CHTMAG.COM ENVIRONMENT FEATURE environmental goals by using natural cleaning solutions, less staff training is required and there is no need for gloves or goggles unless used completely neat. TRANSPORTATION When considering the environment, CO2 emissions are often identified as an area requiring attention. In 2013, 26 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions were a result of road transportation. The 2008 Climate Change Act highlighted the need to reduce the production of greenhouse gases, with a legally binding Government framework enforcing the reduction of UK greenhouse gas emissions by at least 34 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050. When considering the number of vehicles on the road delivering cleaning products, there are a number of ways suppliers can reduce this. Ultra-concentrated solutions are now being developed which not only reduce space requirements during transportation but need less on-site storage capacity. DOSAGE The age-old phrase “…and one for luck,” can often be associated with the dosing of cleaning products. Believing an increased ratio of solution to water will perform more effectively, cleaning staff can actually be reducing the cleaning power of products. Not only will this incur additional costs as products will need replenishing sooner, the reduced efficiency levels will also impact on productivity. Refill stations are the ideal solution to mitigate the chances of excessive amounts of cleaning product being used. Pre-set to dispense the optimum amount of fluid, cleaning staff will not have to spend unnecessary time measuring out solutions, making the process much more timely, whilst reducing stress and wastage. TECHNOLOGY & SUSTAINABILITY Cleaning is a service industry, it’s essential and universal. With research suggesting that janitorial and maintenance services within facilities management can amount to 25 per cent of the costs of servicing a managed facility, organisations are always looking to innovate to reduce overheads. For example, through site analysis, ECS Partner, FMS Servis Grup, was able to identify that during the hours cleaning was taking place within the client’s building, the energy tariff was notably expensive. As a result, the cleaning regime was revisited and scheduled for a time when the energy tariff was at its least expensive, saving the client 20 per cent in energy costs. The future holds game-changing developments, some of which will take many years to arrive in our buildings and others MARCH 2016 15 Making its way into day-to-day business operations, the level of attention on environmentally conscious practices in the facilities management bid process is also increasing. And rightly so, as providing facilities management services which surpass recommended environmental standards is now very achievable. It is estimated by the UN Climate Report that by 2100 manmade emissions will have increased the global temperature by between 3.72 - 4.82°C from the average temperature recorded before the Industrial Revolution. With global warming taking place at this rate, political leaders have set a temperature increase limit of 2°C by the end of the century. Research suggests that the impacts of global warming in excess of this figure will be severe and potentially irreversible. A recent PwC survey found that sustainability is in fact an area of great importance to organisations, with 61 per cent taking pollution levels into consideration in operational planning. It was also noted that three quarters of CEOs surveyed had developed more sustainable products and services in response to climate change, with Western European and Latin American companies most active in this process. In the facilities management space, this is a task which is often a collaboration between the client and FM provider, as developing improved environmentally friendly practices to support organisations in achieving their sustainability goals is an intricate “In 2013, 26 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions were a result of road transportation. ” process. It is easy to fall into the trap of simply reassessing the cleaning products being used, however taking a step back and evaluating the whole process will lead to greater results. THE CLEANING LIFECYCLE Environmentally friendly improvements can be made throughout the cleaning process, quite literally from field to floor. Ever more environmentally friendly products are being developed and becoming more accessible to providers and clients alike. Take Diversey Care for example, the company has recently launched its Discover SURE range, which is 100 per cent plant based and equally as effective as chemical alternatives. Plant based products not only achieve
CHT March 2016
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