A Win-Win Situation
With water demand rising along with costs and shortages, Bill Westwater, Chief Executive Officer of Xeros, argues that a laundry system that uses at least 70% less water and 50% less energy and detergent, can only result in a win-win for commercial laundries.
Controlling financial costs is the Holy Grail for most companies, but the last 20 years has also seen the undeniable rise in the importance of managing environmental costs, to reduce climate change and maintain corporate reputation.
Tackling the environmental challenge need not be a burden; going green can lead to an important reduction in running costs that can help, rather than hinder, the bottom line. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) reported that: “using resources [such as water] more efficiently will bring direct benefits to UK businesses, including saving around £23billion a year.”
So, what is the nature and size of the problem for the cleaning industry? With its heavy reliance on water, a precious resource, one could argue it is a particularly important one for the industry to tackle. The Environment Agency said that the UK now uses a phenomenal 50% more water than
30 | COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY
just 25 years ago, while the World Wide Fund for Nature claimed we are just 38% self-sufficient and the sixth largest net importer globally. According to a United Nations World Water Development Report, global water demand is projected to increase by some 55% by 2050, due to growing demands from manufacturing – by 400%. Thermal electricity generation is also set to rise by 140%, and domestic use by 130%.
The Water Footprint Network claims that businesses ignoring the need to reduce water consumption will face various challenges in the years ahead. These include: financial risk, particularly as water sources become scarcer; physical problems, as companies face possible water shortages in their supply chains or operations; and reputational issues. The only way to tackle the threat posed by facts like these is for all of us to use less water. If we do not reduce demand, including in the cleaning industry, we risk rationing,
higher bills and an even greater strain on the environment.
In recent years, while many cleaning industry products offering lower energy consumption have appeared, those using less water are much more rare. The team at Xeros have developed a disruptive new technology, encouraging long- term sustainability without reducing performance quality. We feel that the resulting recyclable and reusable polymer bead cleaning system is the first real innovation in the laundry industry in more than 60 years. The team proved it is not only possible but advantageous, in all sorts of ways, for fully recyclable polymer beads largely to replace water in the clothes laundering process, due to the beads’ ability gently to agitate stain and soil from textile surfaces easily.
Our products’ commercialising ground-breaking technology developed at the University of Leeds, typically use upwards of 70% less
www.tomorrowscleaning.com
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