Green Summit Sheds Light on How Much Room the Commercial Cleaning Industry has to Grow

We recently attended the Green Sports Alliance’s 2015 Green Sports Summit in Chicago. While this event caters to athletic venues, there were many important takeaways that apply to any commercial facility. One primary question centered around the number of commercial players demonstrating a vested interest in practicing greener cleaning processes.

Did you know that the commercial and institutional cleaning industry is guilty of the following statistics each year?

• Using 6 billion pounds of chemicals, most of which are made from non-renewable resources
• Using 4.5 billion pounds of sanitary paper products, which contribute to the loss of 30 million trees each year
• Using 1 billion pounds of plastic liners for waste receptacles, which are also made mostly from non-renewable resources
• Using 1 billion pounds of equipment, tools and other supplies that cannot be, or are not, recycled

The good news is that we can change this! It starts with facilities taking greater responsibility to be green. And, no, going green doesn’t necessarily mean spending more “green” in the process. Asking the right questions can help reduce operating expenses and health risks for your business and employees.

By making a commitment to be greener, an organization commits to assessing operations and procurement to focus on reducing health and environmental impacts. Companies influence this by purchasing power and decision making. Advocate for vendors to promote green cleaning at your venue! This step can start with a basic audit of your cleaning supply inventory and processes, however, asking your cleaning vendor how they can make your facility a greener environment is another way to begin