healthier and more effective. Plant-based formulations are latest example of how our continues to lead a national live a more sustainable and lifestyle. CM just the industry effort to healthier Virginia Petru is president of Petru & Associates, a provider of marketing and public relations services. She has been involved in the JanSan industry for over 15 years and has witnessed many advances in envi-ronmental cleaning technology. First, they can complement an existing green cleaning program that relies on dilu-tion control products. Basically, they can now ʻfill in the green gapsʼ with products such as furniture polish, fabric refresher, stainless steel cleaner and bowl cleaner. Second, they save in terms of operational costs that can be hard to quantify. How do you put a price tag on assuring your employeesʼ safety, while decreasing the possibility of damage to surfaces, paying for workersʼ compensation and other liabili-ty costs that can be incurred from misusing chemicals?” Product Packaging Have you considered a productʼs packaging in your evaluation of a green cleaner? “Thereʼs a myth that ready-to-use prod-ucts are less friendly to the environment because of the quantity of plastic required,” points out Vlahakis. “Actually, these contain-ers can be healthier for the environment than concentrated products with wall dis-pensers. First, we make our own #1 polyeth-ylene terephthalate (PETE) and #2 high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles so we are able to use the least amount of plastic possible. Our formulations do not need shielding from light, so we can use translu-cent #2 HDPE bottles, which melt and reform better so they are less likely to end up in a landfill. The heavy plastic required for wall dispensers are not recycled as easily, and in some cases are not eligible for recycling at all.” From formulations to recycling, the maintenance industry has proven its resourcefulness and ability to create products that are Circle Product Information no. 202 on page 32 www.cmmonline.com 15
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