Creating a Sustainable Business: Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products

Following research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), over the past five years there has been a 71% increase in demand for sustainable goods, and this continued through the COVID-19 pandemic. As we have all increased our awareness and usage of cleaning products, ensuring that they are environmentally friendly cleaning products has been higher on our agenda than ever before. Environmental sustainability is defined as the conservation of natural resources and protection of global ecosystems to support health and wellbeing, meeting todays needs without preventing further generations from meeting their needs. Actions that are taken now are not felt immediately, making it even more important to act before untoward effects happen in years to come due to what is happening.

Undoing the damage we have done so far is no mean feat, but history has shown us that by taking action now we can improve the planet for future generations.

In 1985 governments around the world adopted the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer that provided the framework for the Montreal Protocol, phasing out ozone depleting substances including notorious chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The ozone hole has been shrinking and is expected to close completely by 2060. As a result of Governments implemented the ozone depleting substance ban, it is estimated that two million people are saved from skin cancer each year.

By taking an environmentally sustainable approach to doing business, you can help protect the planet for your company in the long term, future companies, an anybody who resides on the planet. As people become more environmentally astute, eco-friendly responsible organisations are becoming a requirement for a customer to make purchase, often choosing the eco-friendly company over a less concerned competitor. Removing environmentally damaging products from your portfolio of cleaning and hygiene supplies also provides health benefits for employees by introducing pollutant-free work places and you can even reduce costs by introducing new products.

Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products

Choosing Low Impact Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies

How your cleaning and hygiene supplies impact the planet is not limited to just a single cause. A multitude of factors come into play when choosing environmentally friendly cleaning products, often leading to many unanswered questions. How can I limit the amount of plastic consumed from cleaning and hygiene products? How many miles do my cleaning and hygiene supplies travel before reaching my premises? Are the chemicals inside the bottles harmful to the environment?

Answering these questions can be confusing and it's easy to go round in circles search for the answer on Google. We've pulled together our top tips for improving your businesses environmental outlook in regards to cleaning and hygiene supplies, putting you on the path to greener operations.

Choose Refillable Bottles

More often than not, cleaning products are purchased in trigger spray bottles (these often contain around 750ml cleaning fluid). The product is purchased, used for cleaning until the cleaning fluid has been completely used up and the bottle is then disposed of. We all feel a little better about creating this waste if the bottle can go in the recycling bin, however, although this is not as damaging as the bottle going to landfill further processing of the bottle is required. Energy is required to transport, process and remanufacture the recycled waste into a new product, all of which may result in harmful by-products.

Many commercial cleaning products are available in a refillable format, whereby the trigger spray bottle can be purchased for the functionality of the bottle (the spray action) and thereafter the cleaning fluid is separately to refill the bottles. Products available as refills cover a wide range of tasks, from sanitisers to kitchen degreasers.