GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Posts Tagged ‘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.

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.