CM/Spotlight: Sustainability more time, funds and energy in this area is still financially viable. Enhanced an organizationʼs reputa-tion and brand equity, because being socially conscious has become a desirable business trait. Lessons Learned Our current recession has been described as the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. And, although past recessions have had only a minimal impact on our industry, it is no longer possible to refer to the profession-al cleaning industry as “recession proof.” This means that when our industry moves in new directions, such as embrac-ing environmentally preferable cleaning products and effective cleaning practices, the reasoning behind the decision must encompass more than simply niche mar-keting. Any new direction must have a founda-tion that will allow it to weather economic ups and downs and offer real value to our industry and the end customers we serve. Fortunately, for those of us who have long advocated the use of environmentally preferable cleaning products, green clean-ing does have such a foundation. Numerous studies show a strong correla-tion between the use of green cleaning products and effective cleaning practices with improved human and environmental health. Some of the reported improvements include that effective green cleaning: Helped decrease air pollution, water pollution, ozone depletion and global climate change Helped reduce health problems, such as illnesses and seasonal allergies resulting from the exposure to aller-gens, viruses, bacteria and dust, that may be contaminated with heavy met-als, pesticides, volatile organic com-pounds (VOCs) and other materials which can harm health Increased worker productivity, efficien-cy, quality, satisfaction and retention as well as improved student perform-ance on standardized tests and reduced absenteeism Helped reduce risks and costs to building management, tenants and/or the janitorial company, including costs associated with sick leave, health care and productivity loss Where Do We Go From Here? By all indications, most of our industryʼs end customers realize that green cleaning has significant value — the kind of strong foundation described earlier — and is worth pursuing even in the midst of our econom-ic turmoil. This assumption is further bolstered by the fact that America, if not most of the world, is becoming much more environ-mentally conscious than ever before. However, there probably will be some customers that put the transfer to green cleaning on hold for now, only to revisit it once the economy and other conditions improve or become more stable. Those manufacturers that have devoted considerable time, research and funds to developing green cleaning products should continue to receive dividends from their investments for years to come. And for distributors and BSCs who have invested in training and developing true expertise to help their end customers, the market for environmentally preferable cleaning products and services will contin-ue to grow. However, BSCs may need to be more selective, at least during this economic downturn, regarding the types of customers they choose to market to or serve. For instance, government facilities, school districts and universities, the hotel and hospitality industries and the health care industry are still moving forward with greening their cleaning; in fact, in many cases, they have even accelerated their movement in this direction. Green cleaning is now one of the pillars of our industry. There is no turning back or walking away from it. As the economy improves, this move-ment will likely grow and become even stronger and, just as in the past, those pro-ducing, marketing and implementing effec-tive green cleaning programs will reap the benefits. CM Sustainability June 24 2:00 PM EST 11:00 AM PST We will explore the changing sustainability movement and provide an update on sustainability resources, standards and certifications. Sponsored by: To register for upcoming events or view archived events, go to: www.cmmonline.com/ onlineseminar 18 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • June 2009
CMM – Archives Jun 2009: 18
