Sustainable Cleaning section sponsored by esp
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SUSTAINABLE CLEANING
THE THREE PS OF SUSTAINABILITY
‘People, Planet and Profit’ is the sustainability mantra at Facilicom UK, the contract cleaning and soft service specialists. Managing Director, Jan-Hein Hemke spoke to Tomorrow’s Cleaning about why a three-pronged approach is required to be truly sustainable.
PEOPLE FIRST At Facilicom, we believe that we have a responsibility to those who work with us – and to those in the wider community – which goes beyond just caring for the environment; this is termed ‘social sustainability’. Ensuring people receive a fair wage on which they can afford to live is an essential part of this approach. We are a founding sponsor of the Living Wage Foundation Service Provider Recognition Scheme and part of the Service Providers Leadership Group, and we actively promote the Living Wage at every opportunity. Paying fairly is not only morally the right thing to do, but it also increases commitment and loyalty to the business.
For a business to be sustainable, it needs to have long-term relationships with customers and the people working there. When people remain with a company over a period of time they develop a strong understanding of working practices and ethos, and customers’ requirements. This results in a better quality and more consistent level of service for customers, who are in turn more likely to remain with the business, providing financial security. Time and resources are wasted ‘reinventing the wheel’ without this continuity of service.
OUR PLANET The ‘green’ aspect of sustainability is, of course, equally important. Whenever people consider cleaning and sustainability they inevitably make a link to the harmful chemicals present in many cleaning products, the high volumes of products used, and the waste that arises when products and equipment are finished. We have a long-standing commitment to limiting our environmental impact, and work with our suppliers to develop chemical-
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free cleaning products. We also reduce our environmental impact by reusing equipment to give it a longer life and limit material sent to landfill.
We audit and monitor our cleaning contracts on a monthly cycle. This has led to a reduction in the amount of materials used and an increase in cleaning efficiency. Costs are therefore reduced and environmental impact is improved.
As part of our ongoing work to increase our environmental sustainability, we are exploring ‘cradle to cradle’ design where all material
inputs and outputs are seen as nutrients and either recycled, reused, composted or consumed. This includes items such as ‘plantastic’ bottles, which are made from 100% vegetable sources.
A key aspect of our sustainability work is our C2Zero programme with which we can calculate the precise carbon impact of every aspect of our service. By understanding and measuring this, we are able to fully offset the environmental impact and return the whole cleaning process on site to a carbon neutral position. C2Zero is incorporated into our contract costs as an added-value service.
SUSTAINING PROFIT Profit is an often overlooked aspect to sustainability, but a healthy return is necessary if a business is to be around in the long term. Companies must be able to invest to guarantee their continuity, the provision of goods and services to clients, and employment.
For us, caring for the environment and treating people well is good for business. Our business successes have meant our total UK workforce expanded to almost 4,000 people in 2015 with an additional 307 colleagues now working for the company on the Living Wage.
We believe it is important to think ahead to anticipate future issues and take appropriate preventative action. This approach means we ‘preview not review’ so that we can adapt rather than having to react to future problems, wherever possible, and ensure sustainability is embedded in everything we do.
www.facilicom.co.uk
Tomorrow’s Cleaning March 2016 | 33
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