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ADVERTORIAL
Profits Can Follow When Starting A Green Maintenance Program By: Mike Kapalko, Sustainability Marketing Manager For SCA AFH Professional Hygiene
Trends in sustainability continue to emerge now that business owners and their customers are more conscious of how their actions impact the environment around them. This sense of protecting and maintaining the environment has led to significant changes in the commercial industry from the way facilities are constructed to how businesses are managed. With sustainability at the forefront of many business practices, implementing a green maintenan ce program is important for facility managers looking to enhance their bottom line. By providing a safe, sustainable and positive environment for customers and employees, businesses and facility managers can strengthen their relationships with key stakeholders and improve their reputation. Going Beyond Green In Maintenance Establishing a plan that goes beyond purchasing just green products is essential in order to achieve the type of credibility businesses need. Improving the triple bottom line — people, planet and profit — has become a priority for many organizations and considered a criterion in order to gain a competitive edge. Businesses need to embrace sustainability as a whole because their customers want to know the processes behind the offered products and services, such as where they come from and how the developmental life cycle impacts the environment from start to finish. To achieve such credibility, businesses must remain transparent when carrying out sustainability projects. In addition to tracking and providing metrics to customers, business and facility managers should work towards becoming recognized by third-party certifiers such as LEED or BREEAM. Using environmental management systems can provide a framework to help prioritize and establish baseline policies in sustainability and health. Such efforts can essentially lead to better business practices and benefit both employees and customers in the long run. According to a survey conducted by SCA, 59 percent of business professionals have begun making small changes to become greener in their business decisions. Adopting a policy that includes elements such as a green committee or green cleaning program can help employees stay healthy while reducing maintenance labor — all while still carrying out the necessary green initiatives. When implementing a green maintenance program, business owners and facility managers should consider: • Evaluating current products and practices to determine where improvements need to be made; • Educating staff members on green cleaning solutions and procedures. This will engage employees in sustainability and hygienic efforts which can potentially help reduce worker injuries and decrease Worker’s Compensation claims; • Using products verified with certifications such as EcoLogo, Green Seal and Energy Star. This can help business owners and facility managers show how they approach sustainability holistically; and,
• Installing high-capacity dispensers to respond to the demands of a high-traffic environment. This reduces labor and maintenance costs by eliminating the need for frequent product refills such as paper towels or toilet paper. Restrooms Key To Green Maintenance Success If there’s one area where green maintenance can have a visible impact, it is the restroom. Clean restrooms with sustainable properties reflect positively on the commitment a business has to its customers and employees. Solutions for restrooms should be both hygienic and ecofriendly and should provide a safe and productive environment for staff and patrons. These may include: • Cutting waste and contamination risks with paper dis-
pensers that limit overuse of paper towel. This can reduce waste by 25 percent, while providing a clutter-free environment for tenants; • Using sanitary paper supplies that are 100-percent recyclable, compostable and biodegradable. This ensures that the entire lifecycle of a product remains environmentally responsible; • Conserving water and energy by installing waterless urinals, hand sanitizers and other waterless products; and, • Providing a touch-free restroom experience that prevents the spread of germs. This can also help encourage healthy hygienic practices and prevent the spread of germs. Being green in the maintenance industry is not about specific products. Instead, it’s about implementing a holistic approach that includes educating employees, safe practices and the right tools and equipment that can help accomplish those tasks. With this in mind, business leaders can help gain the recognition they need and improve overall business results.
Purchasing Dispensers: Understanding Your Key Priorities By Josh Renihan, Director, Segment Marketing At SCA Tissue North America
The job of the maintenance staff goes beyond building upkeep; it is a position that can reduce an organization’s environmental footprint and protect the health of tenants, all while cutting costs. Whether it’s an office building, a health care facility, a restaurant or a manufacturing plant, choosing the right maintenance products, including dispensers, is a key responsibility for building owners — especially when these choices can have substantial impact on the environment and safety of all patrons. When purchasing dispensers, understanding which products best help maintenance staff while addressing tenant needs is essential in successful building management. These individuals rely on building owners to provide the insights into what will work best for the space they interact with, regardless if their priorities are in hygiene, sustainability or simply cost savings. Here are three key considerations to focus on when purchasing dispensers: Hygiene Helpers “Employees must wash hands before returning to work.” This is prevalent in the food industry but less so in other settings. Washing hands should be a given, but according to researchers from the American Society of Microbiology, only 85 percent of adults observed in restrooms in major cities washed their hands after using public facilities. It is important to make hygienic tools easily accessible, not just in the restroom. For instance, health care facilities should have hand sanitizer dispensers throughout, including at nurses’ stations and in patient rooms. Kitchens should be equipped with sinks for staff to wash their hands frequently to avoid food contamination. There are a variety of soap and sanitizer dispensers, including those built into the restroom counter, those affixed to the walls near the sink, those that you manually pump, and those with automatic sensors to release a set amount of product. Once hands are washed, the next hurdle is exiting the room without re-contaminating the clean hands. Studies show that not only are clean hands important
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in reducing the spread of germs, but dry hands are as well. Drier hands avoid damp breeding grounds for bacteria and also lessen the chance of cross-contamination. How many times have you tried to dry your hands with air dryers only to finish drying them on your pants, or by waving your hands in the air? SCA research found that only 56 percent of restroom users keep their hands under the dryer until they are completely dry. Paper towels provide more absorption to ensure hands are completely dry when exiting the restroom. Paper towels can also be used to turn off the faucet after washing hands and also to open the restroom door upon exiting, ensuring clean hands don’t come in contact with germy surfaces. One solution is an exit door paper towel system, such as the Tork Elevation™ DoorMate™ Towel System, to keep hands clean while leaving the restroom. By providing a small square of folded tissue, users will take fewer paper towels to use to exit and create less waste around the restroom. The DoorMate includes a wallmounted 5-liter bin to toss towel waste. Incorporating solutions such as these can be beneficial to all patrons and can help keep them safe. Thus, it’s important to purchase dispensing systems that can help address issues in hygiene and health. Restroom Traffic Control Not every dispenser is right for every restroom environment. When choosing what option to go with, work with the purchaser to assess the overall size of the restroom, how frequently it will be cleaned and how many individuals will be using it over a given period of time. High-traffic restrooms require dispensers that can hold a larger volume of products — whether it’s soap, paper towels or toilet paper. The goal is to limit the time needed to refill the dispensers on an ongoing basis, and also lessen the chances of the product running out. Many dispensers have unique features to limit wastefulness. For instance, the Tork Elevation™ Bath Tissue Jumbo Roll Mini Twin Dispenser allows for two highcapacity rolls and has a roll brake so people take only what they need, reducing waste, clutter and cost. Less Continued on Page 50