Local government buyers asked to consider cleaning product standards

“Our accreditation schemes for soft tissue, plastic refuse sacks and industrial cotton mops are recognised as driving up standards in the industry,” Mike Stubbs, chairman of the accreditation scheme panel, said. “Supported by a rigorous auditing process, the accreditation schemes make sure that what’s on the box is in the box."

At the recent Local Government Procurement Expo, the CHSA explained the benefits of the schemes to local government buyers of these products. 

"Our goal is to persuade them to specify CHSA accredited product in their tenders or tell their cleaning and hygiene contractors to use only CHSA accredited product,” Stubbs added.

To highlight the rigour of the auditing process to Expo delegates, the CHSA conducted Drop Tests. A British Standards Institute test, the Drop Test requires sacks to be filled to a pre-defined weight then dropped a specific height and checked for splits.  

The team also explained the full auditing process for each of the schemes to delegates. The CHSA’s independent inspector visits scheme members repeatedly through the year, selecting product from the warehouse and production line for inspection. He confirms the labels comply with the relevant scheme’s specification, the dimensions of the soft tissue are as specified and the industrial cotton mops and refuse sacks are fit for purpose and the dimensions are as specified. 

Scheme members that fail to meet the requirements may be ultimately expelled, a sanction not required in recent years as they value their membership.