For greener products, look to to home markets

What are the biggest challenges to a more sustainable sector in this environmentally aware age? Lorcan Mekitarian, sales director at bpi.recycled products discusses the issues

'The cleaning industry has made massive strides in sustainability over recent years,' says BPI's Lorcan Mekitarian, 'but there is still more that perhaps needs to be done. Specifically, in order to continue moving forwards, the sector needs to find new ways to "reduce, reuse and recycle".

'This may include exploring new techniques to manufacture products using less material, or expanding the use of closed loop recycling schemes. Most important of all, however, is the need to raise awareness within the sector of the benefits of UK-based recycling.

'Take refuse sacks for instance. People might think that using a 100% recycled product is environmental friendly. To a degree it is, but if that sack has been produced in China - the waste being shipped there and recycled before the finished product is shipped back again - it can have huge product miles and a massive carbon footprint. This can quickly offset the green benefits of using a recycled product to begin with.'

Shades of green To achieve true sustainability, the industry must also find a way to overcome the problem of 'greenwashing'. Refuse sacks are a particularly pertinent example of a product category that offers customers numerous green choices. But in reality, it seems that some products are greener than others.

As Mekitarian points out: 'Achieving sustainability often demands an understanding of the bigger picture to determine whether a product's green credentials are real - or just perceived. From a marketing point of view, there's arguably a need to introduce a universal metric that would allow users to directly compare the environmental benefits of one product against another. Not only would this help to eliminate the practice of greenwashing, but it would also enable users to quickly assess a product's environmental performance across a range of areas - from recycled content through to carbon footprint.'

Balancing costs One of the biggest and most enduring obstacles to sustainability remains the cost of specifying green products over cheaper, thinner virgin products typically produced in the Far East.

'Today's challenging economic climate means that cleaning organisations need to be commercially viable, and that margins will always be paramount,' Mekitarian explains. 'While there is still a strong desire for sustainable products, buyers are less willing to pay a premium for them and are increasingly looking for ways to demonstrate an environmental commitment while also saving money.

'At bpi.recycled products, we've found that the best way to meet this requirement is to supply a variety of different products at different price points and with different environmental performance characteristics. For instance, our customers might utilise a mix of economy products and sustainable products depending on the application, ultimately enabling them to achieve both goals.' As a business, bpi.recycled products also advocates more cost effective, greener working practices. As well as working with local suppliers, helping to reduce both transportation costs and product miles, the business has also looked at how it can generate revenue from the sale of unwanted scrap material like cardboard and metal bale strapping wire. Last year alone, this helped net the business £250,000.

Mekitarian concludes: 'Despite the growing cost pressures, the fact remains that companies simply can't afford to back away from sustainability now. Customer perception and demand has a massive impact on cleaning product specification and as long as people want see to green products, the industry will have to find a way to accommodate them.'