CLEANING & HYGIENE TIME FOR A RESET
When it comes to cleaning procurement, FMs must put outcomes and sustainability first, says 2Pure Products Director James Law.
The facilities management (FM) and cleaning industries stand at a crossroads. On one hand, customer expectations for cleanliness, hygiene, and safety have never been higher. On the other, the pressure to deliver sustainable, cost-efficient services continues to grow. Yet, if you look at how most organisations still specify and procure cleaning and hygiene products, you see a system stuck in outdated practices: long product lists, fragmented supply chains, and sustainability initiatives that too often scratch the surface rather than tackle the root problems.
THE PROBLEM WITH TODAY’S APPROACH
For decades, the default approach to cleaning procurement has been product proliferation. Every soil type, surface, and hygiene challenge has had its own specialist solution: degreasers for kitchens, descalers for bathrooms, air fresheners for odours, detergents for carpets, specific glass and stainless-steel cleaners, the list goes on. On paper, this looks like thoroughness. In practice, it creates complexity, waste, and inefficiency.
Over-stocking and waste are the obvious symptoms. Storerooms overflow with overlapping SKUs; unused stock expires; while staff training costs rise as each product requires separate instruction.
Procurement is also driven by the wrong metrics. Cost- per-litre pricing ignores true efficiency and cost-in-use. A ‘cheaper’ product may demand higher dilution, longer dwell times, or extra labour, ultimately costing more than a versatile alternative. Too often, outcomes – clean, safe, odour-free environments – are sidelined in favour of rebates or catalogue breadth.
Finally, and perhaps most worryingly, outcomes frequently get lost in the noise. The primary mission – clean, safe, odour-free environments that support staff wellbeing and customer satisfaction – risks being subordinated to catalogue breadth, rebates, or box- ticking exercises.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability goals are often reduced to labels such as ‘biodegradable’ or ‘recyclable’. True sustainability is systemic: considering the full lifecycle of a product, its efficiency, labour demands, storage, and waste. Marketing-led ‘green’ products often mask odours rather than solve hygiene issues, leading to re-cleaning and greater resource use.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS STILL COUNT Cleanliness directly shapes customer perceptions, staff wellbeing, and brand reputation. Masking problems with fragrances or heavy chemicals only leads to recurring odours, wasted time, and wasted product.
This is where outcome-driven procurement matters. The specification should not be about how many different solutions a supplier can provide, but about which
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products deliver verifiable hygiene outcomes while minimising environmental and human health impacts.
THE HUMAN SIDE OF SUSTAINABILITY One dimension that is often overlooked in sustainability discussions is employee safety and wellbeing.
Cleaning operatives face the highest exposure to hazardous products, risking irritation, respiratory issues, or allergenicity. Non-hazardous multipurpose formulations– such as OdorBac Tec4 – protect both workers and building users. Sustainability should always include people as well as the planet.
CLOSED-LOOP THINKING: THE PACKAGING IMPERATIVE Another area where current agendas can fall short is packaging. Recyclable containers are progress, but recycling consumes energy and often downcycles material. Closed-loop systems such as LoopBox go further: packaging is collected, washed, and refilled, cutting plastic waste and carbon emissions while helping FMs meet ESG targets.
THE FUTURE AGENDA: SIMPLER, SAFER, SMARTER
If the FM and cleaning industries are to meet the twin challenges of higher hygiene standards and stronger sustainability requirements, they must shift away from the outdated mindset of ‘more products, more choice’. Complexity is not thoroughness – it’s inefficiency.
The future lies in simpler, safer, smarter solutions: fewer SKUs, outcome-driven specifications, closed- loop packaging, and non-hazardous chemistry. It lies in seeing sustainability not as a side-issue, but as an integrated part of hygiene, efficiency, and safety.
Businesses that embrace this approach will not only reduce environmental impact but also gain commercial resilience: stronger reputations, healthier staff, and greater customer trust.
https://2pureproducts.co.uk
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