GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Posts Tagged ‘green janitorial’

“Green is more hype than fact,” says one anonymous janitorial services owner.  “The client never checks out the cleaning service, so we pretty much do what we want … Green or not,” he adds.  Such is the truth behind the thousands of “Green” Janitorial services in the marketplace.  Greenwashing is never a problem when it comes to chasing a deal.  After all, everyone now knows that a few minutes on the computer can produce a Green image that suddenly becomes the company’s promise of Green commitment.

Here’s how nearly every janitorial service handles Green.  They buy some Green cleaning products, and that makes them Green.  When one janitorial services was asked if his company uses HEPA vacuums, he responded, “What is HEPA?”  Yet, there are dozens of Green processes such as understanding “Dwell Time” that never get across to the people doing the work.  At best the workers get a pre-work introduction to a Green product and then its back to work.

The quality of the indoor air of your building is seriously impacted by the cleaning service.   The janitorial service introduces a fresh batch of VOC-laden chemicals, fragrances, and throw out the non-recycled paper from the office.   What the world seems to miss is that the janitorial service is one of the key elements in a Green office or building.  Unfortunately, the work often goes to the lowest bidder rather than the one that is most qualified.

As mandates for Green purchasing, Green vendors, and Green contracts are made a more ingrained practice; we may finally see the graduation of the janitorial service as a partner in the Green business rather than a neglected task that is easily ignored.  And frankly, it is time that every part of the service industry shares in the environmental issue rather than just marketing on its value.

The FTC has recently addressed deceptive practices in advertising, including the issue of Greenwashing.  What is coming in the next rendition is the forced changes that will come from businesses to hire only “Green Certified” companies. The EPA has issued its “Environmentally Preferred Purchasing” guidelines, and this too is yet another nail in the Greenwasher’s coffin.  Look out for a revision in the RFPs and contracts coming out as astute companies are now requiring “Green Certified” vendors for all their contracting needs.

Why would companies include the “Green Certification Clause” in RFPs and contracts?  Well, it is the new call with “Walk the Walk as well as Talk the Talk,”  When Company A is asking the public or other companies to buy from them as a Green supplier, shouldn’t they do the same?  If a company is selling Green, they should be buying Green?  This is why the hypocrisy of Greenwashing is destined to a bad end.  It promotes a lie in the name of something good.  Worse yet.  Many businesses like it that way.

More and more agencies, industries, and corporations are taking Green seriously by asking that vendors and services make a serious Green commitment.  Whenever a company makes up its own Green credential or even buys a phony logo off the Internet, they are Greenwashing and should be summarily dismissed from bidding on contracts.  These behaviors show a lack of integrity and ethics that is likely to show up on other levels.

The Green Clean Institute offers the leading Green Clean certification in the country with more than 1500 graduates from their program. Businesses are encouraged to demand Green Certification from their janitorial services as a basic expectation for any Green company.  This is not an onerous task, but provides a training and review process that comes from an independent third party.  Frankly, why wouldn’t any janitorial company make the commitment to a Green operation rather than Greenwashing?  Again, it is a character issue; and that should be a big reason to ignore the Greewashers and commit your business to a company with Green credentials that you can trust.

What Are the Health and Safety Effects of Traditional Cleaning Products?

The professional cleaning industry strives to make the indoor environment clean, safe, and hygienic. Unfortunately, harmful side effects on human health and safety are associated with certain cleaning products and practices. For these reasons, environmental considerations should be a large part of janitorial management.

Health impacts from traditional cleaning practices and products affect both product users and building occupants. Janitorial staffs often have direct contact with high concentrations of cleaning chemicals and therefore may suffer serious and direct injury. Occupants might be exposed to lower levels but over longer periods of time (longer hours each day and more days per year).

Both cleaning staff and building occupants can receive either “acute” or “chronic” exposure. Acute exposure means a single large exposure to a toxic substance, which may result in severe health problems or death. Acute exposures usually last no longer than a day, as compared to chronic exposures, which refer to many exposures over an extended period of time or over a significant fraction of a human’s lifetime (7 years or more). Chronic exposure can cause long-term serious health effects.

What Are the Environmental Impacts of Traditional Cleaning Products?

Not only do many traditional cleaning products affect human health and safety, but many also contain ingredients that are harmful to the environment. A number of environmental impacts – including effects on fish, birds, other wildlife, and ecosystems can result from these products, depending upon the specific chemical ingredients, manufacturing methods, use, and disposal practices.

Cleaning products can contaminate the environment in many ways, from pouring chemicals and wastewater down the drain and into the local water supply, gas emissions into the air via circulation through the indoor ventilation system, and during the treatment and disposal of chemical wastes. These are known as “downstream” effects, as they happen during or after the use of the products. Many of the same environmental effects are also created “upstream,” during the initial development and manufacture of the products in laboratories and factories. Thus, as janitors reduce their use of hazardous products, they can reduce the environmental effects at a number of different stages of the products’ life cycle.

Cleaning Products

Because so many different cleaning chemicals exist and because different janitorial crews can use different practices and quantities, it is important to note that hazards are best evaluated on a product-by-product or chemical-by-chemical basis. This type of evaluation provides users with complete information about the product, including the risks of individual ingredients and their combined effect in one product.

Several standard-setting organizations develop guidance to assist in evaluating cleaning products. Environment Canada’s Environmental ChoiceTM Program (ECP) provides consumers with a level of assurance that the product bearing the EcoLogoTM, ECP’s symbol of environmental excellence, meets stringent environmental criteria. The mark also tells the consumer that the manufacturer of the product has been audited by a credible third party.

Janitorial mangers and purchasers should carefully review the ECP’s standards and adapt or expand them to meet local needs and concerns. Green cleaning is still a relatively new concept, and managers who follow the ECP standards will be on the cutting edge of green cleaning and have a head start on standards that will more than likely be mandatory in the future. A product may receive the EcoLogoTM if it is made or offered in a way that:

• Improves energy efficiency
• Reduces hazardous by-products
• Uses recycled materials
• Is re-usable
• Provides some other environmental benefit

Environmentally Preferable Attributes of Cleaning Products

Attributes differ for every green cleaning program depending upon a variety of factors, such as local and regional environmental issues; health, safety, or environmental priorities; provincial and local regulations; building characteristics; and availability of alternative products. The following environmental attributes are some examples of those that appear in Green Seal standards and other green janitorial specifications. Must not be corrosive to skin or inanimate surfaces

• Must not be a severe skin or eye irritant
• Must be free of any know human carcinogens, mutagens or teratogens
• Must not contain any ozone-depleting compounds, greenhouse gases, or substances that contribute to photochemical smog and poor indoor air quality
• Must not be delivered in single use aerosol cans or cans using ozone depleting propellants
• Must not contain petroleum-derived or petrochemical blended fragrances
• Must not contain heavy metals that are toxic to humans, animal/aquatic life or the environment
• Must not contain petroleum distillates unless no natural alternative is available, and then only if the distillate meets the human safety and environmental profile outlined by the governing regulatory body
• Must have a pH between 4 and 9 wherever possible
• Must have a flash point higher that 200°F
• Should not be combustible below 105°F
• Must not contain dyes
• Must not contain chlorine, chlorinated or brominated solvents
• Must not contain endocrine modifiers, alkyl phenyl ethoxylates, dibutyl phthalate, or heavy metals (e.g. arsenic, lead, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, mercury, nickel, selenium)
• Must not contain more than 0.5% by weight of phosphorous
• Must not contain compounds that persist or bio-accumulate in human or animal tissue or in the environment
• Should be readily biodegradable at greater than 90% in thirty days without the need of being run through a municipal effluent treatment process. If not biodegradable due to inorganic content, the ingredient must be chemically inert
• Must be bio-based (i.e., utilize biological products or renewable, domestic agricultural [plant, animal, or marine] or forestry materials) wherever possible
• Should be as concentrated as possible to green the supply chain
• Products should be capable of being dispensed through automatic systems in order to reduce user and environmental contact

Many businesses find it difficult to manage this much information.   It is also impossible to believe any cleaning company claiming to be Green.  That is why the certification process exists for Green janitorial services.  Insist that your cleaning contractor or service provide evidence of Green training from the certification program from the Green Clean Institute.  In Canada, the website is Green Clean Institute (.ca).  In the United States, the website is Green Clean Institute (.com)

Article provided by Cassandra Dass-Pearce, Director of Green Clean Institute – Canada

Believe it or not, many janitorial services pay only a mild lip-service to the Green program.  Obviously, some are better than the rest of the Green services; and others are worse.  Unfortunately, there is just no good way to discover the quality of the janitorial service until they have been engaged.  This is due to the age-old practices of the RFP and bid process.  Area janitorial services are generally invited to bid on a project.  An RFP is supposed to keep the bids focused on the same demands; but ultimately, the real decision comes down to the bid opening program where the winner (usually the low bidder) gets the job.

This arcane process has been the way things have been done for decades.  Of course, if the firm is large enough to have good sales people, then the cleaning jobs are influenced by gifts, golf junkets, and paid-for perks.  These two methods of securing a janitorial service need a third option, and the rise of Green cleaning concerns should allow for there to be something more than the lowest-bidder or the best-concealed bribe.

The Green Business League maintains a field force of more than 300 Certified Green Consultants, and each one is taught that the Indoor Air Quality is the starting point of a Green (healthy) office.  Other issues like energy, water and waste management are also included in this very comprehensive Green business certification process.  While some may overlook the important of the janitorial service (in-house or outsourced), janitorial services contribute strongly to a healthy or unhealthy office.

As mentioned, finding a Green certified janitorial service is not as simple as looking at a braggadocios website.  Whether a service is Green or not cannot be proven by self-promotion.  The Green Business League is developing a referral list of Green janitorial services in every metropolitan area.  To be considered for this referral list, a company must request inclusion in this list by emailing the review division.  (review@greenbusinessleague.com)

In the Green Business League system, every company seeking Green business certification must acquire 100 points through “Green Practices.”  15 points are allocated when there is a Green certified janitorial service involved.  For a company at 85 points, there is a strong motivation to consider using a Green janitorial service.   The next plateau is 200 points to reach the gold level certification, and this points-driven system is all about making continued improvement as a Green business.

There is no promise of business made in this system, but the advance of Green business expectations and pending regulations means that more companies are aware of the need for Greening their business, and frankly, the janitorial service costs equals a transition of money already being spent.  Therefore, it seems like a basic and straight-forward solution that should cost the company next to nothing to implement.  Make note, however, that not all self-appointed Green janitorial services are as Green as they claim.  Some even post Green logos on their website that were designed in-house or bought off the Internet.  When you see this kind of misrepresentation and greenwashing, move away from these less-than-honest services.

There are several Green janitorial certifying programs that can be respected.  Companies who see the future and care about their community are reputable firms that have obtained their certification properly.  This are the kind of services that the Green Business League hopes to recommend to each of the hundreds of GBL Green certified businesses.   The size of the company is not as important as the ability to serve the client well.

As a final note, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a major piece of the Green and sustainable workplace.  OSHA and EPA suggest that poor indoor air quality causes a $60 billion loss to American businesses in employee productivity.  Poor air quality exacerbates health-related issues and contributes to headache, lethargy, and minor ailments.   Though a hidden factor in the cost of operating a business, this is still a very serious cost to every business.  Like it or not, your employees are one of the biggest business investments that any company makes.  Even a 5-10% increase or decrease in overall company performance has an impact on the bottom line.

Companies wishing to obtain a Green Assessment by a Certified Green Consultant are encouraged to call the office or email a request to office@greenbusinessleague.com.  Janitorial services wishing to become one of the firms on the Green janitorial services list should email: review@greenbusinessleague.com

There are times when it is worth the change of pace from my usual parade of Green business ideas to make a personal comment.  My wife has written book that I feel deserves comment and promotion.  Naturally Green Clean is written as an eBook which seems to be a very eco-friendly way to publish a book.  It doesn’t get the fanfare of Sarah Palin’s “Going Rouge,” but it has enough merit to encourage everyday people to give it a try.

I have trained hundreds and hundreds of people and firms on Green cleaning through the Green Clean Institute.  I have seen more cleaning products than a twenty year old floor, so the collaboration with my wife in this project was a process that came from the heart.   Naturally Green Clean is a great book discussing how to literally make your own cleaning products from the natural ingredients that can be found on shelves or the Internet.  The modest amount of work that it requires to make your own cleaning product is greatly offset by the money savings and the health benefits.

You may remember with me the phrase heard not so long ago, “Better Living through Chemistry” popularized as a slogan by DuPont.   They dropped this slogan in 1999.  However, we heavily bought into the better life from science, chemistry, and secret ingredients.  During this period of scientific mesmerization, no one asked the question if any of these new ingredient could harm us.  We now know about carcinogens that could cause cancer, mutagens that could alter our DNA, teratogens that could cause birth defect, and hormone disruptors that could interfere with our endocrine system.

We have come to learn about something never considered.  There are VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that are fumes put in the air from the various chemical-laden household and cleaning products.   We are now discovering that there are acute (immediate) and chronic (long-term) impact from these nasty cleaning products.  Sure, they cleaned the surface and killed germs.  So does battery acid or drain cleaner.  Many old time professional cleaners did not trust a product that didn’t burn your skin and make your eyes water.  The more powerful the chemical product, the better it would clean.  Right?

Even ammonia in window clean adds VOCs into the air, and the fumes can be moved through the building through the air handling system.  Bleach is another dangerous ingredient, and you never want to mix these two product in a common bucket.  These fumes are deadly.  Neither one should be ingested or splashed into the eyes.  Doesn’t these warning tell you something?   Yet, they are common cleaning ingredients.

If you like your cleaning product to fizz and foam, you are asking for some kind of chemical reaction that produces a gas that forms those bubbles.   Yet, cleaning product manufacturers want you to believe that they reactive, gas-forming products are good products.  It may make the work easier, but it may make your future life much harder.

I strongly recommend Naturally Green Clean to everyone who is thinking about how to Green up their lives.  Janitorial and maintenance companies can cut costs and deliver a Greener service.  Homes will be healthier, and maybe we’ll have a better quality of life later on.  I also wonder if we won’t see asthma, allergies, ADD, and ADHD occurrence drop if we stop the chemical intensification of our homes, schools, and businesses.  The Green Clean Institute has been promoting this type of cleaning to thousands of followers, and the Green Business League encourages all businesses to only hire Green Clean Certified janitorial services who use Green cleaning products.

One of the oft neglected aspects of the sustainable business is the consideration of contracts already in place or up for bid.  Believe it or not, the idea of bringing up a sustainable consideration for contract is part of an ethical sustainable practice.  In layman’s terms, it is the “Walk the Walk as well as Talk the Talk” expectations that proves that Going Green is more than a marketing ploy for any company.  Green ethics adds dimension to the whole project of environmental empathy.  It seems inevitable that the present phase of widespread Greenwashing will eventually give way to Green verification.

If sustainable practices were furniture, most businesses would look like a warehouse with a few odd pieces of furniture made from orange crates as well as sawhorses and plywood desks, while still pretending to be high-end operations.  The failure to apply sustainable principles to all parts of the operation may seem of small concern now, but every passing year raises the Green IQ of the public and will certainly evoke more than a few new regulations.  It is time for Green pretenders to get honest and ethical.

In late 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order 13514.  This new order impacted all government agencies, requiring about a dozen basic compliance categories.  One of the demands was “Green Purchasing.”   If you feel somewhat relieved to learn that these rules only applied to government agencies, you won’t enjoy that feeling very long.  This executive order is the forecast of what is coming to all businesses in the next generation of rules.   This is a business issue that will continue to evolve and grow until it is as crucial a part of your business as payroll taxes.

Most people have heard about the obvious concerns for environmental improvement.  We know to install programmable thermostats, reduce energy consumption, and recycle our trash.  These are the introductory issues, and do not represent the the full application of a sustainable program.  One of the areas of constant neglect is in the contract and exchanges between your business and other companies.  WalMart showed its leadership in this area by not only imposing sustainability changes in its operation, but it then turned to all the vendors and services that they contracted and required them to step up to a higher standard of sustainable compliance or lose their relationship with WalMart.  That was bold, but it was also smart.  WalMart has emerged as a leader in environmental practices that took everyone’s attention off their pay scale issues and gave them a near halo in the business community.

If your company is Going Green, then I suggest that you put into your RFPs (Request for Proposal), bid requirements, and contract demands that any company doing business with your company must hold an “Audited Green Certification.”  Listen, anyone can fake Going Green for  a period of time.  There are even websites where phony “Green Business Certifications” are sold for a few hundred dollars and the submission a self-assessing form.  These programs are a sad joke on the purchasing public, and will eventually prove to be an embarrassment when the press looks at them with an investigative report.   Every bona fide Green or Sustainable business should prove up their environmental integrity by certification that requires an audit verification by an independent, national standard.

Even the EPA has proposed a “Environmentally Preferred Purchasing” protocol for businesses.  And, this does not mean taking the company’s word that they are “Green.”  One primary example of rampant Greenwashing is in the janitorial services.  The janitorial business is highly-competitive, cost conscious, and not above exaggerating their qualities to secure a contract to service your firm.  It is the nature of the business, and it is wise to know that their are two sides to nearly every business.  One is the sales representatives, and the other is the actual operation of the company.  Who hasn’t found a huge divide between what the sales guy promised, and what was actually provided after the deal was signed.

So, as the contract for your building comes up, why not put this kind of language in your RFP or bid requirements:

“As an environmentally concerned business desirous to participate in the sustainable practices that impact our community and our world, our company requires all services and vendors to demonstrate similar environmental commitment by providing a Green business certification that comes from an audited verification by a national organization.  Concerns for Greenwashing and ethical application of sustainable practices encourages our company to require all vendors to comply with verified environmental compliance.”

This simple inclusion in all contract will do more for the environmental cause than nearly any rule coming out of Washington, D.C.  We all know that this is no longer a casual commitment.  The environmental issues are a universal problem that requires universal participation.  By taking a page from the WalMart playbook, every business can play a powerful and important role in turning our world around.

Returning to the topic of the janitorial service, the industry standard is to solicit bids and award the contract to the lowest bidder.  The normal bid practice is to gloss over the Green issue by any means to capture the bid.   In most cases, a Green janitorial service’s only claim to Green is the purchase of a few Green cleaning products or the use of HEPA vacuums.  How does anyone know if the company really knows or applies the dozens of Green tactics?   Worse yet, numerous janitorial services have invented their own Green insignia to falsely impress their customers with their Green credentials.   The Green Clean Institute is the largest janitorial certification program in America and other countries.  Stepping up to the requirements of the Green certification is not difficult, but of great importance to the companies that janitorial businesses serves.

Apply the Green Certification clause to all contracts that are offered or renewed in 2010.  You will find that the impact within your own business is tremendous.  As with most important journeys, they all start with the first step.  Companies wishing to find an audited process  for Green business certification should go to the Green Business League.  The Green Business League is the only company with a field force of more than 300 Certified Green Consultants capable of conducting a legitimate Green audit, providing professional guidance, and offering an national recognition for companies committed to being ethically and authentically Green.