Adapting to a new era


David Saville, Managing Director of Principle Cleaning Services’ Window Cleaning division and Executive Committee Member of the Federation of Window Cleaners (FWC), discusses how window cleaners and the window cleaning sector are adapting to a new era.


The window cleaning industry is a traditional one – built on pillars of trust, reliability and service.


The world and the workplace have changed beyond recognition over recent years and traditional industries like ours have to adapt and move with


the times.


This doesn’t just mean technology: there are also new challenges, targets, and demands around sustainability, the environment, people, and diversity. This is bringing many positives but the fast pace of change can be a challenge for any industry.


Almost everyone would like to help create a better and safer world and one of the main challenges we face is how we can individually reduce our carbon footprint, be more inclusive, and be part of a positive force for change. For many of us – as window cleaners or people involved in the industry – what we can actually do is not always highly visible but many clients will expect us to demonstrate that our services are sustainable.


As a business, we constantly review the impact of our work activity and the effect it is having on the environment. For example, how do our window cleaners get to and from work and travel around in between? What chemicals and equipment do they use – where are they from and how are they disposed of?


We have set targets to measure and reduce our vertical cleaning carbon footprint on a client site-specific basis. Our carbon footprint is low – we use relatively few materials and we are committed to local employment and sustainable procurement. We deliver in electric vehicles, cycle or use public transport, and recycle equipment and water, use local rainwater collection and are replacing paper-based reporting with high tech real-time reporting and trends analysis.


Any contribution individuals and organisations can make, however small, is worthwhile as it often starts the conversation, which can help to create an agenda. Many people doing something small can add up to something much bigger and the window cleaning industry can, most certainly, make an impact on the environment and help to reduce carbon emissions.


There are a number of broad steps to consider. The first step is to assess your current environment and give it a score, then collect data on an ongoing basis with an aim to bring the score down. There are a number of organisations that can help and with whom you can register, but it’s not obligatory. The Carbon Trust is one such organisation but there are others.


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Water: We have to use water to clean windows and it’s currently easy to obtain, but in the UK the large majority of water is used to clean and the cleaning process uses power, which increases carbon. Can you use less water or recycled water in your daily operations, or can you collect any water from reach and wash and use again? Then measure the difference and show the reduction.


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