ENERGY MANAGEMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABLE CLEANING WITHOUT COMPROMISE Cleanliness in all buildings remains non-negotiable, says Miele Professional, but the challenge for FMs is finding solutions that balance both sustainability goals and hygiene requirements.
Across healthcare, hospitality, workplaces and the wider public sector, organisations are facing increasing pressure to demonstrate progress against environmental and ESG objectives. Sustainability has become a key consideration in procurement decisions and supplier selection, with clients seeking greater transparency around the environmental impact of the services and products they buy.
For FMs, this means finding practical ways to improve operational efficiency, reduce environmental impact and evidence progress whilst continuing to deliver safe, compliant and effective services.
One of the most complex challenges lies within Scope 3 emissions. Often representing the largest proportion of an organisation's carbon footprint, Scope 3 covers indirect activities across the supply chain and can be difficult to measure, manage and influence. As organisations look more closely at supplier performance, operations such as cleaning are attracting greater attention.
Looking beyond traditional
sustainability measures Historically, conversations around sustainable cleaning have centred on environmentally friendly chemicals, recycled materials or reducing waste and water. While these remain important, today's operational leaders are taking a broader view.
Cleaning operations influence resource consumption, operational efficiency and the lifespan of valuable assets. Increasingly, organisations want to understand not only whether a process is more sustainable, but whether the benefits can be measured and demonstrated. Customers are also asking broader questions than they were a few years ago, looking beyond product specifications to understand total cost of ownership, equipment longevity and how suppliers can support their own sustainability objectives over time. And crucially, none of this can come at the expense of hygiene.
In almost all facilities the highest standards of cleanliness remain a non-negotiable. The challenge for facilities managers is finding solutions that balance both sustainability goals and hygiene requirements.
From sustainability ambition to
sustainability proof This presents an opportunity for organisations willing to adopt a whole-life approach to cleaning operations.
Instead of focusing solely on upfront costs, greater
attention is being paid to long-term performance, resource efficiency and product longevity. These factors can have a meaningful impact on both environmental performance and operational expenditure, making them increasingly relevant to business decision-making. This has also increased interest in service support and preventative maintenance programmes, which can help equipment operate efficiently for longer, reduce unnecessary downtime and support a lower whole-life environmental impact.
Cleaning textiles are an example of where sustainability and operational performance intersect. Microfibre mops and cleaning cloths are used extensively across professional cleaning operations and are subject to frequent laundering throughout their lifespan. Every wash cycle consumes water, energy and detergent, while repeated processing can shorten textile lifespan if not managed correctly.
This is where advancements in cleaning technology are helping facilities managers optimise these daily processes, helping organisations to reduce resource consumption while maintaining cleaning performance and hygiene outcomes.
For example, Miele Professional's MopStar range has been developed specifically for the reprocessing of mops and cleaning cloths used in professional environments. Designed with low water and energy consumption per load, dedicated programmes help protect microfibre textiles from premature wear whilst delivering the hygiene standards required across demanding sectors. The unique honeycomb drum reduces the risk of laddering and wear on textiles, compared to conventional drum designs and is test up to 30,000 hours.
By extending textile life and reducing unnecessary replacement, organisations can support a more resource- efficient approach to cleaning whilst also improving whole-life value.
The value of choosing the right partner As sustainability expectations continue to evolve, organisations are placing greater scrutiny on their supply chains. Increasingly, procurement decisions are influenced not only by product performance but by a supplier's ability and commitment to support wider environmental objectives. As a result, independent sustainability assessments and evidence of environmental performance are becoming a more prominent feature of procurement and tender processes.
From equipment engineered for long service life to operational practices designed to reduce environmental impact, Miele’s focus is on helping customers achieve measurable improvements over time. As part of this commitment, Miele completes an annual assessment through EcoVadis, a globally recognised provider of business sustainability ratings.
Ultimately, sustainable cleaning is about more than environmental claims. It is about achieving demonstrable improvements in resource efficiency whilst maintaining the standards of hygiene, reliability and performance that clients expect.
https://www.miele.co.uk/p/ 30 | TOMORROW’S FM
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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