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WHAT’S NEW? NO GUARANTEE WITH


A ‘BROWN BOX’ The Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA) is warning buyers that no Manufacturing Standards Accreditation Scheme Marque on the box means no guarantee of what’s inside the box.


“Buyers who make assumptions about the quality of the plastic sacks they purchase are taking a big risk,” explained Mike Stubbs, Chairman of the Manufacturing Standards Accreditation Scheme for Plastic Refuse Sacks.


“Unbranded ‘brown boxes’ come with no guarantee, whoever is the manufacturer. The order may be for medium or heavy duty plastic sacks but with ‘brown box’ products these ‘fit for purpose’ specifications are meaningless; they have no common definition.


“In contrast, plastic sacks with the Accreditation Scheme Marque are manufactured to a clear, defined specification and are tested against that specification to make sure they are ‘fit for purpose’.”


The CHSA’s Independent Inspector audits the products within the Scheme using the British Standards Institute’s Drop Test, during which the sack is filled to a pre-defined weight then dropped a specific height and assessed. Ten sacks are tested in this way and only if the batch passes is it marked suitable for the ‘duty’ category in question.


The labels are also reviewed to ensure there is full traceability to manufacturer and batch.


The Manufacturing Standards Accreditation Scheme for Plastic Refuse Sacks guarantees three things:


• Consistency of supply: customers receive what they order;


• Accurate labelling: customers know what they are paying for;


• Fully audited manufacturers: our standards, your guarantee.


www.chsa.co.uk 08 | TOMORROW’S FM


BUSINESS GROWTH AND LIVING WAGE GO HAND-


IN-HAND New business growth has seen contract cleaning and soft service specialists, Facilicom UK’s total workforce expand to almost 4,000 people across the UK this year and an additional 307 colleagues are now working for the company on Living Wage contracts.


At a time when many businesses are concerned about the increase in costs of paying the Living Wage, Facilicom has shown that paying a fair wage can go hand-in-hand with growth. In total, over 750 of Facilicom’s cleaners are now receiving this rate either nationally or in London – almost 19% and an increase of 58% on the previous financial year.


Phil Smith, Corporate Relationship Director at Facilicom, explained: “We’ve been paying the Living Wage to our direct employees, and including it in our new business tenders where possible, since 2013 and have developed working practices to show how the impact of paying the Living Wage doesn’t have to be devastating to business models.


“The extra costs of pay rises can be mitigated through contract efficiencies, smarter operating practices, and the improved retention and commitment of operatives who are fairly remunerated for their work.”


“We need the many thousands of ethical and socially-minded employers who have not already done so to join us as accredited Living Wage Service Providers to ensure that people working in the cleaning industry, and beyond, are lifted out of in-work poverty as quickly as possible and wherever the opportunity exists.”


Sarah Vero, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We welcome the leadership being shown by service providers around implementing the Living Wage. Recognised Living


twitter.com/TomorrowsFM


Wage service providers are showing the industry that there is a different way of working. We’re seeing fantastic collaboration between service providers and it’s great that they are able to join forces and share best practice.


“There has been a rapid expansion and growth in support for the campaign, in 2012 there were just 100 accredited Living Wage employers and now there are over 2,000 including 28 FTSE 100 companies. However, there are still nearly 6 million people in the UK earning less than the Living Wage, so there is much work to be done.”


www.facilicom.co.uk


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