CLEANING & HYGIENE


MAINTAINING STANDARDS


If the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is, says Lorcan Mekitarian, Chair of the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA).


The economy is under pressure. It’s not surprising, against this backdrop, buyers are being seduced by attractive prices. The CHSA’s advice to all buyers of cleaning and hygiene products is, if the price sounds good to be true, it probably is.’


see a CHSA Accreditation Scheme mark on a product you can be certain ‘what’s on the box is what’s in the box’ and that the product is fit for purpose.


“Buyers need to be careful. They need to know they got what they pay for.”


In April, employers had to deal with increases in employers’ National Insurance and the new National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage. There is additional pressure on wages, created by the freezes of recent years and the impact of the spike in inflation seen following the pandemic. The UK economy is now also being buffeted by global pressures and the consequences of the trade wars with the US, as well as the ongoing disruptions created by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.


The challenges are complex and against the backdrop of this uncertainty, squeezing costs is an obvious option to take. Customers and end users want products and services that work at a price they can afford. Our members are working hard to achieve the balance, but it is incredibly difficult. The result is a growing trend for open pricing on the web and escalating numbers of intermediaries.


Open pricing is a flexible pricing strategy that allows businesses to adjust prices based on demand. Companies can offer a headline price that is, ultimately, not available when the customer comes to make a purchase.


We have always had intermediaries in the market. They can add value. Today, though, we are seeing them entice customers with extremely seductive prices, which sound too good to be true. This is because they oſten are. Intermediaries operating like this pay little or no attention to the quality and performance of the product. The result is buyers are finding themselves facing the issues that drove us to set up our Accreditation Schemes in the 1990s. Product is short on the count, width or length, does match the specifications on the box or is not fit for purpose. The price looks amazing because the product is not what you think it is.


Buyers need to be careful. They need to know they get what they pay for. Our Accreditation Schemes are crucial here. If you


18 www.tomorrowscare.co.uk


Every CHSA member has also signed our Code of Practice, at the heart of which is a commitment to “maintain a high standard in the conduct of its business”.


https://chsa.co.uk


We have Schemes for manufacturers of paper-based products, plastic-based products, cotton-based products and cleaning chemicals, and for distributors of cleaning and hygiene products. At our AGMs, conducted at the end of last year, members voted to further tighten the Schemes and continue our mission to raise and maintain standards in our industry.


All Schemes guarantee the required information is as indicated on the label. The Scheme for paper-based products also guarantees the dimensions, count. For plastic-based products it guarantees they are fit for purpose and the dimensions and count. For cotton- based products it guarantees the weight, absorbency and, where relevant, the cotton content. For cleaning chemicals, it guarantees product volume and that the containers and plastic bottles are recyclable and marked with the relevant symbol. Our Accredited Distributors have committed to buy cleaning and hygiene products from a CHSA Accredited Manufacturer or to make sure that product from non-Accredited manufacturers conforms to the relevant Scheme’s regulations. Distributors have also committed to make sure that products not covered by a CHSA Accreditation Scheme for Manufacturers conform to the clear and rigorous commitments within the Code of Practice.


“Against the backdrop of


uncertainity, squeezing costs is an obvious option to take.”


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