Sustainability in broader terms is “meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The Triple Bottom Line” of sustainability addresses reduced environmental impact, improved social impact, and increased economic impact. Sustainable organizations are constantly working towards balancing their triple bottom line and here are ways that green cleaning can impact your TBL:
- Economic:
- Reduce the number of chemicals and products you are using which usually leads to less inventory, easier ordering and easier training of staff, ultimately reducing your cost of operation
- Standardize products across all of your buildings, again leading to simplifying your operations and reducing costs
- Training and tools to ensure your team is using products correctly
- Staffing Requirements: workload your buildings to analyze proper staffing requirements for the level of cleanliness expected
- Standard operating procedures: make sure you have your procedures documented for training and good business practices
- Using the right products for the right applications in the right amount
- Consider solutions to reduce labor hours
- Consider solutions to reduce usage of energy, water, or reduce waste
- Utilize tools to calculate your return on investment for a project
- Preventative maintenance programs for equipment to ensure effective operation and to increase the life of equipment
- Reporting to help you monitor and make decisions to improve your business: purchase history and product usage reports for example
- On time delivery as close to 100% fill rate as possible, reducing having to handle back orders
- Social:
- Recognition for your team: raising the value of custodial operations in your organization. Apply for recognitions that are available, supplying content for a newsletter, writing press releases.
- Documenting cost savings to demonstrate your value
- Choosing solutions that are safer for your employees and occupants of your buildings
- Choosing solutions for more ergonomic ways to accomplish tasks
- Environmental:
- Choosing solutions that use less product or packaging and that can be reused or recycled ultimately reducing your waste to landfill
- Choosing product solutions that are more environmentally friendly, that carry independent 3rd party green certifications or post-consumer recycled content
- Choosing solutions that protect furnishings, floors, carpet, walls
- Choosing product solutions that contribute to a healthier indoor air quality to protect human health
- Pursue 3rd party certifications for your department (Green Seal 42, CIMS, CIMS-Green Building)
- Implement Green Housekeeping for a LEED building
- Implementing solutions that use less energy and less water
- Product documentation necessary for regulatory compliance, product standard requirements or building standard requirements.
- Reports you need to fulfill environmental obligations
- Preventative maintenance programs to add to the life of equipment