Mo:dus and of course our highly trained cleaning operatives. We look forward to supporting Eurostar in helping passengers travel in comfort and safety.”

WWW.CHURCHILLSERVICES.COM

delivered a fantastic service, often under very difficult circumstances. Their commitment to innovation and improving their service with the added benefit of vast historical knowledge meant that they will be able to meet the additional requirements that the revised contract will include.”

Jamie Wright, managing director at Incentive QAS, said: “We were extremely pleased to win this significant contract. Holding a contract for over 20 years is a real testament to our staff and the continued high standards that they deliver. We are always looking for innovative solutions for our clients enabling us to continuously improve our service delivery. The introduction of mpro5 means our teams can utilise their time more productively and ultimately provide a more efficient cleaning service.”

WWW.INCENTIVE-QAS.COM

Mark Webster, managing director, ESS Defence, Energy and Government Services, said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to partner with Tersano and Toucan Eco to deliver chemical free cleaning across our estate. This is a great example of innovation that delivers multiple benefits - the systems are highly effective for our clients and customers, safer for our people to use and support us in reducing the environmental impact of our services in our drive towards Net Zero.”

WWW.COMPASS-GROUP.CO.UK

Stan Atkins, Group CEO, BICSc, reports

‘NEWS’

WHAT is news? The word news is derived from North, East, West, and South, therefore covering all points of the compass. There used to be two types of newsgood news, and bad news. Anything that fell outside of these definitions was usually called propaganda. Now, apparently, we have three types of news - good news, bad news and fake news.

Where you source your news from is extremely important. News used to come in two forms: spoken and written. The Romans used to post daily headlines in a town’s Square. In 1066 town criers are thought to have come to the fore when news of William of Normandy’s invasion was known. The important factor in both of these forms of communication is that they were from a known source – whereas nowadays it is difficult to determine the authenticity of any news report. Also, some news stories are not news at all. My American relative used to refer to these as global gossip. There are also problems in reporting the news due to the restrictions placed upon journalists in respect of censorship, political correctness and wokeism!

Where do you source your news from? It appears that most of us get our breaking news from our mobile phones or tablets and, of course, there is social media

where anyone, it would appear, using the right platform, can express an opinion or give their view. As I have often said, opinions/views are like ****, everybody has one!

The problem with views on social media is they very quickly separate into two groups - positive or negative, right or wrong - and this polarises opinion and makes the silent majority not just silent but invisible.

Where you source your news from is important because it colours your views and informs your opinions. Personally, when I listen to the news, it is once a day at night from the BBC and every weekend I buy a newspaper that has many sections, at least one of which I don’t read and immediately recycle. I use these to inform me so at least I have an opinion and, wherever possible, I discuss these with family members or others to help form my view.

When I write this column, we check our facts using our preferred search engine and then try to check the facts with reference books (yes, reference books)! Those of you who are old enough to remember ‘News at 10 from ITN’ (Independent Television News) with Alastair Burnett and Reginald Bosanquet will remember the last item was always something of a good news story.

If we refer again to fake news this, in fact, is lies, propaganda or mistruths and it is spread by people who do not check their facts. This is not a new phenomenon as during the late 1800s and early 1900s, the great stagecoach era, Stony Stratford was a Buckinghamshire town almost equal distance between London and Birmingham and Oxford and Cambridge respectively. It was an important stopover point for travellers and the two main coaching inns were called The Cock and The Bull and both became known throughout the country as the centre of all news travelling either on foot or by horse. The competing inns established a rivalry as to which could produce the most exciting and scurrilous tales to be passed on to the major cities. As a result, many unbelievable stories were dismissed as Cock and Bull stories (ref: Red Herrings and White Elephants by Albert Jack).

So, fake news is nothing new. Always try to check facts or the sources.

For further information, please visit: WWW.BICS.ORG.UK and the BICSc Virtual Training Suite at WWW.BBS-VIRTUAL-TRAINING.THINKIFIC.COM

Eco friendly Recycled fibres

Cleaning and hygiene sector makes good progress on key issues

OVER recent months, we’ve seen the cleaning and hygiene sector make significant progress in a number of areas. The BCC and its members are constantly driving to highlight the vital and important role of the sector and staff.

Our recently released research report for 2022 again reinforced our message about the true scale and importance of the cleaning, hygiene and waste sectors to the UK economy. Latest figures show that 1.47 million people are employed in the industryapproximately 5% of the UK workforce - ensuring it remains one of the country’s top 10 biggest employers. According to the latest information available, it contributed £58.9 billion to the UK economy in 2019, up from the previous year. All subsectors, bar landscape service activities, saw a year-on-year growth in turnover up to 2021.

It is difficult to draw conclusions about the impact of the pandemic and staff shortages on the health of the industry today as the data is not completely up to date. Nevertheless, the figures clearly demonstrate why our calls for the voice of the industry to be recognised should be listened to.

Our sector is massively important to the economic health of the nation.

This message about the economic clout of the sector is one of the key messages in our recently launched ‘We Clean, We Care’ campaign. At the Manchester Cleaning Show earlier this year, we launched ‘We Clean, We Care’ by offering free badges emblazoned with the logo to attendees. The campaign highlights how the role of cleaning and hygiene personnel is frontline and essential to keeping key workers and the public healthy, safe and well and that sector staff are skilled, professional and trained to a high standard. Over the next few months, it will also reiterate another key message about how our industry has been a key component and absolutely vital in the fight against the COVID pandemic and will continue to be essential in returning to normality safely and hygienically, as well as helping to stop any future pandemic.

The ‘We Clean, We Care’ badges we first dished out at the Manchester show have proved to be hugely popular, with orders for several thousand more badges coming in from

BCC members. The logo can be downloaded for free from the BCC website and we hope the industry will adopt it in the future.

The launch of the ‘We Clean, We Care’ campaign is only one of recent developments that are very promising for the future of the sector. We’ve seen BCC member the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners (WCEC) launch its Chartered Practioners Register, which will help highlight the expertise of sector staff. Another member, the Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA), launched Clean Start, which aims to encourage people outside the industry to consider a career within cleaning. We are also hoping for good news on the bid for the Cleaning Hygiene Operative Apprenticeship in the autumn, though it is still too early to say for sure. If it gets the green light, the training programme and apprenticeship will ensure significant amounts of funding currently lost to the cleaning and hygiene industry can instead be invested in training for personnel. It will also improve recognition for the skills that sector staff have which, as I said earlier, is one of the BCC’s key aims.

It is wonderful to see such good progress on these key sector issues. You can find out more about ‘We Clean, We Care’ and our latest research report at:

WWW.BRITISHCLEANINGCOUNCIL.ORG

Jim Melvin, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, reports.

ESG - worth doing for the right reasons

I mentioned a while ago that ESG is an area of business which we, as cleaning contractors, can no longer label as ‘nice to do when we can get round to it’. No doubt like many other contractors, we have been drafting our own ESG strategy - christened at DOC as ‘Beyond Cleaning’ - and are planning to launch it later this month. What struck me, however, as we pulled together the various strands of this three-year plan, is that most of the activities we are now framing as ESG are things we’ve actually been doing for nigh on 20 years. I’m talking about employing local people, running an ethnically diverse and gender equal workforce, trying to improve pay rates, appointing local suppliers and subcontractors, using power-efficient equipment, purchasing eco-friendly products, and supporting charities.

We’re not the only ones. I can scarcely think of a competitor who has not operated in this way for a long time. So it begs the question, why are all these worthy practices now appearing under the new banner of ESG? I think the answer is really quite simple. Whilst some may think of it as an agenda overly focused on social justice,

the considerate management of stakeholders in a way that is sustainable and inclusive for them all is fast becoming a beacon of hope in a world characterised at times by some pretty awful behaviour and what many see as a worrying decline in moral standards. Let’s just stop for a moment, therefore, and congratulate ourselves as an industry that, without necessarily realising it, we have been running our companies in a socially responsible manner that the world’s governments and corporates, not to mention major players in the not-for-profit sector, are now saying is essential in order to maintain credibility amongst stakeholders of all types, whether they be employees, customers, suppliers, or investors. You might also ask, what is the difference between the CSR policies of 20 years ago and the ESG policies of 2022? The answer is surely that the underlying crises they are trying to solve are all of a sudden more real and in some cases looking increasingly irreversible. Which is why the difference between the demands of those who promote ESG today and those who used to extol CSR is that whereas before it was enough just to

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be attempting the remedies, it is now necessary to demonstrate by way of record keeping and verifiable metrics that you are actually delivering on the remedies and achieving your ESG objectives year-on-year. In our industry that could mean reducing C02 emissions, paying the Real Living Wage, switching to probiotic cleaning products, or whatever channels you are pursuing to operate responsibly.

I still stand by my comments of a few months ago that there needs to be a balance struck between the pursuit of ESG perfection and the reality of the corporate and social world we face every day. But if you ask me what the benefits of ESG are and whether it is worth delivering, I’d say it is now not only a moral decision, but a long-term decision about commercial survival. Attracting the right people to work for you and nurturing talent is now very much about the values you hold as an employer and about walking that talk. If these things help you make it onto tender lists, that is a welcome side effect, but it is no longer the main reason for doing it.

WWW.DOCCLEANING.COM

Lee Andrews, CEO of DOC Cleaning, reports.

Cleaning for climate change – just nine years left to make a difference

Following on from her compelling presentation at the Manchester Cleaning Show, Nina Wyers, marketing and brand director at The Floorbrite Group, reports.

Apparently, we only have nine years left to make a difference! Climate breakdown will occur within the next nine years unless we see that difference. It’s not a lot is it? But thousands of years have led to this point, and we only have a few left to reverse the effects of climate change.

What is global warming and climate change?

The global warming definition is one that many organisations such as National Geographic, the Met Office and other environmental groups agree on. It is the greatest environmental challenge facing the planet today. Global warming is caused by the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere related to human activities. Global warming is the cause of climate change.

The increase in greenhouse gases in the world’s atmosphere has seen the planet’s average temperature also rise over time and such variations in temperature cause climate change. It is a natural phenomenon that contributes to maintaining the average temperature of the earth's surface. However, the more greenhouse gases there are in the atmosphere, the more heat is retained, just like a blanket. This eventually leads to global warming. And the largest contributor to an increase in greenhouse gases is human activity. It is up to us collectively to reduce that.

The rapid increase in greenhouse gases and the consequences of global warming are concerning because the climate is changing so rapidly that some living things cannot adapt.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the

January 2020 global surface temperature was 0.80°C above pre-industrial levels, that is pre-1850. Warming of more than 2°C could have irrevocable consequences on the environment.

According to one of the latest reports from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), global warming of more than 1.5°C would cause unprecedented climatic consequences, such as: bigger and more intense storms, and rain followed by more prolonged and intense droughts. These extreme weather events could be more frequent and intense and have irreversible repercussions on the environment. I am sure you’ll agree that they are already happening on a more frequent basis.

Nevertheless, climate change varies from place to place. For example, the polar zones are warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. Continuing the current trajectory of

global warming, the Arctic ice sheet could completely disappear in a few decades. Global warming is happening at a faster pace than expected by scientists. In fact, some of its impacts are already threatening the environment and risking the survival of flora, fauna and even humans.

Global warming in the UK

Research carried out by the Met Office shows climate change happening in the UK too. The 10 warmest years on record have all happened since 2002. Seven of the 10 wettest years on record have also happened since 1998. It predicts that by 2070, UK winters will be between 1 and 4.5°C warmer and up to 30% wetter, and summers will be between 1 and 6°C warmer and up to 60% drier.

The main environmental impacts are the following: melting of polar ice caps and rising sea levels; changes to ecosystems; mass migrations; acidity of our oceans; species extinction; and extreme meteorological phenomena.

Factors in climate change and the cleaning industry

There are many factors that contribute to climate change such as electricity and heat production, agriculture, forestry and other land uses, manufacturing and construction, industry processes, transportation, other energy, and buildings. Overwhelmingly though, C02 created through the burning or consumption of fossil fuels is the main contributing factor.

The number of areas for discussion are many but fortunately many people are discussing them - yet still, one could easily be overcome with the magnitude of the problem. However, the focus of this article is to look at two smaller yet significant causes of greenhouse gases by shining the light on the cleaning industry. The first is plastic chemical containers and the second is VOCs, synthetic volatile organic compounds. This is about all those plastic bottles and containers in your kitchen cabinet below the sink and in the bathroom, not only used in

the home, but commercially too and in large quantities. We are talking about cleaning and personal products.

Plastic pollution

In the first instance, over 99% of plastic is made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels, and the fossil fuel, plastic industries and climate change are deeply connected. In 2021 a paper was published by a number of leading UK and American universities and environmental organisations titled ‘The fundamental links between climate change and marine plastic pollution’. In this paper, the authors discussed how plastic pollution and climate change have commonly been treated as two separate issues and sometimes are even seen as competing. The paper presents an alternative view that these two issues are fundamentally linked.

Primarily, the authors explore how plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions from the beginning to the end of its life cycle.

Continued on Page 18.

Continued from Page 17.

Secondly, they show that more extreme weather and floods associated with climate change will exacerbate the spread of plastic in the natural environment. Finally, the authors conclude that both issues occur throughout the marine environment, and they show that ecosystems and species can be particularly vulnerable to both, such as coral reefs that face disease spread through plastic pollution and climate-driven increased global bleaching events.

Let’s face it, cleaning products have never been more popular. With the rise and fame of Mrs Hinch, delivering her latest cleaning hacks on social media, our supermarket aisles are filled with dozens of different cleaners for windows, floors, stoves, toilets, bathtubs, disinfectants. You name it and there is a cleaner for it!

VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

Aside from the fact that cleaning products are made with chemicals using petroleum and natural gas and are extremely energyintensive to produce, did you know that consumer products (including cleaning products) emit just as much VOC pollution into our air as exhaust emissions from vehicles? Scientific evidence has indicated

that the air within our homes and workplaces can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialised cities.

Just the perfume alone in your cleaning solutions contains VOCs that react with other chemicals in the air, creating harmful ozone pollution.

When thinking about the number of products used in daily life, it doesn’t compare to how much fuel you put in the car. But for every kilogram of fuel that is burned, only about one gram ends up in the air. For these household and personal products, some compounds evaporate almost completely and so the levels are infinitely higher. It is hard to say how much pollution is down to VOCs, but an estimate is that between one quarter and one third of all particles are made up of organic compounds that originate as VOCs.

Others report that the amount of VOCs emitted from household and industrial products is two to three times higher than official estimates suggest. The result is surprising since only about 5% of raw oil is turned into chemicals for consumer

products, with 95% ending up as fuel.

Interestingly domestic use of VOCs is now beginning to dominate, displacing the traditional sources from vehicles and industry. This is a challenge for regulators since many of these sources, including cleaning and personal care products, aren’t controlled. If the information is correct then many countries will need to rethink how they plan to meet their international obligations to reduce emissions.

This article only touches on a minute aspect of the research I have undertaken over recent months during my journey to learn more about how and what the cleaning industry needs to do to support making a difference for climate change. There is no doubt I will continue my search for knowledge and share my findings but, in the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about the information in this article, take a look at my presentation at The Manchester Cleaning show in April about this subject on Floorbrite’s YouTube channel.

WWW.FLOORBRITE.CO.UK

...did you know that consumer products (including cleaning products) emit just as much VOC pollution into our air as exhaust emissions from vehicles?

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Helping local authorities achieve green ambitions

As local authorities work towards a greener future, Paul Beddows, head of sales at Dawsongroup sweepers, explains why the municipal sector must embrace alternative fuels when it comes to road sweeping.

Municipal fleets play a vital role in keeping our towns and cities safe and clean. Road sweepers, in particular, are a key vehicle in any local authority’s municipal fleet, removing dangerous materials from pavements and roads, keeping gutters clear and reducing the risk of flooding.

With an estimated 1110 to 2100 tonnes of debris per street acre removed each year, road sweepers cover a lot of ground, on a very regular basis, and without them our environment would deteriorate very quickly. They are essential pieces of equipment that are used daily. But as we step towards greener operations, we must consider the impact of every vehicle in our fleet.

Fuelling change

It is a well-known fact that petrol and diesel contribute significantly to global warming, with transport remaining the largest emitting sector, responsible for 27% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the UK [1]. However, with red diesel no longer legal to use in certain sectors, and with our Net Zero deadline on the horizon, we need to

start making changes now to the way we fuel our fleets.

Major businesses are also pledging to go green with their commercial fleets. Just last summer, seven of Britain’s major companies - BP, BT, Direct Line Group, Royal Mail, ScottishPower, Severn Trent, and Tesco - came together to help accelerate the mass adoption of electric vehicles across the UK. Forming the Electric Vehicle Fleet Accelerator (EVFA), these seven companies committed to converting their fleets to electric vehicles by 2030, if both industry and government future proof the electricity network and invest in grid capabilities and EV charging infrastructure.

This pressure to reduce emissions and choose greener fuel sources also extends to local authorities, many of which are increasingly investing in electric when it comes to their fleets. But what about municipal vehicles?

Going green

The benefits of going electric are undeniable. An investment in electric road sweepers will not only cut emissions but it will save

councils significant amounts of money on fuel each year, when compared with a diesel or petrol alternative. Electric sweepers also cut noise pollution levels considerably.

We have already started to see some councils making their own green commitments in an attempt to reduce their carbon emissions. For example, Harrow Council has recently welcomed its first fully electric street sweeper to its municipal fleet in a step towards the authority’s carbon neutral pledge. And Watford Borough Council will also be welcoming an electric road sweeper to their fleet soon.

While this is encouraging to see, and these councils should be applauded for making green investments, we need to see this type of uptake happening across the country. Electric vehicles should become commonplace in local authority fleets. The initial investment might be substantial, but the impacts on the environment, pollution levels and the bottom line make it more than worth it.

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[1] www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/ environment#a1

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Top marks for cleaning on education campus

Located in Gloucestershire, Hartpury University and Hartpury College are leading specialist education providers in agriculture, animal, equine, sport, and veterinary nursing. The 370-hectare campus is home to university and college-level students studying degrees, A-levels and diplomas, as well as undertaking industry research.

We spoke to campus operations manager, Stephen Parker, to ask why Hartpury has recently swapped to using the Multiwash floorcare system from Truvox International.

“Hartpury is quite diverse, as we have everything from the world’s largest equine educational facility to cutting-edge sports facilities, so maintaining exceptional cleaning is quite a challenge,” said Stephen Parker. “We have 1100 students living on site and another 300 off-site. We have 370 hectares of land with about 440 buildings, so Hartpury is like a village and my role is to keep the campus running safely and efficiently. We have around 25 cleaning staff who look after all of the public areas, including classrooms, gyms and all of the academic areas, plus the accommodation side across 45 blocks. In addition, there are industrial requirements, such as road sweeping and window and gutter cleaning.

“The pandemic had a noticeable impact on cleaning regimes. When we returned from lockdown, the focus was on hygiene and

cleanliness and cleaning was all of a sudden thrust into the spotlight. It went from being a behind the scenes out-of-hours activity to a front of house publicly visible process. When I started here about eight years ago, most cleaning was carried out between 4 pm and midnight, and that brought its own issues around staff motivation. Now our cleaning teams start early in the morning and are around during the day. Not only is that easier to manage, but it also gives people a focus that we have cleaning operatives, not fairies! It makes cleaning visible and that absolutely reassures people because they actually see that it's happening. I'm a great believer in perception, so I see no reason not to continue operating this way.”

Reliability is key to success

Achieving the correct levels of cleaning requires a good and well-trained team working with the right machinery.

“We had been using another rotary floor cleaner and it lacked reliability,” continued Parker. “The machines were constantly breaking down and needing repairs, and the maintenance contract was expensive, with some machines needing servicing three times a year. Our supplier is Lydney, Gloucestershirebased DJB Supplies, and managing director Dave Bruce suggested we try the Multiwash system from Truvox International. We ran one for a year and we were impressed. It was easy to use and consistently reliable. We replaced all the existing machines with Multiwash, and we haven’t looked back. We’re now looking to adopt the new Multiwash Pro.

“The Multiwash machines are so easy to use and maintain and DJB Supplies gave our staff training when they first arrived to ensure the units are always working at their best, showing them how to strip the units down and check them over when required. Multiwash provides an exceptional quality of cleaning across a wide variety of flooring types, but for me the best benefit is that I don’t have to worry about them breaking down all the time like our previous machines. I talked about the perception that front of house cleaning provides and

another benefit of Truvox’s Multiwash is that it looks extremely professional, matching in with its performance.”

Effective on all floor types

The Hartpury campus features many different flooring types, from carpets to hard floors. The gyms have a rubberised floor that can’t be swept, and straightforward vacuuming doesn’t work. Parker continued: “Multiwash provides the perfect solution, and we even use it on outside areas such as terraces where it does a great job on cleaning decking. From reptiles, llamas and wallabies, to horses, we have a lot of animals on site, so another benefit of Multiwash is that we don’t always need to use potentially harmful chemicals to achieve the cleaning results we need. We can use water and we often just use plain warm water to clean the carpets.

“On a busy campus, reliability is a key issue to ensure success and the reliability of the Multiwash machines from Truvox International means that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to any other educational establishment. I’d also recommend DJB Supplies for their support in a seamless transition to this new cleaning solution. Moving to Multiwash has given me one less thing to worry about and the machines deliver measurably better results than our previous units.”

Floorcare maintenance starts with machine selection

Daniel Took, head of professional product marketing at Kärcher UK, discusses the benefits of using scrubber dryers to clean large surface areas and what facilities managers should look for when choosing a scrubber dryer.

As part of the highly effective PDIR (preventative, daily, interim and restorative) cleaning method, the daily cleaning of internal spaces is a must to ensure overall cleanliness. When dirt enters internal spaces, swift removal is key to preventing long-term damage and particle build-up. Whilst carpeted areas can be easily cleaned using a vacuum cleaner, larger laminated and exposed surfaces require a time efficient and effective solutionmaking scrubber dryers a crucial part of any facilities manager’s cleaning arsenal.

Offering great reliability and exceptional overall cleaning performance, scrubber dryers are ideal for open spaces and corridors as they effectively tackle dirt by loosening it

in a single pass, leaving surfaces dry, clean and safe to prevent trips and falls. Depending on the size of the facility there are two different types of scrubber dryers that should be considered. Walk-behind scrubber dryers are ideal for narrow spaces as they offer greater manoeuvrability, allowing users to get closer to vertical surfaces. For large open spaces ride-on scrubber dryers are most effective due to their large onboard water tanks that enable users to clean for longer and tackle a wider area.

Added technologies such as speeddependent water dosing technology makes these machines particularly adept for cleaning workspaces. The speed-dependent Continued on Page 24.

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SCRUBBER DRYERS & SWEEPERS

Continued from Page 23. water dosing technology reduces water usage by restricting the water flow as the scrubber dryer slows down or passes around bends, saving up to 50% of the water used. With 110 litre water tanks on board the B 110 R scrubber dryer from Kärcher, this saving ensures that the ground dries faster and that more space can be covered without the need to stop.

With desks, storage units and furniture usually in place throughout workspaces, it is imperative to ensure the equipment used is made from robust materials. As users get closer to vertical surfaces whilst cleaning flooring, there is the possibility of collisions with various obstacles. There are two main areas facility managers should consider when selecting a scrubber dryer for daily use. First, the brush-head must be secured in a sturdy casing, ideally with an overhanging lip to protect the brush. Robust aluminium brush heads are ideal as they offer high-quality cleaning performance and low backlash, reducing noise levels during cleaning by up to 10 dB(A).

Secondly, the squeegee at the rear of the machine should be made with a tearresistant suction lip. Newer machines now

come with supporting arms for the squeegees made from sturdy die-cast aluminium to help maintain shape and allow users to continue to clean for longer. Breakages from tears and accidental collisions could otherwise result in downtime for the machine whilst it is being repaired.

New technological developments have enabled scrubber dryers to be an effective solution for facilities managers operating with teams of multiple staff - from built-in height-adjustable seats enabling workers

New range sweeps in with high performance

The latest balimat range of highperformance sweepers from Taski offers advanced design and innovative features. The five models in the range are ideal for all types of indoor and outdoor applications and each model incorporates Taski’s patented Tandem Roller System (TRS) which is designed to give a perfect sweeping result. Twin roller brushes direct dust and debris into the centre where it is swept into the machine’s hopper. The range promotes productivity with each model offering a wider working width and larger hopper than comparable previous-generation machines. This means they can cover larger areas more quickly with longer intervals between emptying.

The balimat 45 is a lightweight and manoeuvrable manual sweeper for smaller

outdoor or indoor areas. It needs no power or batteries.

The balimat 2300 is a small walk-behind battery sweeper. Its low body height means it can be used in confined and congested areas. It can sweep up to 2300m2 each hour and run for up to three hours between charges. The balimat 3300 is a walk-behind battery powered sweeper for larger areas, covering up to 3300m2 and hour and running for 3.5 hours between charges.

The ride-on balimat 6500 sweeper is the largest model in the range. It can cover up to 6500m2 an hour and operate for up to 3.5 hours between charges. An HD version incorporates a hydraulically activated hopper.

The battery powered models in the range all feature simple controls and intuitive dashboards. The batteries offer long run times between charges. Advanced battery

to find the perfect seating position to the innovative KIK key system that enables facilities managers to lock the scrubber dryer to pre-set for consistent cleaning levels.

With the pressures on facilities managers to tackle dirt daily, ensuring the right machines are used is a must for productivity and efficiency. Making use of technological advancements and the overall effectiveness of scrubber dryers is a sure-fire way to maintain a clean working environment.

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and charger technology combine to ensure fast and energy-efficient recharging.

Like all machines in the extended Taski range, the balimat sweepers are designed to be easy to maintain and service. The brushes can be adjusted without tools, and all daily check and routine service points are easily accessible and coloured bright yellow for simple identification.

WWW.DIVERSEY.COM

The journey towards sustainability

At Incentive QAS we believe that climate change is the most critical sustainability issue today. As a business we pride ourselves on our sustainable policies which impact how we carry out our business on a day-to-day basis, how we interact with our clients and always focus on making a positive impact on our environment.

We’ve revised our purchasing policies and supply chain partners to ensure that we are reducing our impact on the environment wherever possible and working with like-minded companies who place the utmost importance on sustainability. Our intention is to be net zero by 2030 and we are well on our way having already achieved Planet Mark accreditation. This certification recognises continuous improvement, encourages action and builds an empowered community of likeminded individuals who make a world of difference.

Our accreditation has been based around the following commitments and key targets: 2022: Switch to 100% renewable energy in all properties where we directly procure energy.

2024: Have a carbon neutral vehicle fleet through use of electric or hydrogen vehicles, offsetting remaining carbon production where current technology will not allow.

2028: Minimise our scope 3 emissions by supporting our staff to be carbon neutral in their personal lives.

2030: Be a 100% carbon neutral business through the use of latest technology and products across all services, working with carbon neutral supply partners and offsetting any remaining carbon emissions.

Reducing our carbon footprint

We’ve adopted several measures to reduce our carbon footprint:

• We have introduced hybrid vehicles to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and lessen carbon emissions in line with our plan to operate a carbon neutral fleet by 2024.

• Energy and utilities are conserved to the maximum by all reasonable measures having switched to renewable energy sources.

• All staff plan their journeys to minimise environmental impact.

• Phone-conference alternatives are used wherever possible.

• All Incentive Group activities are in line with a ‘zero waste’ principle, applied as far as the site infrastructure allows.

• Furniture and other consumables are ordered from low impact sustainable sources.

• Conversion to paperless records.

• 100% of paper and cardboard is recycled.

• Printing of documents is to be commissioned on chlorine-free recycled paper.

• All Incentive activity will aim to contribute to socio-economic progress, equality, diversity, and empowerment, at all levels, local and global.

The

journey

to net zero

Achieving net zero is crucial and within the Incentive Group we are well on our way to achieving it by 2030. We have revised our purchasing policies to acquire more environmentally friendly products and invested in several sustainability projects which will create a legacy for our staff and company, demonstrating our continuous and lifelong approach to this important subject. One example of this is our commitment to source and supply paper products from Metsa Tissue’s Katrin range. Metsa is a Finland-based paper mill which owns and harvests its own forest. Its sustainable harvesting takes

both environmental and social values into account, including nature and biodiversity. Across the company we have multiple sustainability goals. We implement and operate the ISO 14001 environmental management system to further enhance our performance. Our main sustainable drivers are to:

• Design and implement systems to enable the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste.

• Help improve energy efficiency and reduce energy waste.

• Use products from sustainable resources wherever possible.

• Take all measures to prevent pollution.

• Meet or exceed relevant environmental legislation, regulations and other requirements.

• Endeavour to purchase from suppliers who share our concern over the environment and take measures to ensure their own operations reflect this concern.

• Understand our clients’ legal obligations and ensure compliance.

Everything we produce should be designed to reduce our carbon footprint, or certainly not to cause harm to the environment. We’ve identified where we can make positive changes, and are using environmentally friendly products wherever possible. Cleaning chemicals are being replaced with water-based solutions and we’ve adopted a number of innovative products in order to reduce our impact upon the environment, as well as improve the working environment for our staff and clients.

We have been working with Greenspeed and Lotus Pro who provide environmentally friendly cleaning products which are efficient, innovative and sustainable. The products enable staff to use minimal amounts of water in combination with ecological, plant-based cleaning agents.

As an industry I feel like we’re positively addressing reduce, reuse and recycle policies and replacing long established products and systems with more sustainable resources wherever possible.

Jamie Wright, managing director of Incentive QAS, reports.

Sustainability in the washroom – the role of hand dryers

Dr Salomé Giao, senior microbiologist and scientist at Dyson, reports.

In the wake of COP26 and the implementation of initiatives like the government’s Net Zero strategy, businesses across all sectors are racing to reduce their carbon footprint [1]. In fact, almost two-thirds of companies in the UK and northern Europe cite sustainability as a key part of their success strategies for the years ahead [2]. But change isn’t just about looking at how the business functionsit can start with the core facilities and products found in our commercial spaces. Our past experiences are changing the future of key amenities, and pushing us to implement more innovative, environmentally friendly solutions throughout. One of the key areas within a business’s space that can reap the rewards of this is the washroom. Experiencing high volumes of traffic, the washroom must be made as hygienic and sustainable as possible, both for user confidence and to help businesses lower their carbon footprint. In fact, Dyson’s 2021 Washroom Attitudes Survey showed that 75% of respondents are washing their hands five or more times a day, illustrating the importance of

clean washroom facilities [3]. Yet are some practices as beneficial for people and the planet as they seem?

The paper towel problem

At a time where 75% of people are concerned about the use of single-use consumables, it’s clear that using paper towels is an unsustainable solution to an ongoing problem [4]. But with research showing that damp hands can transfer up to 1000 times more bacteria than dry hands, facilities managers need to provide a way for users to dry their hands thoroughly and sustainably [5]. Many businesses may install a cheaper solution like a paper towel dispenser, but its impact on the environment can be detrimental.

Globally, millions of tonnes of paper towels are used every year, with most going into landfill since they cannot be recycled [6] What’s more, the manufacturing process for paper towels includes transportation of products, leading to further CO2 emissions, and involves a large amount of water. It takes over 20,000 gallons to make one ton of paper towels [7].

Sustainability is not just a business goal, but one that translates to consumer values too. Fortunately, businesses can upgrade their washrooms with more innovative and reusable hand drying solutions, without compromising on hygiene or quality.

The hand dryer solution

A common alternative to paper towels is hand dryers, yet many older warm air dryers prompt hygiene and environmental concerns amongst users, and often rightly so. For example, 40% of people are worried about pressing physical buttons on a hand dryer, and 24% believe they could be drying their hands with unclean air [8]. Alongside this, archaic models could be consuming high amounts of energy, contributing to a business’s carbon footprint.

At Dyson, our innovative technologies negate these concerns. All Dyson hand dryers include air-cleaning HEPA filters and touchless activation as standard. What’s more, Dyson hand dryers are just as hygienic as using a paper towel, and our Airblade 9kJ model produces up to 85% less CO 2 than paper towels [9, 10]. As reference, Welcome Break have also installed Dyson low energy Airblade 9kJ hand dryers across all UK locations, each of which uses only a sixth of the energy of conventional hand dryers. Our 9kJ hand dryers are helping Welcome Break to reduce its CO 2 washroom emissions by 71,269,077g - a total equivalent to the emissions released when flying for 791 hours in a Boeing 757 [11]. Implementing this simple change to all of its washrooms is allowing Welcome Break to further its sustainability mission, while also providing customers with a hygienic and efficient way to dry their hands.

As organisations continue to drive their sustainability agendas forward, they must not forget the core facilities within their commercial spaces. In the race to Net Zero, facilities managers must work with business

leaders to change the narrative surrounding single-use products like paper towels and upgrade to innovative technology solutions, which support sustainability goals and protect the future of our planet.

WWW.DYSON.CO.UK

References

[1] Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener, HM Government: www. assets.publishing. service.gov.uk/government/uploads/ system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/1033990/net-zero-strategy-beis.pdf

[2] Frost & Sullivan, Digital Sustainability: The Path to Net Zero for Design & Manufacturing and Architecture, Engineering, & Construction (AEC) Industries: www.damassets.autodesk.net/ content/dam/autodesk/www/campaigns/ emea/docs/FS_WP_Autodesk_ DigitalSustainability.pdf

[3] Survey conducted in the UK in July 2021 with 2000 respondents, aged 18 years-old or above. This is part of a global survey done across 20 countries comprising of 15,100 respondents in total.

[4] As above.

[5] Epidemiology & Infection, Residual

moisture determines the level of touchcontact-associated bacterial transfer following hand washing, December 1997.

[6] Read more here: www.dyson.co.uk/ inside-dyson/sustainability/overview

[7] Creighton University, Forests or paper towels? www.creighton.edu/fileadmin/ user/sustainability/docs/creighton-9.pdf

[8] As above.

[9] Frontiers in Public Health, Aerosols and Bacteria From Hand Washing and Drying in Indoor Air, February 2022: www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ fpubh.2022.804825/full

[10] Average electricity price £0.1/kWh as of December 2018.

[11] www.welcomebreak.co.uk/about/ sustainability/

Great for carpets, great for the environment.

By using PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic containers for our Natural range of cleaning solutions we – and you – are doing our bit for the environment. PCR reuses recovered plastics such as singleuse items found discarded on our beaches and in our countryside.

5 litre PCR container available on selected products from March 2022

1 litre PCR container available on selected products from June 2022

020 8974 1515 sales@prochem.co.uk

effectiveness;

Our carefully formulated range of Natural cleaning solutions gives you the best cleaning results so you won’t be sacrificing effectiveness; in fact your customers will love you for your dedication to cleaner carpets and a cleaner planet.

A switch to plastic-free workwear could improve your CSR credentials

Eco-friendly uniforms aim to reduce the use of plastic and cause less harm to the environment. We’re seeing more and more employers make this ethical choice for their businesses and offer sustainable workwear to their employees. With sustainable workwear having more durability and an extended lifespan without jeopardising the design and comfort of the garment, there’s even more reasons to make the switch.

With some insights from Ann Dowdeswell at Jermyn Street Design, a global specialist in corporate clothing, we take a look at how you can reduce your business’s environmental impact through opting for sustainable uniforms, whilst gaining more positive brand awareness, increasing your employee satisfaction rate and cutting costs in the long run.

The environmental impact of using plastic in garments

Many of our clothes contain plastics, such as polystyrene, polyethylene and nylon. Throughout the lifetime of a garment, it sheds tiny plastic particles known as plastic microfibres, especially when it is washed. Unfortunately, these plastic microfibres aren’t biodegradable and can’t be recycled. This makes them extremely dangerous to both the planet and us, as they can easily enter the environment and harm marine life and our entire food system.

According to Friends of the Earth, the UK generates around 4000 tonnes of plastic microfibre every year from washing clothes with around 1600 tonnes ending up in our oceans. To put this in perspective, up to 17 million microplastic fibres can be shed during one washing load of clothes.

That’s why it’s important to reduce the use of plastic through sustainable workwear. There are two ways you can do that.

Reducing plastic in uniform production: opt for sustainable fabrics

Reducing plastic in workwear starts at the production level. One way your company can showcase environmental awareness

is by opting for uniforms made from sustainable fabrics. Organic linen, cotton and wool, for example, are made from 100% natural materials, and they are extremely durable, recyclable and biodegradable.

Did you know that a linen shirt uses only 6.4 litres of water across its lifecycle? Moreover, it’s a no-waste production method as every bit of the flax plant is utilised. We are all familiar with the amazing benefits of linseed oil, for example.

Another great alternative to synthetic fabrics is the use of materials made from recycled plastic bottles or recycled yarn. That way, you’re also eliminating some of the plastic that’s harming the environment. So how many plastic bottles would go into the production of a standard dress, which is made from Recycled Polyester Taffeta 300T?

It is calculated that a full 150 metre-long roll contains 471.65 2-litre recycled plastic soda bottles. That means that one metre of fabric contains 3.14 2-litre soda bottles. If a standard collar-to-ankle dress uses 4 metres of fabric, it will require 12.56 2-litre recycled plastic soda bottles to be made.

New plastic packaging tax: clamping down on single-use plastic packaging

Alongside the heavy use of plastic in clothing manufacturing, it also finds its place in a lot of packaging. According to the Pitney Bowes Shipping Index, over 130 billion packages are shipped yearly across 13 major global markets, and most of them are encased in

plastic packaging. That figure is estimated to double by 2060. The UK introduced a plastic packaging tax on 1 April 2022 which applies to plastic packaging that isn’t made from at least 30% recycled plastic. This will promote the production of sustainable packaging, which is an essential feature to look out for when sourcing workwear for your business. Ann Dowdeswell, sales and marketing director at the workwear supplier Jermyn Street Design, said: “Today, we are all well aware of the negative impact of plastic packaging, and we are all committed to eliminating single-use plastic as much as we can. At Jermyn Street Design we use recycled, recyclable or compostable packaging when shipping our products. In order to combat the higher distribution costs associated with eco-friendly packaging, we have streamlined our deliveries. We have even created a custom method of packaging shirts that eliminates all the plastic clips and collar stays that are traditionally used.”

The use of plastic in workwear is only one aspect where you can make a positive environmental impact. Others include supporting ethical production and minimising labour exploitation. Ecofriendly uniforms are the future of business, and it’s worth jumping on the sustainability wagon as soon as possible.

WWW.JSD.CO.UK

References

www.get-green-now.com/how-domicroplastics-affect-the-environment/ www.ethicalconsumer.org/fashionclothing/plastic-pollution-clothing www.goodonyou.eco/how-sustainable-islinen/

www.vivifytextiles.com/blogs/news/howmany-plastic-bottles-can-you-save www.stitchingmall.com/how-to-knowfabric-requirement-for-your-dress www.pitneybowes.com/us/shipping-index. html

www.gov.uk/government/publications/ introduction-of-plastic-packaging-taxfrom-april-2022/introduction-of-plasticpackaging-tax-2021

Ann Dowdeswell

MAKITA has expanded its range of XGT 40VMax vacuum cleaners. The VC002GL, VC004GL and VC005GL XGT 40VMax L-Class vacuum cleaners have been specifically designed for the building maintenance industry. All three machines deliver a maximum sealed suction of 23kPa and the VC005GL can be used for dry vacuuming tasks - and the VC002GL and VC004GL are both suitable for vacuuming finer, airborne particles.

To keep users working disruption free for longer, the VC002GL, VC004GL and VC005GL can hold two XGT 40VMax batteries, so that when the first battery runs out of charge, the second automatically kicks in. All models have large tank capacities to prevent regular work breaks to empty the tank. The VC002GL and VC004GL also include an automatic self-cleaning filter to prevent blockages and ensure optimum efficiency.

WWW.MAKITAUK.COM

ICE Cleaning is a specialist cleaning company that provides flood damage cleaning services. It utilises advanced technologies and solutions to treat any damage, and is available 24/7.

The company identifies a number of key reasons why immediate flood damage cleaning is a necessity in commercial properties. These include: minimising business interruption; saving on further costly repairs; and minimizing health implications.

To find out more about the services ICE Cleaning offers please visit:

WWW.ICECLEANING.CO.UK

NELSON has launched Glass-Dry, an innovative solution to a problem shared by many busy bar operators having to resort to using hot, wet glasses straight from the glasswasher, a practice which will inevitably have a detrimental impact on whatever drink they’re used for.

Flood damage service for commercial properties

Although glasses taken from a glasswasher will eventually air dry, this will take around forty minutes so any establishment running short of glassware must use them as they are or resort to drying them with a cloth, risking possible cross contamination. The Glass-Dry slashes the drying time to just four minutes and is perfect for all types of glasses. It works by drawing air in via its base and circulating it around the glasses through its grid plate. The cooling action, meanwhile, is achieved by the velocity of air passing over the glasses, reducing the glass temperature to just below ambient which means they can be utilised immediately.

WWW.NELSONWASHONLINE.CO.UK

More cleaning power from Makita

Nelson launches Glass-Dry

Hillbrush redesign enhances performance

HILLBRUSH has redesigned several products to make them more effective, aesthetically pleasing and to reduce the use of materials. The redesigned Hillbrush products, all featured in the company’s new catalogue, include an Ergonomic Grippy Scrub which is an update of the existing Hillbrush scrubbing brush. The new-look brush has a much wider gap for the user’s hand and can be used in either direction making it much more versatile. Hillbrush has also added a new design Hand Scoopwhich is showcased in the catalogue for the first time – to its range of scoops.

The company’s new 119-page catalogue celebrates Hillbrush’s centenary and features the company’s entire product portfolio as well as new products which have been remodelled to reduce plastic materials and to introduce a more modern ‘Hillbrush-brand’.

Removing material from many of its products, but without any compromise on design or usability, is part of Hillbrush’s on-going commitment to reducing its environmental impact. As a Planet Mark certified company, Hillbrush has pledged to improve its sustainability across buildings, travel, utilities, procurement, and freight and is now introducing this to its product design too.

The Hillbrush catalogue has been printed on recycled paper by printers with a strong sustainability ethos and it has an anti-microbial coating to make it safer for people to share. A digital version of the catalogue has also been produced.

WWW.HILLBRUSH.COM

MAK.today has recently launched its app, which allows cleaners to select their own prices (of which they keep 100% of the money), hours and also rate the homes they are visiting.

“It was super important to me for me to put together something that could work equally for both cleaners and users, this is why it’s so flexible for parents, students and foreign workers, so they could manage their own schedule and earn great money as a self-employed cleaner while working around their children, studies and other commitments,” said MAK.today founder, Khurram Mirza.

WWW.MAK.TODAY

JANGRO has announced that ntrl, its range of natural cleaning products, is registered with the Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark. An internationally recognised standard, the Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark certifies that all products registered are free of all animal use, in ingredients and testing.

Joanne Gilliard, CEO at Jangro, said: “The number of vegans in the UK quadrupled in the five years between 2014 and 2019 to make 600,000 vegans, or 1.16% of the UK population. This trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon – in fact, according to research, over half (56%) of Brits adopt vegan buying behaviours such as buying vegan products. We are proud to add a certified vegan cleaning range to our offering. The Vegan Society’s Trademark helps customers identify products that really are free from animal ingredients. We are thrilled that the ntrl range has been verified by The Vegan Society and can offer that added level of confidence.”

WWW.JANGRO.NET

EDITOR

Neil Nixon neilnixon@quartzltd.com 07957 713316

SALES DIRECTOR

Paul Sweeney paulsweeney@quartzltd.com 01737 855041

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Michelle Andrews michelleandrews@quartzltd.com 01737 855086

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Carol Baird carolbaird@quartzltd.com 02036021186

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Tony Crinion

CEO

Steve Diprose

CO-CHAIRMAN

Paul Michael

DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES

Elizabeth Barford elizabethbarford@quartzltd.com 01737 855028

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Disruptive app launched to empower cleaning professionals

Jangro’s ntrl range receive vegan accreditation

INFORMING, INSPIRING AND CONNECTING THE INDUSTRY

After a successful return to London in November 2021, the Cleaning Show will be back in 2023, taking place from 14–16 March at ExCeL, London.

Organised by the British Cleaning Council and Quartz Business Media, the Cleaning Show has become the ultimate destination for the cleaning and hygiene sector to connect, learn and discover new products, services and suppliers.

ORGANISED BY: