PRACTICAL SUSTAINABLE CLEANING IMPLEMENTATION


Stephen MacDonald meets a cleaning contractor whose commitment to sustainability goes beyond microfibre and eco-friendly chemicals.


Modern definitions of sustainable development have a common theme – a balance between protecting the environment and paying a living wage, whilst permitting companies to be profitable and thrive, thereby guaranteeing an acceptable world for future generations to enjoy.


Looked at from the outside, commercial cleaning is arguably the most challenging industry in which to try and achieve this lofty ambition - if for no other reasons than it is so competitive and its staff are the most likely to be paid the minimum, aka National Living Wage.


At Greenzest, however, such a challenge is met with great enthusiasm.


THE FOUR PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY Greenzest’s logo includes the strapline ‘Sustainable Cleaning Services’ and the company’s operations manual translates this into four objectives or pillars: Planet, People, Partnerships and Productivity.


Under Planet, Greenzest practises the initiatives commonly associated with the industry: widespread use of steam cleaning, microfibre and non-aggressive chemicals. However, the two real standout features here are the company’s purchase of hybrid vehicles - the latest being a VW Golf GTe - and their steadfast refusal to entertain the idea of a head office, with its associated environmental impacts.


This decision, unique in the industry for a company of Greenzest’s size, is made possible by a combination of cloud-based, secure data storage for all company documentation and the development of a bespoke management software system, Greenfields. The latter is installed on all managers’ iPads and supports key business processes such as training, quality auditing, purchase orders and work requisitions. Are you wondering about management meetings? The answer is that MD, Iain Fraser-Jones, holds them at his clients’ premises, with the


desirable spin-off that his managers see, at first-hand, the cleaning operation at different sites.


When it comes to People, Greenzest is constantly looking to persuade clients to fund Living Wage Foundation pay rates for cleaning staff, rather than the National Living Wage - the idea being to recruit staff who will value their jobs and therefore deliver sustained quality and consistency.


Under Partnership comes a strategy of improving client relationships by providing a cleaning service to mirror the evolving needs of their buildings. As Iain said: “Offices nowadays are designed around hot desking, breakout areas, pristine hygiene facilities and mobile communication hubs. We look to challenge existing preconceptions of cleaning as a rigid service and instead offer a flexible version that meets the demands of these new workplaces.”


The final pillar is Productivity, which links closely to the other three and is at the heart of cost-effective cleaning. In the last few years the industry has benefited from a steady flow of new machinery and cleaning products that are both labour saving and more effective. If that means Greenzest, with their clients’ support, can reinvest the time saved in higher pay rates, then the sustainability model is well and truly up and running.


Greenzest is ISO9001:2015 and ISO14001:2015 accredited, a member of ORB (Organisation for Responsible Business) and has recently received a Gold Award from the Green Achiever scheme for its sustainability initiatives.


www.greenzest.co.uk 22 | SUSTAINABILITY SUPPLEMENT twitter.com/TomoCleaning


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