Category: Sustainability

One major challenge facing cleaning companies today is attracting and retaining the young generation. To stay relevant in modern times, the industry should embrace environmental- and social sustainability. They also need to address the less favourable aspects of cleaning jobs, while also promoting the positive impacts cleaning has that people tend to forget. Why the Cleaning Industry has to Change The cleaning industry is in a labour shortage, particularly with younger workers. Data from the British Cleaning Council reveals that the percentage of cleaning staff under 25 is significantly lower than in other sectors across the UK. Additionally, there is a much higher percentage of people over 55 in the cleaning industry. The difference may stem from the negative perception of cleaning work as low-skilled, low paid, with little career opportunity and workplace well-being.  To attract younger employees, the industry must shift its narrative. This requires reflection and action. Cleaning companies need to reflect and determine the most important issues and act on it. Otherwise, companies will increase the labour shortage when their employees start to retire and no young workers want to replace them. This requires knowledge of what younger generations seek in a job. They value sustainability, opportunity […]

The cleaning industry has a huge shortage of qualified workers and needs new ways to attract staff. This is one of the reasons why cleaning companies need to consider social sustainability. Both employees and clients are demanding a stronger focus on social responsibility, because the future regards the wellbeing of everyone. But how can your cleaning business implement social sustainability, and what are the benefits? Understanding Social Sustainability: The S in ESG ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. These three parts serve as benchmarks for assessing a company’s environmental impact, social contributions, and governance practices. ESG reports are published annually to report results and to motivate the company to improve the numbers during the next year. It also demonstrates achievement to key stakeholders such as clients, employees, and investors. Now, let’s go back to the topic of social sustainability, which prioritises principles and policies of people. Companies are encouraged to contribute positively and focus on the wellbeing of individuals. Social sustainability covers several areas, including health and safety, diversity, wages, equality, and education.  Every company in the world affects society through its approach to diversity and equality in the workforce. Positive impacts are seen when companies e.g. hire minorities […]

This blog takes you further into environmental sustainability and GHG account, by giving you ideas for goals and sustainable initiatives your cleaning company could take to meet your sustainable goals. Furthermore, we give you an overview of important factors of the GHG account and how to formulate a report on GHG. What to Know Before Creating the GHG Account: Scopes and KPI The global, standardised measurement is called the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG), where every company reports their collected climate footprint. The creation of an annual GHG account is time-consuming, but the first time is the most difficult because the CO₂ data needs to be sought from scratch. Next year, you have a starting point. There might be changes in method, results, and goals, but then you have your template from last year. Here is a guide on what to report and which goals could be realistic and useful for a cleaning company: What to Report: Scopes The three scopes are a categorisation of a company’s different types of emissions and wider value-chain. They are used in the GHG protocol and account for the total CO₂ emissions of a given company. The 3 scopes according to the Office for National […]

Environmental sustainability benefits your cleaning company and helps you stay competitive. Many companies report a GHG account annually, explaining their environmental impact and sustainable measures. It is not only becoming a requirement, but it also gives a significant advantage when attracting clients and investors. But what are the rules for reporting your company’s emissions, and what is an ESG report?  Understanding the Importance of GHG Account and Environmental Sustainability Embracing environmental sustainability positions your business favourably in the eyes of investors, clients, and other stakeholders who increasingly value eco-conscious operations. It is not only valued, but is becoming a requirement with the so-called ESG reports. Environmental sustainability is the practice of using sustainable and renewable sources to counter climate changes. The point is to sustain and protect the environment, and not overheat the planet with fossil fuels. Focusing on environmental sustainability means having a GHG account, to show how your company minimises the CO₂ emissions.  All companies directly or indirectly emit CO₂, because they buy or sell products, or provide services. Companies need to account for this, which is done as a GHG account. GHG stands for greenhouse gas, and is a system and protocol for recalculating everything into CO₂ […]

As the year comes to a close and holiday celebrations are around the corner, we look back at the main challenges the cleaning industry faced in 2023 and will continue to face in 2024. However, this article shows you how new trends in the cleaning industry can be used to overcome the challenges and ensure the success of your company for years to come. Our goal is to help your business thrive. These trends in the cleaning industry include issues of labour shortage, rising inflation, and higher wages. We also talk about the demands for sustainability, green cleaning, higher efficiency, and the ongoing stigmatising of “unskilled” cleaning-staff and the occasional language barrier. Labour Shortage and Inflation in the Cleaning Industry There is a huge labour shortage in the UK. This is one of the main economic trends in the cleaning industry today. The Office for National Statistics’ reported a record high in job vacancies in 2022, with little to no improvement as of November 2023. This is no exception for the cleaning industry, and it only looks as if those numbers will remain high in the future. The other issue is the inflation. Prices on supplies are rising, and as […]