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Improving washroom hygiene while hitting sustainability targets

21 July 2022

WITH OVER 70% of the UK population now vaccinated and more workers returning to offices, it’s vital to ensure that washrooms are clean, hygienic and efficiently run spaces that people will be confident using. Paul Mulready, marketing manager of Northwood Hygiene Products Ltd - a leader in Away-from-Home (AfH) professional paper hygiene and wiping products - talks about what washroom systems should deliver.

Washrooms play a key role in helping to minimise the spread of viruses and germs and they also provide an indication of the overall cleanliness of a building. However, it’s vital to ensure that washroom systems don’t just deliver optimal hygiene – they must be sustainable, robust and easy to maintain too. So, what do washroom providers need to consider when choosing their solution?

Meeting greater demand

Whilst covid continues to impact on working patterns, employee wellbeing remains important and businesses must ensure their buildings are kept as infection-free as possible. 

More visitors in washrooms means that supplies of soap and towels deplete faster, requiring more frequent replenishment. Furthermore, empty soap and paper dispensers are frustrating for staff and lengthen their time in the restroom, so using the right products can make all the difference. Specifiers should look for high-capacity dispensers that feature clear inspection windows to make them quick and easy to refill and reduce maintenance time in the washroom.

Greater washroom use subjects the dispensers themselves to more wear and tear than usual, so units need to be durable as well as functional. Washroom providers should seek out dispensers that are made from hardwearing materials that can withstand knocks and scratches.

Minimising touch-points in washrooms is also wise, so it’s worth seeking out no-touch soap dispensers, which automatically dispense when hands are placed underneath.

And finally - with sustainability very much on the agenda - providers should look for solutions that use recycled materials where possible, minimise unnecessary packaging and are designed to create zero waste.

At Northwood, we’re helping businesses to promote effective hygiene practices and make a contribution to the environment with sustainable solutions like our comprehensive Raphael range. Developed for demanding settings, Raphael helps to deliver improved washroom hygiene standards, whilst also saving money and reducing waste.

Lowering our carbon footprint

As part of our ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, we have worked hard to make packaging as sustainable as possible and the majority of the range now comes in plastic-free packaging. Our card cores, paper wraps and plastic inserts are fully recyclable, with the plastic inserts being made from recycled bottle tops, which are recyclable. Our soap cartridges are also made from recycled plastic and these, together with our dispenser covers and backs, are also recyclable. 

The Raphael collection combines supreme hygiene and environmental credentials and includes pure pulp and 100% recycled products, all of which are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) certified. 

Raphael is designed to deliver zero waste and volume in use to reduce the amount of paper used and packaging required. Less packaging waste means fewer trucks on the road and less impact on the environment. And because Raphael is wholly British made and distributed, it is far more sustainable than imported systems.

Cost effective, zero-waste solution

With two toilet tissue and four hand towel dispensers, plus a soap dispenser, our range includes the TwinJumbo toilet roll dispenser – the industry’s first twin jumbo high-capacity proprietary toilet roll dispenser – which holds up to 800m of roll to minimise the need for frequent replenishing.  

The long-lasting Infinity paper system means that only one roll is used at a time to eliminate waste and deliver costs savings. Holding up to 250m each, the roll towel dispensers provide approximately 500 dries, with some offering stub-roll transfer to ensure zero waste. 

The Raphael folded towel dispenser has a 1,000 sheet capacity and all Raphael hand drying systems dispense one at a time flat sheets to prevent overuse. To further reduce over usage and minimise any mess in the washroom, our dispensers have been designed not to free roll. 

It remains important for washroom providers to deliver stringent hygiene standards, whilst being mindful of the environment. By investing in well-designed systems like Raphael, they can enhance hand hygiene and make washrooms safe and sustainable.

For further information on the Raphael range, please visit www.northwood.co.uk, or call 01952 236 930.

 
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