FEATURE
How do Cleenol products utilise natural and renewable resources, and how are they packed through the use of recycled materials? How are they playing a part in the reduction of air and water pollution?
Over the last decade, Cleenol has spent more of its time seeking out raw materials that have either a natural or renewable source as part of our ongoing commitment to our ISO14001 standard. This most recently has culminated in the development and launch of the edencleen range of products, designed to meet the demands from those customers who are more highly sensitised to the ‘sustainability’ of a product.
The range has the following common features: RSPO certified palm oil derivatives; no animal derived products; minimal petrochemical derived products; no parabens, formaldehyde, CMI/MIT, triclosan, phosphates, chlorine bleaches, optical brighteners, or quaternary ammonium compounds; phosphate, EDTA, NTA and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) free; recyclable/recycled packaging; 100% bio-based surfactant – made by using bio-based ethylene oxide which is manufactured from biomass ethanol; bioethanol, naturally derived acids, sugar-based surfactants, bio-based solvents, low impact preservatives.
From the reduction or removal of VOCs in our design stages, through the continuous improvement processes we apply to our production stream, and now out into the use of PCR packaging where we can guarantee the safety and integrity of the packaging, each step we take is helping reduce the amount of contaminant that’s able to reach the environment in which we live.
What challenges could the cleaning sector face as it progresses on the journey to eventual ‘Net Zero’?
Today, it has become de rigueur to declare a commitment to a Net Zero future. However, there are considerable challenges with this, not least of all because to really understand the positive impacts of our actions, we’d need to be sat in the future looking back.
Knowledge: One of the main challenges is widespread lack of knowledge or experience with carbon management. Of course, there are many consultants and companies springing up to support businesses to understand, but this assumes that the business has an understanding where their emissions are created and what processes will help reduce them, and the length of the chain that’s involved from raw material suppliers to chemical or machine manufacturers, through to distributors, and then on to the end users. It can be difficult to convey how the different processes of the business can have large impacts on CO2 levels, and with technologies always improving, it’s vital for business to keep training and guidance up to date.
Funding: One of the biggest issues in creating and following a net zero plan is cost. For any business whose systems and buildings have any date, the costs involved to upgrade to reach a Net Zero target are immense. While the desired intention of reduced emissions is understood by the
16 | FEATURE
The Evolution X2 system is an easy to use, lightweight system which instantly mixes Cleenol’s Evolution Super Concentrates ‘on the go’ without the need to measure and dilute through traditional systems.
consumer, customer, or end user, there’s always a degree of reticence to pay the price for these improvements. A typical instance of this is the basic consumer example in the supermarket, where manufacturers are testing us to move to more sustainable options – refill pouches, reusable dispensers – but which normally have a negative price difference to the standard product. Only a few will spend the extra to follow the ‘Net Zero’ cause, especially the case in tight economic environments such as the one we are entering now.
Supply Chain: Another major challenge in achieving Net Zero is that whilst we can make progress in starting the path to Net Zero as an individual business, it can be difficult to ensure that this is replicated throughout your entire supply chain. Again, pressure on price drives a search for the cheapest option which inevitably means a longer supply chain, which as we have seen over the last three years – starting with the Suez Canal blockage – is highly susceptible to disturbance to normal operations.
Individual Behaviours: As well as large operational changes and the introduction of new initiatives and technologies, it’s important to also address the challenge of changing individual behaviours such as transportation to work or energy use from staff whilst on site. While there has been a lot of increased attention to topics such as single use plastics, there is an increase in electric vehicle purchase, but are we really sure it’s the right route to follow? Retailers are also helping shape consumer thinking with the reduction of plastics, of testing refilling stations, etc. The reality is that for those who believe in looking after the environment, or base purchases with this as a consideration versus those who don’t think about it at all, the numbers remain essentially static as shown by the YouGov tracker.
How does this replay into the cleaning industry? At the end of the day, we are all consumers. The decision makers in the facilities management companies, or the hotel housekeepers, or heads of food and beverage, will always react as an individual consumer – unless constrained by company targets and strategies that may or may not be dictated by shareholders, their decisions will be based on the most cost-effective solution for the business.
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