Proudly celebrating the cleaning sector

IT IS difficult to describe the past two years. Much has changed, including the nation’s view of cleaning and hygiene. Cleaning operatives found themselves on the frontline. When everyone else was told to stay at home, they had to go out and keep work and public places, including health and social care settings, clean and safe. 

Their importance was not immediately recognised. Along with our colleagues in the British Cleaning Council and the Cleaning Support Services Association, we had to campaign to secure key worker status for cleaning operatives and those who worked for manufacturers and distributors of cleaning and hygiene products. But now, nearly two years later there is a new respect for their skills and dedication. 

This transformation in the perception of our industry and the new-found respect that comes with it is good news. The professionalism and expertise of those working in the sector is increasingly being recognised. Delighted to play our role in celebrating them, we are again proud to be the Gold Sponsor of the 2022 Kimberly-Clark Professional Golden Service Awards. 

The 2022 Kimberly-Clark Professional Golden Service Awards have been recognising the very best in FM and contract cleaning for over 30 years. Aptly, the 2022 awards include a new category: ‘Going the Extra Mile’. It will acknowledge those who have delivered above and beyond during these extraordinary times. 

Pressure on the supply chain

To do their skilled work, FM and contract cleaning companies need good quality cleaning and hygiene products that are fit for purpose. For over 20 years they have been able to depend upon the CHSA’s Accreditation Scheme mark as guaranteeing ‘what’s on the box is what’s in the box’. In the context of the pandemic, this has never been more important.

Almost overnight, demand for cleaning and hygiene products soared. People needed hand sanitisers, gloves, soft tissue, aprons, gowns, wipes, clinical waste sacks, and cleaning chemicals. And they needed them now. Panic buying on toilet paper ensued.

This urgent and unprecedented demand presented a huge challenge to our manufacturing and distributer members. Struggling with the constraints of the lock down themselves, they worked hard to manufacture and distribute to the frontline these essential products as quickly as possible. But the raw materials and component parts were under severe pressure. Sprays and soap pumps, primarily manufactured in China and Italy, were in short supply. Nitrile disposable gloves and single use aprons have traditionally been made in the Far East and the supply of both was hit by the combination of demand going up and supply being constricted by lock downs in China and Malaysia. Supply of non-woven wipes spiked. Most of these wipes are polypropylene based, a material also integral in the manufacture of face masks. The combination of pressures pushed supply chains to the limits. Demand for biocides and virucides also escalated at a time when the UK production capacity for these products had declined. 

The pressure was intense. Understanding this and the intrinsic complexities of the supply chain, our members knew  it was impossible, in the short term, to satisfy all orders. They stayed loyal to their long-term customers, introducing rationing where and when necessary. They also worked hard to keep their customers informed. With their input, we, the CHSA, published bulletins about availability, giving end users the information they needed to plan under extremely difficult circumstances.

The unscrupulous see an opportunity

In contrast, others just saw an enormous opportunity. For some, it was a way to generate much needed turnover when their nominal income streams dried up. It’s understandable, but worrying when you remember they don’t know the market, the regulations or what constitutes what is fit for purpose product. Others saw a golden opportunity they didn’t want to miss, whatever the consequences. They set up new companies overnight, claiming expertise while unable to check or audit their suppliers. They imported product unseen and sold them online, often with a high mark-up. 

More troubling though were the dubious claims of product efficacy and the way many products simply did not meet the regulatory requirements. This was not helped by the Brexit fog of transferring EU regulations back onto UK statute books.

The UK hand sanitiser market has been described as a ‘wild west’. Medical alcohol supply became tight, so the Government relaxed the rules on alcohol content from 70% to 60%. All sorts of organisations, with no relevant track record, turned to the production of alcohol hand gels. 

Extraordinary claims were made for cleaning chemicals. These included keeping an area clean and sterile for days if not months. In the uncertainty and fear around the virus, it’s no wonder buyers were grabbing at these products. But they were not the panacea they claimed. A product may keep a surface sterile for days … but only in laboratory conditions with very specific testing protocols. In a real environment, inhabited by people, it’s not possible. People will always bring in contaminates which will deposit on previously sanitised surfaces making them dirty again. 

We all remember the shortages of PPE or personal protective equipment at the beginning of the pandemic. We were days away from the NHS running out.  Some companies with experience of importing products from the Far East but no track record in this sector quickly placed orders for containers of these products but when they arrived in the UK, the products had fake or no CE marks. This is the certification mark that indicates conformance with the European Union directives on health and safety and environmental protection. Buying product from new, unknown suppliers claiming good stocks of compliant or effective products might have sounded good, but with no guarantee they offered any protection from the virus, the goods were rejected as not fit for purpose.

Advice for buyers

Buyers were in a difficult position. They needed to get hold of products in the face of shortages and rationing. But working from home, without access to the usual resources and product being needed ‘yesterday’, following the normal procedures, including checks and audits on both product and supplier, seemed impossible. 

Buying from whoever was selling the product, whether or not you’ve even heard of them before, seemed essential. 

The challenges were intense, but our advice then and now is simple. ‘Be cautious.’ 

1. Be skeptical about product claims. It if sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 
2. Ask for evidence to back up product claims. A reputable manufacturer will be pleased and able to show you data sheets or other relevant evidence to support the claims made for the product. 
3. Ask for the CE declaration and any other test reports to show conformance to specification. Check if the testing was carried out in the UK or Europe.
4. Buy from a reputable supplier with a track record. Getting customer references is always a good idea.

Finally, look for the CHSA Accreditation Scheme mark. 

Our standards. Your guarantee

We operate Accreditation Schemes for manufacturers of paper-based and woven, plastic-based, and cotton-based products, and for manufacturers of cleaning and hygiene chemicals.  We also operate an Accreditation Scheme for Distributors of cleaning & hygiene products. 

Every CHSA member has also signed our rigorous Code of Practice. It requires them to “maintain a high standard in the conduct of its business”.

The combination of our Code of Practice and Accreditation Scheme membership means every member:

• Trades ethically and sustainably;
• Provides quality, fit for purpose products; and
• Makes sure what’s on the box is what’s in the box.

Our commitment to standards is underpinned by Independent Inspection. An auditor, an experienced quality assurance professional, visits every member to ensure compliance. 

If you want to buy from an ethical business with a respected track record in providing good quality cleaning and hygiene products, look for the CHSA logo and CHSA Accreditation Scheme mark.

The CHSA’s Accreditation Schemes

Accredited Manufacturers

All CHSA manufacturing members commit to making sure the labelling on every product clearly indicates dimensions and quantity, guaranteeing ‘what’s on the box is what’s in the box’.

In specific, each Scheme ensures manufacturers:

• Of paper-based and woven products guarantee the dimensions and count of every product and other required information is as indicated on the label
• Of plastic-based products guarantee they are fit for purpose and the dimensions and count and other required information are as indicated on the label
• Of cotton-based products guarantee the weight, absorbency and, where relevant, the cotton content. They also guarantee the dimensions and count and other required information are as indicated on the label
• Of cleaning and hygiene chemicals guarantee the product volume and other required information is as specified on the label and fully supported by relevant test data. In addition, they guarantee the containers and plastic bottles holding the chemical products are recyclable and clearly marked with the relevant recycling symbol.

A new Accreditation Scheme for General Manufacturers is being launched in January 2022. This exciting new Scheme is for manufacturers of cleaning equipment such as hand dryers, power washers and floor polishers. It is being developed in response to all the growing demand from companies across the sector to be an Accredited CHSA member, and so emphasise their commitment to trading ethically and abiding by our Code of Practice. 

Accredited Distributors

Each has committed to buy cleaning and hygiene products from a CHSA Accredited Manufacturer. They also guarantee cleaning and hygiene products not covered by a CHSA Accreditation Scheme for Manufacturers conforms to the clear and rigorous commitments within the Code of Practice.

Lorcan Mekitarian is chair of the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association

For more information visit www.CHSA.co.uk