Sustainability - a number one priority in FM

WITH SUSTAINABILITY in mind the multi-award-winning London-based company recently appointed Kate Lovell as its first ever ESG director (environmental, social and governance).

Kate, who joined Cleanology as head of marketing two years ago, and who was recently also promoted to marketing director, is to play a pivotal role spearheading Cleanology’s drive to maintain its position as a market leading business with outstanding sustainability and social impact credentials.

“Heading up Cleanology’s push to be a champion of sustainability is a privilege and one of my most treasured career highlights,” enthused Kate.

“Sustainability is a subject close to my heart and is hugely important to our customers. We acknowledge that our impact extends beyond delivering exceptional cleaning services to fostering a positive influence on our community, ensuring fair treatment of our staff, and promoting sustainability and inclusivity.

“The cleaning industry has a massive impact on the environment. We use fuel to transport our staff to sites and, once there, our operatives use cleaning solutions, products and equipment. We therefore focus our effort on areas which achieve the greatest environmental impact, being the first to market in several key areas with the hope that our environmental innovations will become industry norms. We are proud that 45 per cent of clients choose Cleanology for our sustainability record.

“Sustainability is now a non-negotiable, board agenda item and companies know they must show a commitment to act responsibly, added Kate. “Instead of reining back their sustainability initiatives, FM companies will discover other ways of saving money which may include cutting cleaning hours or reducing the scope of cleaning contracts. 

“At the heart of Cleanology’s environmental policy is the desire to be a sustainability role model for the industry, and influence client and supply chain decision making to ensure sustainability is not limited to just the business operations of Cleanology.”

Planet Mark and B-Corp status

This summer Cleanology has been awarded The Planet Mark sustainability certification while later this year it is set to be certified as carbon neutral.  It has also been working with one of its sustainability partners, which aims to make a positive social and environmental impact through tree planting by Armed Forces veterans, assisting them on a pathway to meaningful employment.

Kate’s full in-tray will include steering Cleanology towards B-Corp status and achieving EcoVadis medals that demonstrate a strong management system that addresses sustainability criteria and meeting Scope 3 emissions targets, which occur in a company’s value chain. Cleanology is also aiming to be Net Zero by 2035 which will also entail meeting strict sustainability criteria.

Cleanology CEO and co-founder Dominic Ponniah has joined the international ISSA (International Sanitary Supply Association) Sustainability Committee, with the goal of driving the family-owned company’s sustainability vision not just in the UK, but across the globe. 

Dominic said: “We don’t see any value in partnering with companies unless they are like-minded and similarly ambitious on sustainability. I am so excited that Kate has agreed to take on this hugely important new role and look forward to supporting her on our ambitious sustainability journey.”

Green initiatives

Cleanology has been demonstrating a commitment to sustainability for some time. It has been a pioneer in eco-friendly initiatives such as being the first in Europe to introduce portion-controlled biological cleaning sachets as well as being the first cleaning company in the UK to issue staff uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles. These schemes have resulted in saving 46,800 litres of cleaning solution and 62,400 plastic bottles annually.

Furthermore, the introduction of uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles prevents 7,000 bottles from entering landfill each year.

From June 2023 to July 2024 Cleanology saved 143,648 pieces of plastic from being used, marking an impressive 78% increase from the previous year.

Cleanology also prioritises fair pay and employee well-being, ensuring 99% of its employees receive the Real Living Wage, a massive increase from just 18% in 2017.

Cleanology has also invested in a fully electric van fleet at its London headquarters in Vauxhall, south west London. This saves 5,000 litres of diesel per year – equivalent to 13.5 tonnes of CO2.   There is no road tax or London congestion charge to pay, which saves £8,500 per vehicle, and a £51,000-a-year cost reduction overall.  All energy used to power the Head Office is from 100% sustainable sources – including 48% wind, solar 24%, 16% bioenergy and 12% hydro. 

Last year Cleanology picked up six national and international trophies for its contribution to the cleaning sector and its approach to sustainability. Additionally, Cleanology has won the Best Small to Medium Business award at the Lloyd's Bank British Excellence Awards for its strong ESG successes and credentials. It was also proud to be a finalist for the Diversity in the Workplace award at the European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards, further underscoring its commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse working environment.

Cleanology’s ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications call for continuous improvement, efficient record-keeping and robust monitoring, with 10 consecutive years of outstanding accreditation. Monitoring and measuring its activities at head office and across all its sites has provided a useful tool to show Cleanology whether it’s setting realistic goals, meeting those goals, and planning ahead in the right areas. It is also looking forward to securing BCorp accreditation to take it to the next level.

Its environmental policy also extends through to its supply chain, where suppliers are rigorously scrutinized before approval to ensure they uphold Cleanology’s environmental objectives, and that those standards are maintained through its annual supplier audit.

Cleanology has stressed it does not see any value in partnering with companies unless they are likeminded and similarly ambitious on sustainability.

Waste management

The company makes every effort to show a commitment to sustainability in every part of the business. For example, its focus has now shifted to deal with the enormous plastic waste created by mop heads with plastic sockets. Given it uses over 135,000 mop heads a year, it is now using mop heads where you only change the strings, not the plastic.

 

To combat paper waste Cleanology had already seen the benefit of switching to digital with e-payslips for staff and e-billing for clients, resulting in a total saving of over 100,000 sheets of paper a year. Last year it went further with all quotes and staff inductions being issued electronically, saving a further 130,000 sheets of paper a year, not to mention the printer ink involved.

Its recycling systems are designed for maximum participation. As well as its own site audits, it uses an online portal which enables it to share real-time recycling data with its clients. It also hosts “lunch and learn” sessions to increase engagement.

Staff receive in-depth training during induction, and also annual refresher courses. On site effectiveness depends on staff buy-in, so Cleanology holds regular “toolbox talks” and aim to inspire them to improve on environmental performance. It regularly surveys employees to assess their level of environmental awareness, which improved from 69% in 2019 to 81% last year. Cleanology aims to reach over 90% this year, and plans to implement the employee survey on a more regular basis, to keep better track of environmental awareness among employees.

Cleanology now makes clients aware of the environmental impact of the consumables they choose by providing carbon footprint measurement, country of origin and a sustainability star rating. It also hosts quarterly roundtable events engaging with clients, suppliers and industry stakeholders on key sustainability issues”.

For more information, visit https://cleanology.com/services/office-cleaning/