Going green and procuring green isn’t a new idea. Some date it back to the first water pollution bill in the USA in 1948, or the inauguration of Earth Day in 1970. Ever since, the health, environmental and cost benefits associated with sustainable practices have continued to impact every industry. By 2020, up to 54% of American businesses had formal green programs in place. By 2016, over half of Canadian businesses (51%) had at least one or more environmental management practices in place.
During the same period, we’ve witnessed the rise of “green washing”. As a result, ethical businesses, serious about sustainability, have worked hard to put policies in place that ensure the organizations truly “walk the walk”.
This is the case for the commercial cleaning and facility maintenance industry. It is easy to say “we clean and buy green” but what does that really mean? If you are a retail or commercial property, you need to assure your customers that sustainability is a priority, not just a slogan.
The importance of green procurement policy
The first question to ask your commercial cleaning and facility maintenance provider is this: Do you have a stated sustainability policy, which includes or is part of a green procurement/green purchasing policy (GPP)?
A GPP is put in place to guide the business when acquiring materials, supplies and services and selecting such products based on their impact on the environment and human health.
A GPP not only helps those responsible for operations choose only the products that meet high standards and certifications, it shuts down any claims of greenwashing, which increases credibility and customer loyalty.
For commercial cleaning companies, green procurement covers the following kinds of products and equipment:
Cleaning Tools: Are these made from environmentally preferable materials, such as microfibre cloths?
Cleaning Products: Do products have Green Seal, EcoLogo, Environmental Choice Certification, EPA recognition , or some alternate?
Disinfectants, floor finish, strippers: Do these have Green Seal, Ecologo, Environmental Choice Certification, EPA recognition? Do they comply with VOC limits (where these regulations exist, i.e., in California)?
Disposal paper, trash bags: Do these have Green Seal, EcoLogo, Environmental Choice Certification? Do they meet EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for Janitorial Paper/ Liners? Are they made from rapidly renewable resources or tree-free fibers?
Cleaning Equipment (Vacuums, carpet extractors, floor machines, auto scrubbers): has the equipped being purchased or leased met specified “green” criteria? Do they use environmentally preferable batteries and replacement parts?
How to know if a green procurement policy exists
A statement on a cleaning company’s website likely addresses green procurement. However, check for the proper certifications. This is the best way to know that a policy exists that is rigorous and must be renewed every year or two to ensure adherence. Fortunately, in the commercial cleaning and property industry, checking on certifications is not difficult to do. Peace of mind comes simply by looking for specific standards, and then looking for both an overall strategy for green procurement and a plan for implementation.
CIMS GB: What this means in commercial cleaning
We start with the ISSA (International Sanitary Supply Association)—a worldwide professional organization for building services companies that provide cleaning, janitorial, building maintenance and other related services. In North America, cleaning companies can become members of the ISSA through either the Canadian or the American organization.
ISSA membership offers various certifications for professional cleaning and maintenance companies. Recognized worldwide as among the best, these certifications demonstrate that cleaning companies that have earned them meet the very highest standards.
The most rigorous and highly recognized of such certifications is the Cleaning Industry Management Standard Certification (CIMS).
In addition to setting cleaning standards, there are six core areas to the certification that cover the following:
Quality Systems: A framework to ensure effective operations and continuous improvement.
Service Delivery: Processes and systems in place to deliver consistent, quality service.
Human Resources: Best practices for managing any service industry’s greatest asset—their people.
Health, Safety, & Environmental Stewardship: Ensuring regulatory compliance, workplace safety, and health and environmental management.
Management Commitment: Establishing an organization’s Mission, Vision and Values, and ensuring that the organization’s continuity is secured.
CIMS-GB and the “green building” component
Green Building (GB) added to the CIMS certification is an advanced component of the certification, which establishes a janitorial or cleaning company’s capability to assist their customers with achieving a greener clean. There are no other green standards or certifications that exist in the world for the cleaning industry that cover green cleaning standards as comprehensively as the CIMS-GB. By completing all of the CIMS-GB requirements under the Quality Systems, Service Delivery, Human Resources, Health, Safety and Environmental Stewardship, and Management commitment standards, companies may then be awarded the certification with honours.
If you are working with a commercial cleaning company with CIMS-GB certification, you can be confident that the company provides a sustainable cleaning and maintenance in a quality, best-in-class manner. This applies to the procuring and use of green products and equipment.
It also means that if a property owner of a shopping mall wants to assure their retail customers that there are strict sustainability processes in place, a commercial cleaner certified as CIMS-GB helps demonstrate such commitment.
Are you seeking LEED certification for your building(s)?
This is another compelling reason to select a commercial cleaning partner that has CIMS-GB certification is that it demonstrates that they can help you in achieving LEED EB: O&M points. LEED EB is another, widely recognized certification process that shows how a company maximizes operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts by addressing building cleaning and maintenance issues (including chemical use), recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs, and systems upgrades.
Turning a green procurement policy into a strategy and a plan
Successful implementation of any Policy on Green Procurement requires the identification and implementation of performance measures at both the strategic and operational levels. A commercial cleaning company serious about its commitment to sustainability will have both a strategy and a plan to do so.
Strategy speaks to the reason “why”. Planning is the “what and how”.
For example, at Kleenway, the “why” in terms of sustainability has been honed and developed in order to:
- Reduce our carbon footprint and support the three pillars of our organization: Transparency, integrity, and quality
This is our why.
Our plan for doing so includes the following:
- Renew (through bi-annual reviews) our certification as CIMS-GB certified with Honours
- Become ISO 14001 enviro-certified
- Proper use of green cleaning products, and comprehensive training on green cleaning practices
- Remaining at the forefront of green cleaning and sustainability—advising, demonstrating, and practising what we talk about
- Partnering with clients looking to fulfil their LEED requirements (LEED: EB O+M).
All of the above works toward fulfilling our promise of consistent, sustainable, high-value service delivery to all our clients. A green procurement policy is part of what this means, but it’s the entire package, with certifications such as the CIMS-GB that proves a company such as ours follows the proper use of all cleaning and disinfectant products and follows the stringent manufacturer procedures for proper use.
