Sustainability here. Sustainability there. Sustainability in cleaning. You can’t hear it anymore? But you should! The topic has never been more topical than it is now. Also for the cleaning industry. In some cases, sustainable practices are even required in tenders. This means that the order will fall through for you if you do not act sustainably. However, it is not difficult to make a cleaning company more sustainable. There are many ways to reduce the environmental impact and use resources more efficiently. In this article, we will show you how you can reduce your cleaning costs and protect the environment at the same time. Big plus point: you can communicate your sustainable practices to your customers and stand out from the competition. If you manage to improve your customers’ environmental footprint, this is a compelling sales argument in today’s world.
What is sustainability and how can it be applied in commercial cleaning?
Sustainability is an important concept in building cleaning. It refers to the ability to conserve and protect resources to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations. There are various ways to implement this concept in building cleaning. For example, sustainability can be achieved through the use of digital technologies such as building cleaning software.
What does software have to do with sustainability? Good question.
Of course, using the right tools alone will not make a company more sustainable. Sustainability means planning all processes in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way in order to avoid unnecessary emissions. But this is exactly where digital technologies can help. You can
- minimize paper consumption,
- avoid unnecessary travel times and
- thereby drastically reducing the company’s CO2 footprint.
Building cleaning software therefore enables cleaning companies to make their services more efficient and resource-saving. Sustainability can also be achieved through the use of environmentally friendly cleaning methods and products. For example, recycling can be used in building cleaning to reduce waste and minimize environmental impact. Sustainable building cleaning is an important measure to reduce environmental pollution and protect our planet’s resources.
Aspects of sustainability in the cleaning industry
As already mentioned, cleaning companies can be or act sustainably in several ways: On the one hand, they can use environmentally friendly cleaning agents. On the other hand, processes in cleaning companies can be made more sustainable – through digitalization and software for commercial cleaning. Sustainable cleaning therefore means making the right choice of cleaning agents and methods to ensure that no harmful chemicals are released into the environment. In addition, cleaning agents should be used as efficiently as possible to minimize water consumption. Explain to your team exactly how much or how little cleaning agent they need. Such details can also be optimally stored in the appropriate software.
The digitalization of commercial cleaning refers to the use of digital technologies to improve the efficiency and quality of commercial cleaning. This includes building cleaning software that makes the work of cleaning staff easier and can help to avoid mistakes. Sustainable software for commercial cleaning refers to programs that minimize the use of chemicals and protect the environment. The aim is to ensure sustainable operation of the building cleaning system.
1. Sustainable cleaning agents
Protecting our environment is more important than ever these days. Fortunately, there are more and more sustainable cleaning methods that help us to reduce our ecological footprint. One of the easiest ways to do this is to avoid chemicals and use natural cleaning agents such as vinegar and lemon juice instead. Recycling cleaning products such as cleaning cloths and microfiber cloths can also make a big difference.
Of course, we know that in certain areas of cleaning it is not possible to use only vinegar and lemon juice. However, more and more companies are producing environmentally friendly cleaning products that are just as efficient as chemical alternatives. These products are often biodegradable, contain no harmful chemicals and are much more economical. Sustainable cleaning methods are therefore not only good for the environment, but can also save costs.
2. Digitalization of the cleaning company as a driver of sustainability
Sustainable cleaning encompasses a range of practices aimed at minimizing the environmental footprint and achieving cost savings. Some of these practices can be applied in any cleaning business, regardless of size or sector. However, to be truly effective, sustainability must be anchored in all aspects of the organization. Sustainable cleaning can be a challenge for the commercial cleaning industry as it focuses on using digital technologies, among other things, to achieve cost savings and a smaller environmental footprint. The digitalization of building cleaning includes the use of building cleaning software, training programs for cleaning staff and sensors to monitor dirt levels in cleaned areas. It is important to note that sustainability is not only a challenge for the commercial cleaning industry, but also for all other industries that consume resources and produce waste.
However, the digitalization of commercial cleaning offers a unique opportunity to achieve the organization’s sustainability goals. Reducing unnecessary emissions, for example, is one aspect of sustainability. For companies, however, transparency and documentability are another important component of any sustainability concept. This way, the reduction of the ecological footprint can also be communicated as a real sales advantage to new and existing customers. With Wowflow, you can prove that you are using resources sparingly and sell this to your customers as added value (shared better eco-balance). So if you’re looking for ways to drive your sustainability program forward, consider digitizing commercial cleaning.
Steps towards implementing sustainable building cleaning
To ensure that your cleaning company works sustainably, you should proceed step by step. Defining your organization’s sustainability goals is at the very beginning. Once you have identified your goals, you can create a sustainability plan. Find out more in our step-by-step guide:
- Create an awareness of sustainable cleaning in your company: Before you can start implementing sustainable cleaning measures, you first need to be clear about what sustainability means and what your goals are. This is particularly important if you have employees who have no previous experience with the topic. Take the time for a training session and explain what sustainability means and what impact the current cleaning methods have on the environment. By creating awareness, you can ensure that all your employees are on board and ready to contribute to achieving your company’s sustainable goals.
- Identify your organization’s sustainable goals: Once you have created awareness of the issue of sustainability in your company, it is important to identify the goals you want to achieve by implementing sustainable cleaning measures. This can be achieved by carrying out a sustainability analysis. In a sustainability analysis, the company is examined with regard to various aspects of sustainability. This involves assessing the impact of the company’s business activities on the environment, society and the economy. In this way, you can determine where you need to make improvements to make your company more sustainable.
- Create a sustainability plan: Once you have identified your organization’s sustainable goals, it is important to create a plan on how to achieve these goals. This plan should contain clearly defined steps that you need to take to make your company more sustainable. It is also important to create timelines for the implementation of the various steps of the plan so that you can ensure that the goals are achieved on time. When you create the plan, you should also think about how you can inform and motivate employees about the progress. Continuous information is particularly important in order to get your team interested in the topic in the long term. With wowflow, they can keep their employees informed about the facets of ecological planning in every assignment and ensure that their defined plan is put into practice in the organization.
- Implement the sustainability plan (through digitalization): Once the sustainability plan is created, it needs to be put into action. It is important that you design the plan so that it is as easy to implement as possible. For example, if you intend to make your business more energy efficient, you can take steps such as upgrading the lighting to LED lamps or installing solar panels. The digitalization and automation of building cleaning can also contribute to the sustainability of your company. The use of building cleaning software helps you to automate your cleaning program and make it more efficient. Digital solutions can also help to save paper and chemical cleaning agents. Wowflow, for example, makes the use of paper almost superfluous. All internal – and some external – communication takes place via the app. Reports are created in the form of PDFs and are also saved in this form.
- Review and adapt the sustainability plan: A key component of a successful sustainability plan is regular review and adjustment. This is necessary to ensure that the plan continues to be effective and that all objectives can be achieved. It is also important that you inform employees of any adjustments to the plan – communication is everything! This way, everyone can get used to the new procedures and ensure that they are applied correctly.
By implementing the steps listed above, you can give your company a sustainable approach and thus better protect the environment. At the same time, you can also achieve cost savings, as sustainable processes generally consume less energy and water than conventional processes. Digitizing your cleaning company also saves you long journeys and vast amounts of paper.
Sustainability has many facets. In the context of cleaning, it can be summarized as the use of methods that have a minimal negative impact on the environment and conserve resources. There are three main pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental – and each has its own subset of considerations when it comes to developing a green cleaning program. In this article, we have looked at how you can make your cleaning company more sustainable. A step-by-step plan guides you and your company towards a sustainable future.
Make your cleaning company more sustainable, communicate this to the outside world and win more customers – Wowflow will help you!
