Clearly define tasks: Define which tasks cleaning products will be used for within the building. Spend wisely on products that will meet your required performance. When a product does not clean properly, you may end up using more of it. That adds up to more packaging for the waste stream and often more labor as peo-ple compensate with elbow grease. Train cleaning staff properly: Achieving employee buy-in is important as labor ac-counts for up to 85 percent of operational costs. Housekeeping staffs need to be taught to clean efficiently by using the right amount of product to get the job done, not less (which could create rework) and not more (which wastes). Effective and continued education of staff on how to clean sustainably is a must. Even the most sustainable cleaning prod-ucts, if used incorrectly, will not have the re-quired impact. Make sure your staff members are aware of all guidelines in the safe handling, use and recycling of products and packaging. If staff learn proper processes and mini-mize the amount of product used, it can im-prove your environmental footprint, contrib-ute to cost savings and facilitate a number of supply chain benefits. Measure of green: If it isn’t clean, it isn’t green. We clean areas and surfaces for one main reason: to reduce the risk of human expo-sure to potentially harmful substances. If a product does not do the job of getting rid of dirt, grime, soil, etc., then no matter what green aspects the product claims to have, it’s not driving overall sus-tainability. Current findings show that the way a product is used is often more important than production methods in determining en-vironmental and social impacts. Following The Steps Implementing these steps will really aid your facility’s sustainability efforts. But remember, sustainability should be intrinsically interlinked into everything you do as a business, including your marketing efforts, so that your staff and customers are fully aware of your commitments. Operating sustainably but keeping it a se-cret just won’t reap rewards. Shout as much as possible about the good work your business is doing, such as using products with a “Green Guarantee.” Also, don’t forget to make the most of social media and your website to communi-cate with employees and customers about the good work being done sustainably throughout the building. Last but not least, remember that sus-tainability does not have to mean extra cost. In fact, operating sustainably can save operators money and drive up income. CM Feel good about choosing a simple, safe and healthy cleaning & disinfecting program. 800-825-CORE • coreproductsco.com [email protected] FREE INFO: Reader Service 202 or CMMOnline.com/freeinfo www.cmmonline.com 17
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