SUSTAINABLE CLEANING


A PEEK INTO THE FUTURE


Brent Dunleavey, Director of Hydros Solutions, believes that innovation in technology could be key to discovering more environmentally sustainable cleaning methods. Here he explains why.


Regulations; directives; wastewater toxicity; BOD levels; COD levels; VOC limits; banned substances. Endless committees tearing down acres of rainforest to write new regulations and guidelines for how, when and what we must do to save our planet – when all we actually want to do is clean our toilet.


You may agree that all this regulation and re-categorising of products is in the global interest, but what is the real impact of this raft of regulation targeting the cleaning industry?


The answer – Innovation is stifled.


In truth, directives, regulations and guidelines are the result of hours of discussion between major manufacturers, politicians, scientists and environmentalists. The representatives who make up the various committees and steering groups go on to make recommendations for the testing procedures of cleaning and sanitising chemicals, which then are written into law.


Compliance with the various directives is relatively simple for large companies, primarily since they have had a hand in writing them, but also because they have the personnel, budgets and contacts to ensure that they are ahead of the competition. The difficulty arises for smaller companies who produce cutting edge, innovative products. For them, the minefield of legislation can be an intimidating, time-consuming and expensive undertaking.


However, all is not lost and new companies intent on providing product innovation are cutting through the red tape and are set to revolutionise the cleaning industry.


36 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning March 2016


To begin with, let’s have a look at the real issues behind environmentally safe chemicals and systems. Many of the products in common use today within the cleaning industry contain hazardous ingredients and can be highly acidic or highly caustic depending on the intended use. These products are not considered environmentally responsible, nor are they particularly good for the cleaners expected to use them. But the good news is that they are effective and cheap, since they are manufactured in high volume by the major manufacturers.


Of course, to date many cleaning tasks require the use of these toxic and caustic chemicals because otherwise the task would take too long in terms of labour hours, leading to loss in production and a lower ROI than demanded by the shareholders. Every buyer is under pressure to ensure that the products used are cost-effective, provide the best labour/task ratio and ensure that production disruption is kept to an absolute minimum. In effect, this is the status quo that has continued for many years and is not likely to change unless there is a better and more cost effective way.


The problem with environmentally responsible solutions is one of cost. Even today, the cost of environmentally responsible cleaning chemicals is two to three times higher per litre than the traditional caustic product. This is partly due to the cost of alternative raw material ingredients and also partly as a result of much lower manufacturing volume when compared to traditional cleaning chemicals. This increased procurement cost sadly means that the chance of utilising environmentally responsible cleaning products will most likely never become the norm.


Sustainable Cleaning section sponsored by esp www.espenigma.com


“The problem with environmentally


responsible solutions is one of cost. Even today, the cost of environmentally


responsible cleaning chemicals is two to three times higher per


litre than the traditional caustic product.”


Surprisingly though, the cost of purchasing cleaning chemicals is not the real issue here. Even if an environmentally responsible cleaning product is three times the price of traditional caustics, then the cost per litre when diluted for use does not provide a significant increase in base line cost. However, it is an increase,


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