November 2021

The pan-European magazine for the professional cleaning sector

NOVEMBER 2021

HAND HYGIENE

BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORT

Compliance fatigue

COP26 - more broken promises?

The challenges of winter sweeping

Page 21

Page 33

Page 45

Read the latest EFCI report on the state of the cleaning sector, and the impact of the pandemic Page 7

CONTENTS

November 2021 | Vol.29, No.6

BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORTS

33 COP26 - more broken promises?

21 A changing landscape

Hartley Milner looks at the key points from the Glasgow climate change conference.

How to maintain hand hygiene standards as compliance fatigue sets in.

29 Trending on your trolley A look at the key trends driving trolley product development.

35 Shaping the industry

03 News

7

How are high-pressure cleaner producers adapting to market changes?

EFCI news - annual report

12 European reports 48 Product review

Criterion Publishing Ltd PO Box 299, Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 1FP UK T +44 (0)1494 791222 F +44 (0)1494 792223 info@europeancleaningjournal.com www. europeancleaningjournal.com Subscriptions UK - £60 / Continental Europe - £70 / International - £80

41 Turning the tide on waste How businesses can make progress towards sustainable waste management.

43 Laying the groundwork Matting systems can help to transfer of dirt and dust into buildings.

45 Sweeping into winter As we head into winter across Europe, how do sweeping challenges change?

Editor Michelle Marshall Features Writer Ann Laffeaty Advertisement director Chris Godman Advertisement sales executive Laura Bell

Circulation Marie Payne

Italy, Spain & Switzerland Fabio Potesta Mediapoint & Communications Corte Lambruschini, Corso Buenos Aires, 8 V0 Piano, Interno 7 16129 Genova, Italy T +39 010 570 4948 F +39 010 553 0088 info@mediapointsrl.it www. mediapointsrl.it

European Cleaning Journal is published six times a year by Criterion Publishing Ltd. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in European Cleaning, Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers. Copyright for all material published in European Cleaning remains with Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents.

ISSN 0968-901X ©Criterion Publishing 2021

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NEWS & EVENTS

Latest News & Events from ECJ

The real Living Wage and cleaning: from invisible workforce to key workers Sebastian Bachelier, programme manager at Living Wage Foundation and project manager at Recognised Service Providers, tells us cleaning remains one of the lowest-paid sectors in Europe. He encourages all businesses to do the right thing for their workforce and pay the Living Wage.

The Living Wage movement in the UK - this year celebrating its 20th anniversary at over 8,000 employers strong - was built by cleaners. The first Living Wage Employers were banks, whose cleaners, although working in the same offices, lived in completely different worlds due to low pay. At the forefront of the movement since the beginning, it’s time they’re paid their due.

Since its inception, the Living Wage movement has returned over £1.53 billion (€1.81 billion) to the pockets of over 280,000 workers. Despite their foundational role in our story, most cleaners are still under-paid; almost 75 per cent earn below the real Living Wage. The real Living Wage (not to be confused with the UK Government’s Legal Minimum National Living Wage), is a voluntary rate of pay calculated according to the real cost of living; currently at £10.85 (€12.89) per hour in London and £9.50 (€11.29) for the rest of the UK.

In-work poverty Earning below the real Living Wage often leads to in-work poverty, and can force workers to take on multiple jobs, just to make ends meet. Unfortunately, this impact has fallen disproportionately upon women and racialised communities.

That’s why paying the real Living Wage is the right thing to do. As well as being good for workers, it’s good for businesses too. Over

time, we’ve documented the transformational capacity of the Living Wage. Seventy-five per cent of accredited employers enjoy an improved reputation post-accreditation, and 60 per cent said they received higher quality applicants for jobs. At Sodexo UK - one of the major employers in the services industry - where the real Living Wage is paid on client contracts, retention rates have greatly improved, boosting the firm’s long-term resilience and reducing turnover costs.

Essential role For cleaners like Rukky at Clean For Good, the extra income has allowed her to spend more time with her family instead of having to take up every shift available to make ends meet. Benefits of the real Living Wage are felt throughout industries, families, and society itself.

The pandemic highlighted the essential role that cleaners play in our society. Prepandemic, they were referred to as the ‘invisible workforce’ because they operated out of the limelight. With hygiene and cleanliness brought to the forefront of our collective consciousness, cleaners were rightly recognised as ‘key workers’. It follows then, that their work should be compensated fairly - by being paid the real Living Wage.

Our Living Wage accreditations are designed to improve the quality of workers’ lives, by making employment more financially secure and rewarding.

Accredited Living Wage Employers must pay all directly employed staff and third party contracted staff the real Living Wage.

Client support vital We do, however, acknowledge many businesses that supply staff on a contracted basis are unable to become Living

Sebastian Bachelier, de la Living Wage Foundation, une organisation britannique, encourage les entreprises de propreté à faire ce qui est juste pour que leurs personnels touchent un salaire décent.

Wage Employers without their clients’ support. That’s why we created the Recognised Service Provider programme, to support providers on their journey to becoming Living Wage Employers. Recognised Service Providers pay all directly employed members of staff, not tied to client contracts, the real Living Wage and commit to offering a real Living Wage bid, alongside a market rate bid, for every future quote/tender for contracted work.

This ensures the Living Wage is always an option in traditionally low-paid work and gives providers an opportunity to champion it, one contract at a time.

Paying the real Living Wage is an important first step towards a world which is free from inwork poverty, but there’s more that needs to be done if we are to arrive there. Insecurity of working hours is currently experienced by 6.6 million UK

workers, of which, 56 per cent are paid below the real Living Wage.

Accreditation programme In response to this, we developed our Living Hours accreditation programme: where alongside paying the real Living Wage, organisations provide all directly employed and third-party contracted staff guaranteed working hours and decent notice periods of shifts to be taken up by employers who already pay the real Living Wage.

With these programmes, we are aiming to create additional support for low-paid workers, to supplement our primary Living Wage accreditation.

Cleaning remains one of the lowest-paid sectors across the continent. It’s time this changed.

We encourage businesses across Europe to do right by their workforce. It’s time to pay a real Living Wage. www.livingwage.org.uk

EVENTS February 16-18 2022

May 9-11 2023

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February 23-25 2022

September 19-22 2023

Clean India Show

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Uttar Pradesh, India www.cleanindiashow.com

Berlin, Germany www.cms-berlin.de

April 28 2022

October 16-19 2023

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ISSA North America

Brussels, Belgium www.echawards.com

Las Vegas, USA www.issa.com

May 10-13 2022

October 21-24 2024

Interclean Amsterdam

ISSA North America

Amsterdam, Netherlands www.intercleanshow.com

Las Vegas, USA www.issa.com

October 10-13 2022

November 10-13 2025

ISSA North America

ISSA North America

Chicago, USA www.issa.com

Chicago, USA www.issa.com

To have your event included in the Events section, contact ECJ via email at: michelle@europeancleaningjournal.com

Sebastian Bachelier von Living Wage Foundation im Vereinigten Königreich fordert alle Reinigungsunternehmen dazu auf, das Richtige für ihr Personal zu tun und einen Lohn zu zahlen, der die Lebenshaltung deckt.

Nel Regno Unito, Sebastian Bachelier della Living Wage Foundation incoraggia tutte le attività di servizi di pulizia di fare la cosa giusta per la loro forza lavoro e pagare il salario di sussistenza (Living Wage).

November 2021 | ECJ | 3

NEWS

Aircraft seats could be made of germ-repelling fabrics Aircraft-parts company Safran is conducting tests with hospitals on the efficacy of fabrics incorporating germrepelling biocides.

The company is considering using such fabrics on aeroplane seats in a bid to reduce the time spent cleaning aeroplane cabins.

Safran is also looking into the use of disinfectant sprays which could be applied to existing aircraft seats to protect against pathogens for up to a year.

Airlines rely on a quick turnaround of planes to keep all their flights on schedule.

However, extra cleaning has been required during the pandemic to reduce transmission, restore

passenger confidence and boost travel. And this slows everything down.

“The stakes are high for airlines,” said Quentin Munier, head of strategy and innovation at the seat division of Safran. “A carrier that managed eight daily rotations on a given route before the pandemic can now do only six because of time-consuming disinfection procedures.”

Cleaning guidelines He claims that customers placing new orders are increasingly calling for fabrics with virus-killing properties integrated during the manufacturing process.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published

L’entreprise de pièces détachées aéronautiques Safran envisage d’utiliser des tissus anti-germes dans les sièges d’avion, afin de réduire le temps de nettoyage.

4 | November 2021 | ECJ

a 32-page document on how to clean an aircraft cabin with recommendations including the thorough cleansing and disinfection of seats, belts and buckles between flights.

Aircraft cleaners are also advised to use a vacuum to

Der Flugzeugteilehersteller Safran erwägt den Einsatz von keimabweisenden Stoffen in Flugzeugsitzen – um die Reinigungszeit zu verkürzen.

remove loose particles from fabric seat covers and wipe all surfaces made of leather-like coverings. And visible stains should either be removed from fabric seats or the fabric should be replaced altogether, according to IATA.

L’azienda di componenti per aerei Safran sta prendendo in considerazione l’uso di tessuti repellenti ai germi nei sedili degli aerei, per ridurre i tempi di pulizia.

NEWS

‘Severe’ cleaning staff shortages could hit Covid-19 recovery The cleaning and hygiene industry is suffering ‘severe’ staff shortages with the rate of vacancies having increased dramatically, according to a new survey of the sector in the UK. The recruitment problems facing one of the UK’s biggest industries could hamper the nation’s recovery from Covid-19, said industry body the British Cleaning Council (BCC).

There was also a warning the healthcare sector was ‘heading for disaster’ and fears that transport, leisure and food hygiene, amongst many other sectors, could also be badly hit.

Some of the cleaning and hygiene industry’s biggest firms took part in the BCC survey.

Between them, the 11 firms reported 1,917 vacancies in

total, with one firm saying the number of vacancies had increased by 252 per cent in the last six months, and another by 267 per cent.

Foreign nationals The majority of companies reported staff leaving because they were foreign nationals going home or were employees moving to other jobs, such as truck driving or in hospitality.

Until now, the cleaning and hygiene industry has depended on employees of all nationalities and overseas workers are proving difficult to replace.

The BCC is calling for the Government to take urgent action to help it recruit the staff it needs. It began raising concerns two years ago about

Selon le British Cleaning Council (BCC), le secteur britannique de la propreté souffre d’un manque « aigu » de main-d’œuvre.

the possible impact on the industry of planned changes to immigration rules, which took place early this year.

The scale of the issue has not been acted upon, said BCC chairman Jim Melvin. “During my entire career, I have rarely known it to be as hard to recruit cleaning and hygiene staff as it is now. Firms all across the sector cannot get the staff they need and given the triple effect of the Immigration Act, Brexit and the pandemic, it is unprecedented.”

Government help needed Melvin added: “If this continues, it could affect the UK’s ability to fight the coronavirus, and possibly any other, and in doing so there is clear potential for the health and safety of

Laut dem British Cleaning Council (BCC) leidet die Reinigungsbranche unter einem „ernsten“ Arbeitskräftemangel.

members of the public to be put at risk.

“We are urgently calling on the Government to work with us unequivocally to ensure that we have a short-term solution to recruitment of staff issues, whilst we also work closely together to ensure there is a clear skills pathway to ensure the industry becomes an attractive career choice.”

The average vacancy rate across all 11 firms taking part in the BCC survey was almost 7.9 per cent but two firms reported vacancy rates of 12 per cent or more and one had a rate of 16.8 per cent. Another company said that there had been 99 resignations in the last six months. britishcleaningcouncil.org

A detta del British Cleaning Council (BCC), il settore del cleaning sta soffrendo una grave carenza di personale.

November 2021 | ECJ | 5

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EFCI ANNUAL REPORT

Resilience through crisis The EFCI has just published The Industrial Cleaning Sector in Europe 2021 – Covid-19 Impact Analysis, a report developed by the EFCI in cooperation with its member national associations. Following the publication of the Trend Report on the evolution of the industry between 1995-2016 in 2019 and EFCI’s Report 2020, this year’s edition is completed with the analysis of the impact of Covid-19 on the industry during 2020. EFCI’s industry reports are a valuable tool for the sector, presenting the main data and trends of the sector at European level, and intend to serve the sector and its stakeholders to better understand its evolution at national and European levels.

This is why the EFCI decided to undertake an in-depth analysis of the impact of Covid-19 on the sector in 2020, when the spread of the pandemic across the continent put our sector in the frontline while contracts were broken or interrupted due to the preventive measures and lockdowns imposed by public authorities.

The report shows the resilience, adaptability and maturity of our sector, which continues to provide essential services through the current phase of the pandemic. In the words of EFCI’s president Juan Diez de los Rios: “While it is still difficult to quantify (specially at European level)

what has been the actual repercussion on our sector of this dreadful pandemic and the different containment measures taken by the different national, regional and local governments, we can now state that it has had a strong impact in terms of recognition for the sector.”

The report was presented during EFCI’s online week of seminars which took place in October, under the moderation of ECJ editor Michelle Marshall. It was then analysed by a panel of national experts who presented their own personal experiences regarding Covid-19. In this regard, Avril McCarthy of the Irish Contract Cleaners Association (ICCA) highlighted wage rate inflation, labour shortages and market changes as the main challenges ahead for the sector in Ireland. As for Germany, Christopher Lück from BIV identified recovering growth, labour shortages, digitalisation and sustainability. Concerning Italy, Alberto de Rosa from Anip-Confindustria highlighted the main actions carried out by the organisation during the pandemic that contributed to bring visibility to the essential role of the cleaning services.

EFCI, the organisation representing the cleaning services sector at European level, has published its latest report compiled from data supplied by national associations. It shows that in 2018, the industry grew by eight per cent and the sector employed 4.1 million people.

It also demonstrates just how resilient the industry has been throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, as it continues to provide essential services.

EFCI’s 2021 report The Industrial Cleaning Sector in Europe 2021 – Covid-19 Impact Analysis

EFCI’s 2021 Industry Report is divided in two sections. The first one provides an overview of the most important indicators that describe the characteristics of the European cleaning industry based on the main industry indicators based on the most recently available Eurostat data (2018).

The second section, The impact of Covid-19 on the Cleaning Industry in Europe provides a qualitative analysis on the impact of Number of people employed (in million) in the European cleaning industry and annual increase in number of people the Covid-19 pandemic on employed in per cent, 2014-2018.

Continued page 8

November 2021 | ECJ | 7

EFCI ANNUAL REPORT Resilience through crisis (continued) the cleaning industry in Europe as well of the effects on companies and employees in some European countries. These results are based on the replies obtained from EFCI members to the questionnaire on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the European cleaning industry conducted by the EFCI during summer 2021.

The cleaning industry in Europe before Covid-19: main indicators The first part of the report contains insights based on the Eurostat data 2018 and covers the 27 members of the European Union as well as Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Turnover pre-Covid-19 The report presents clear evidence of the resilience that characterised the industry across Europe over the last five years.

With steady growth over recent years, the European cleaning industry grew by 16.5 per cent reaching the impressive turnover of almost €130 billion in 2018.

The countries that contributed the most to this increase were Germany (+39 per cent), Poland (+34 per cent) and the United Kingdom (+34 per cent).

Number of employees pre-Covid-19 Furthermore, the number of employees within the European cleaning industry has grown annually from 2014 to 2018. From 2017 to 2018, the highest increase of nearly six per cent was achieved, resulting in 4.19 million people employed in the sector. The number of employees increased in Denmark, Latvia and Cyprus, with growth rates of more than 40 per cent over the five years.

Number of firms by workforce size As per data of 2018, SMEs employ almost half of the employees in the cleaning industry in Europe. Two thirds of the

companies in the cleaning industry in Germany, France and Spain employ between two and nine staff, whereas the share of these small enterprises is almost three quarters in Italy. Companies with 10 to 19 employees are more present in France and Spain, representing 15 to16 per cent of all companies compared to 12 to 13 per cent in the other largest countries.

In addition, the sector faced a decrease in demand in most European countries due to the mass closure of premises during the lockdowns. In the case of closure of premises, the majority of clients opted for a contract cancellation rather than temporary suspension, which directly hit the cleaning businesses of Europe.

A decrease in turnover is mostly observed in cleaning companies with main contracts/activities in transportation, entertainment, tourism and hospitality (eg, airports, hotels, shopping malls).

For example, in France a decrease in turnover of 21 per cent was recorded for companies with major contracts in cleaning of public areas. Cleaning companies with focus in other sectors were able to maintain status Turnover (in billion EUR) in the European cleaning industry and quo or increase profit by annual increase in turnover in per cent, 2014-2018 providing extra services with higher margins to existing customers.

The impact of Covid-19 on the cleaning industry in Europe On the basis of the replies to a questionnaire conducted during spring and summer 2021, the report presents a first analysis on how the industry responded and adapted to the challenges of Covid-19.

Impact on turnover As expected, the report shows how the overall turnover in the European cleaning industry decreased due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, mainly due to the decline in number of contracts following cancellations or (temporary) suspensions.

In order to offset the negative consequences of turnover decrease, the majority of cleaning companies expanded their services portfolio by introducing new technologies and/or services. Thankfully, the negative impact on the turnover and number of contracts on cleaning companies operating in the private sector started decreasing through the gradual lockdown exit.

Impact on contracts with public and private sectors In the majority of countries, the number of contracts with the public sector was not overly affected or even experienced

The distribution of cleaning activities in a certain part of the day – pre Covid-19 and during Covid-19 Continued page 10

8 | November 2021 | ECJ

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EFCI ANNUAL REPORT Resilience through crisis (continued)

(i) Change in turnover per country pre Covid-19 compared to during Covid-19 (ii) Percentage of countries that agrees with a certain reason for turnover decrease

an increase due to a higher demand in certain cleaning services. On the contrary, the number of contracts with the private sector decreased radically in almost all European countries, mostly due to total or partial closure/inactivity of private facilities and institutions.

were introduced in the beginning of the pandemic in March-May 2020, decreasing towards October.

Changes in working time for cleaning services

Before the pandemic the majority of cleaning activities were concentrated in Personnel measures undertaken due the early morning and evening. Because of to Covid-19 outbreak closure or limited working hours of premAs reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic, ises due to curfews and lockdowns, the partial employment measures were introworking hours of cleaning staff changed. duced in almost all European countries.

For example in office facilities, cleaning Companies around Europe also used during working hours became more in temporary layoffs and hiring freezes as demand rather than early morning personnel-related measures during the or evening due to prevention of contamipandemic, followed by permanent layoffs nation guaranteeing employees’ safety and mandatory vacation. The highest and wellbeing. In most countries, the work reductions (partial employment) working hours in healthcare institutions shifted due to the mandatory daily disinfection regulations.

While faced with a new world of work, with an increase of telework and new working arrangements in the office environment, we are seeing an evolution in the requests by clients. This may have Percentage of countries that took specific personnel measures during Covid-19 a direct, positive imL’EFCI, l’organisation qui représente les services de propreté au niveau européen, a publié son dernier rapport, basé sur les données d’associations nationales. Il en ressort qu’en 2018, l’industrie a enregistré une croissance d 8 pour cent et employait 4,1 millions de personnes.

10 | November 2021 | ECJ

Der EFCI, die Organisation, die die Reinigungsbranche auf EU-Ebene repräsentiert, hat seinen neuesten Bericht, der aus Daten der einzelnen Landesverbände zusammengestellt wurde, veröffentlicht. Daraus geht hervor, dass die Branche 2018 ein Wachstum von 8 Prozent zeigte und 4,1 Millionen Mitarbeiter zählte.

The next edition of ECJ will be February/March 2022.

In the meantime, keep up to date with all the industry news at the website: www.europeancleaning journal.com And register there for your free copy

pact, in the shift towards daytime cleaning, the trend towards and increased visibility of cleaning agents and services. EFCI’s president underlines that: “With over 4,2 million employees, nearly 300,000 companies and €120 billion turnover in 2018, the sector is consolidated as a vector for employment and job creation across Europe. The broad recognition it has received, nevertheless, must now be accompanied by the necessary political and legislative actions to ensure that our sector’s longstanding demands are listened to by both public decision-makers and buyers.

The full report, together with previous editions of EFCI Industry reports, is available on EFCI’s website: www.efci.eu/ publications/#reports-and-guides EFCI, l’organizzazione che rappresenta il settore dei servizi di pulizia a livello europeo, ha pubblicato il suo nuovo rapporto redatto con i dati forniti dalle associazioni nazionali. Il rapporto mostra che nel 2018 il settore è cresciuto dell’otto per cento e ha dato impiego a 4,1 milioni di persone.

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LATEST: GERMANY

Better use of resources?

In Germany Katja Scholz looks at cleaning regimes in hotels, and asks if resources could be better used.

I recently spent a week at a spa hotel in the Bavarian Forest.

During my stay I became increasingly aware of the hotel’s cleaning routine. Whether in the corridors and hallways, in the rooms, in the lifts, in the restaurant, in the hotel lobby, or in the spa complex, the staff were busy cleaning from early morning until late at night.

Because of Covid regulations the cleaning regime was even more visible by the worksheets where cleaning task were recorded. I felt safe, the hygiene principles were consistent and it was spotlessly clean throughout.

I met the friendly cleaner on our floor every morning, as she was already busy in the room next door: cleaning the bathroom, bringing fresh towels, making the beds and vacuum cleaning. I had to question all this. Was it really necessary to provide fresh towels every day?

Do the guests do that at home too? Clean their own bathroom every day? I spoke to the cleaner as she asked me if I also needed fresh towels or if she should clean my room. She told me nearly 80 per cent of the guests wanted their room cleaned every day, along with fresh towels and some ask for fresh bed linen too.

Naturally, the hotel classification system in Germany and Europe includes clear criteria which have to be met. And yet: is that really necessary? Can someone staying in a hotel literally waste so many resources with a clear conscience? Many kW hours of electricity for the daily vacuum cleaning, litres of water for cleaning the bathroom, unnecessary creation of plastic waste caused by throwing away half-used bin liners...

Because of the pandemic, some hotels have now changed their procedures so they only Notre correspondante en Allemagne Katja Scholz se penche sur les régimes de nettoyage appliqués dans les hôtels et se demande si un meilleur emploi de ressources ne s’imposerait pas dans ce domaine.

12 | November 2021 | ECJ

clean the rooms if the guest requests this by hanging a notice on the door. Others have introduced the so-called Opt Out option whereby the guests can indicate at check-in how often they would like their room cleaned and how often their towels and bed linen should be changed. Some people argue cleaning staff could have no work – wrong.

The cleaning staff in the spa hotel I was in are paid according to their hours of work and have other activities. When a cleaner has finished cleaning the rooms, he/she will then move on to the corridors and hallways, the lobby or the spa. There can’t be enough cleaning cycles in the spa: sauna, pool area, loungers, showers – increased cleaning here is surely more appropriate than daily room cleaning.

Although the use of resources in the spa complex and hotel lobby is already quite high – but that’s appropriate. For when several hundred guests walk through the lobby several times a day, that must create a higher accumulation of dirt than in a hotel room which a guest leaves in the morning and doesn’t enter again until the evening.

As a guest, I have no influence on the hotel’s cleaning policy, nor on the products used, the possibility of electricity generation through the use of photovoltaic systems. But I can influence the cleaning in my room. This is only a small part of the whole, but it adds up over the total number of rooms. And if five plastic bags a week can be saved, because it is better to dispose of the bin liner when it is completely full, or a few kW hours of electricity, each guest, by exercising personal responsibility and environmental awareness, can make a contribution to saving natural resources.

Die DeutschlandKorrespondentin Katja Scholz betrachtet die Reinigungsregimes in Hotels und fragt, ob Ressourcen besser verwendet werden könnten.

La corrispondente tedesca Katja Scholz prende in esame i regimi di pulizia negli hotel e indaga per scoprire se le risorse potrebbero essere utilizzate in modo più efficiente.

LATEST: NETHERLANDS

Misconceptions cleared up Netherlands correspondent John Griep reports from the recent VSR Hygiene Forum where some misconceptions about hygiene were addressed.

“Nowadays, even the chair at the optician is disinfected before the next customer takes his seat.

Even though most infections are contracted at home and not in a restaurant or at schools,” said the German microbiologist and professor Dirk Paul Helmut Bockmühl, one of our speakers during the Hygiene Forum which we organised recently, together with two other sector organisations.

The pandemic has raised awareness about hygiene. This heightened awareness causes people to take measures in order to prevent contamination resulting from coronavirus. But some measures go too far and are not based on scientific facts. They then create a form of false security.

Cleaning sufficient VSR has previously reported that in most cases proper cleaning is really sufficient for good hygiene. Cleaning with a normal detergent (or microfibre cloth without detergent) removes nearly all micro-organisms, including virus particles. Time does the rest. Disinfection is only necessary in specific cases, such as in the food industry, in animal husbandry, in care and hospital institutions and in the event of an outbreak of infection.

Bockmühl cleared up another misunderstanding: the hygiene hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, cleaning too well would have a negative effect on our immune system. Cleaning too well would increase allergies; a little dirt would therefore be good for us. This hypothesis has sometimes been advocated in the media. A newspaper once ran the headline: “How dirt can protect you against cancer.”

According to Bockmühl, this Notre correspondant aux Pays-Bas John Griep fait rapport sur le récent Forum de l’hygiène tenu par VSR qui a permis de lever un certain nombre de conceptions erronées en matière d’hygiène.

is not true. “There are different triggers for different allergies and so there are various reasons why allergies increase at any given time.” The hypothesis that cleaning too well has a detrimental effect on our immune system, can therefore be rejected.

Positive effects However, unhygienic contact in the family circle in early childhood can cause infections which improve the immune system against allergies, such as asthma.

But the professor emphasised that this is not about unhygienic contact via a dirty kitchen worktop, for example, but about certain microorganisms which room-mates transmit via droplets (aerosols). We need these when we are very young to train our immune system.

Microorganisms are actually a kind of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: they cause problems and, at the same time, are useful. You could say the same thing about the pandemic. This causes problems, but also - now that it is here - positive side effects. The increased awareness of hygiene creates a greater appreciation and respect for the cleaner.

For example, at the beginning of the pandemic in the Netherlands, the cleaning profession was labelled a “crucial profession”.

In their televised speeches, both the King and the Prime Minister honoured the cleaners who together with a number of other crucial professions - ensured that what had to go on, could go on in a country which had ground to a halt. The pandemic cannot be over soon enough, but it is to be hoped that we can maintain this renewed appreciation for our beautiful profession.

Unser niederländischer Korrespondent, John Griep, berichtet vom vor Kurzem stattgefundenen VSR Hygiene Forum, bei dem einige Missverständnisse über Hygiene beseitigt wurden.

Il corrispondente olandese John Griep ci informa che durante il recente forum VSR Hygiene Forum sono state chiarite alcune idee sbagliate sull’igiene.

November 2021 | ECJ |13

LATEST: FRANCE

LATEST: SWEDEN

Business helps to tackle illiteracy

Cleaning jobs to escape prostitution

French cleaning companies are providing literacy classes for employees, reports Christian Bouzols.

Scandinavian reporter for ECJ Lotte Printz on a successful, socially responsible cleaning initiative in Sweden.

Some 2.5 million people in France are illiterate, which means they haven’t acquired sufficient reading, writing and numeracy skills to manage daily life situations on their own.

About half these people are employed. The cleaning sector is one of the main employers of largely unqualified and often foreign workers - so the first to be affected by this ‘handicap’.

GSF Grande Arche, a major cleaning company servicing industrial sites and company headquarters in the Ile-deFrance area, has workers from some 50 countries among its 1,500 payroll. “Some of them are just about able to speak French, some not at all, says Joël Berson, head of quality control. That’s why for the past nine years we’ve been offering literacy classes to our workers.

Some 260 of them have already taken this training.

These training classes, given by an outside service provider, hardly entail costs for the company because they’re funded from trade association joint resources, explains Nadine Gredy, director of Stop Illetrisme, the only association involved in the struggle against illiteracy within companies.

Its 18 member companies, which include Crédit Agricole, Aéroports de Paris and RATP (the Paris transport system) organise language classes totalling six hours per week for a period of six months.

Each company is responsible for finding premises where the classes are to take place “so as to minimise additional commuting requirements for the trainees”, says Gredy.

What is the most difficult task in this process ? “To identify those people who actually need language training”, adds this Christian Bouzols, correspondant d’ECJ en France, rapporte l’action de nombreuses entreprises en faveur de l’alphabétisation d’une partie de leurs salariés.

specialist, for whom illiteracy is a vital issue.

Once the training has started, “everything needs to be done to avoid the trainees giving up”. For this reason, a personal tutoring system has been put into place within each company involved.

“The trainee is supported by a worker from the company, who makes the commitment to help the trainee to revise his or her learning and to take stock of his or her progress for a total of an hour a week”. At GSF Grande Arche there is no shortage of volunteers. In fact, “there are more of them than we actually need for the training effort”, comments Joël Berson, This learning and support system towards literacy in French has many advantages.

“The social and psychological outcomes are always spectacular, claims Gredy. “Think of it, you’re offering a worker the means to read administrative correspondence, to decode the contents of teaching material, to understand billboards in the underground.... All this amounts to a revolution for those that have been trained. When they receive their training certificates, you can see how happy and proud they are.”

At the operational level, the changes and work possibilities are also noteworthy: “Those people who have been given a chance to be comfortable with the French language will be more comfortable with their working environment. We’ve also seen a drop in absenteeism thanks to better integration. And this also leads to new possibilities. I’ve seen cleaners trained in French become team leaders,” adds Berson.

There’s still much to be done but the efforts undertaken so far bear fruits every day.

Christian Bouzols, der ECJ-Korrespondent in Frankreich, berichtet, dass eine Reihe von Reinigungs-unternehmen Alphabetisierungskurse für viele ihrer Mitarbeiter anbieten.

14 | November 2021 | ECJ

Dalla Francia, il corrispondente di ECJ Christian Bouzols ci informa che numerose imprese di pulizia ora forniscono classi di alfabetizzazione per molti dei loro dipendenti.

What do prostitutes, a policeman and cleaning have in common? Well, read on and it’ll all be clear. This is not a bad dad joke, but a true story from Sweden!

The story begins about eight years ago when Simon Widén, the owner of a cleaning company in Stockholm, Sweden, called Himlarent (‘heavenly clean’ in translation) was contacted by some friends who run an organisation helping women leave prostitution. They were hoping he could help out as well. And Simon Widén took up the challenge as he firmly believes that a job can essentially change lives for vulnerable people, among them prostitutes.

He started his own cleaning business, where one third of the staff are vulnerable people in one way or the other, after his parents had helped a woman from Kazakhstan. She was on the verge of being deported from Sweden and was trying to make a living by doing illegal work as a cleaner. Simon Widén then thought to himself that if he started a cleaning company and offered her a proper job, perhaps she could be granted a residence permit. And so she was.

Vulnerable people This is all history. But then earlier this year, things took a new turn, and this is when the policeman comes into the picture. Another Simon, namely Simon Häggström, a Swedish policeman and major player in fighting prostitution, paid tribute to Simon Widén on Instagram where he has 75,000 followers.

Simon Häggström himself called it ‘one of his most important Notre reporteur en Scandinavie Lotte Printz rend compte d’une initiative socialement responsable, lancée en Suède, en matière de propreté.

posts’ when praising Widén for helping women get out of the sex industry by offering them jobs in his company.

Interviewed for the Swedish online cleaning magazine Cleannet.se in October 2021, Simon Widén explained that the response he received in the wake of Häggström’s post was immense. In the first 24 hours alone he received more than 150 emails and six months on he still hasn’t managed to find the bottom of his inbox.

Asked about whether the former prostitutes working in his company experience any kind of bias from outsiders, Widén said: “There’s never been any negative comments or questions.

On the contrary. The customers would also like to help.”

In the interview, Simon Widén himself describes one of his former employees as ‘an incredibly gifted woman with plenty of grit’. In 2015 she formed a construction company with a colleague, but when they ‘split up’, Widén stepped in a year ago, in the midst of the pandemic.

They have seven employees, Widén is the owner, but the woman is in charge of everything else but the paperwork.

Despite his success with doing business this way, Simon Widén is not planning on setting up any more companies.

“This is it! Himlarent quickly paid so that both my staff and I get a reasonable salary. Even though I’ve never advertised, the company has grown allowing us to hire one new employee a year,” he explains speaking to Cleannet.

And when Simon the policeman has one’s back, who needs advertising, one might ask!

Die SkandinavienReporterin Lotte Printz berichtet über eine erfolgreiche, sozialverantwortliche Reinigungsinitiative in Schweden.

La corrispondente scandinava Lotte Printz ci informa su una iniziativa di cleaning socialmente responsabile che ha avuto successo in Svezia.

LATEST: UK

LATEST: ITALY

Revisiting the new normal

An industry in a state of flux

Lynn Webster in the UK reviews the year that’s passed and asked what we have learned.

Anna Garbagna reports from Italy on a new survey analysing the professional cleaning sector.

As we come to the end of another very different, if rather strange year there is time to reflect. Most of us have suffered in some way or another personally, professionally or in loss of business; often outcomes too difficult to contemplate. But are there any positives that have come out of this situation?

We have certainly learned how to adapt our lives. We have experienced greater acknowledgement of our industry.

A recent report ( www.moreincommon.com/newnormal) covered a survey of 14,000 people across the UK, USA, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and The Netherlands considering the impact of the pandemic on trust, social cohesion, democracy and expectations for the future. Hope for change. Inevitably their findings demonstrated that some of the decisions made in the near future will have longterm consequences and serious impact on future generations.

It identified the three highest policy priorities emerging from the pandemic in the UK are the NHS, the economy, and protection of the environment.

Taking some of their conclusions and outcomes then applying them to the cleaning industry and inevitably ourselves has highlighted what a dramatic time this has been for many but also what we can take forward with positive energy.

A key factor has been the increased respect for hygiene and overall public health initiatives and guidelines. So much of the public face of cleaning has changed. Not only has everyone a greater perception of cleaning standards but are openly voicing their opinions. There are the inevitable challenges to the norm but now is time to Au Royaume-Uni, Lynn Webster fait le point sur l’année écoulée et se demande si nous, en tant qu’industrie et que société, en avons tiré les leçons.

also acknowledge the vital role professional cleaning plays.

Creating a sense of togetherness, being aware of the living and working conditions of others. Certainly the front-line personnel in healthcare have received well deserved praise for their performance but let’s not lose sight of the similar work done by many others across our industry in, for example, education, manufacturing and the hospitality sector.

Making us more supportive and caring of others whilst focusing on the invisible disengagement, feelings of isolation and loneliness. Relate this to our many mobile cleaning operatives and the lone workers who form a large part of our cleaning teams. How we communicate and include them in team activities will be significant going forward. The employers’ management of staff wellbeing and mental health is a critical area for action.

Some businesses thrived through opportunities presented to them whereas others were less fortunate. How each of us survives the forecast of economic downturn and stability will be a challenge.

The revisiting of environmental impact on our lives. The role our industry plays will play a large part in our future; a reawakening towards climate change, although some worry that the current momentum will falter; reduced carbon emissions; commitment to protecting our surroundings and the world’s natural resources.

Whatever the outcomes of the pandemic, hopefully we face them with greater pride in ourselves and our industry and with a positive spirit of togetherness.

Im Vereinigten Königreich wirft Lynn Webster einen Blick zurück über das vergangene Jahr und fragt, was wir als Branche, und als Gesellschaft, gelernt haben.

16 | November 2021 | ECJ

Dal Regno Unito, la corrispondente Lynn Webster fa un resoconto dell’anno che è passato e chiede cosa abbiamo imparato come settore e come società.

A survey analysing the professional cleaning sector has been carried out by Cerved ON for Afidamp. It shows very positive indicators from a sector in flux which spent the last two years, so difficult for everyone, responding effectively to a market and a society modified by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As happened in all the other sectors, companies in production and distribution within the cleaning sector had to face different demands, difficulty in deliveries and supply, and total closures which affected some of their customers. They have, however, shown they could react to these extraordinary events.

The total sales of the various categories that make up the sector were high for chemicals and machines but much lower for companies producing equipment, especially those producing fibres and cloths.

About half of production was for Italian customers, while for machines there has been a clear shift towards the foreign market (only one third of the sector produces for Italy). In terms of turnover, the trend for 2021 was positive for more than four out of 10 companies while a higher proportion showed an upward trend in chemical products (57 per cent).

As of 2021, 44 per cent of companies are forecasting a growth in turnover. This is even more true when it comes to companies producing machines (53 per cent) and equipment (50 per cent). Diversification of the offer and searching for new customers remain the main actions on which companies focus but they also consider that reinvestment of profits and En Italie, Afidamp a publié une étude sur l’état du secteur professionnel de la propreté dans ce pays.

Anna Garbagna en expose les conclusions.

customer loyalty are important.

It must always be remembered that customer behaviour had a higher impact during the pandemic: regular purchases were reduced or modified and customers were more demanding. Suppliers were forced to extend delivery times and to increase costs.

In such a scenario, industry and Ho.re.ca are the most promising sectors for professional cleaning.

On the other hand, as far as distributors were concerned, the survey analysed 1,650 companies generating a turnover of around €2.5 billion with fair growth compared with the previous survey carried out in 2018. This was mainly due to the positive balance between new companies and closed companies in the relevant year and the total sales increase of companies already operating in the market. Increase in turnover was due to the pandemic crisis which generated value through the sale of personal protective equipment (PPE).

It is important to highlight that more than 80 per cent of companies in the sector now offer assistance services on top of sales, especially consultancy in relation to sales techniques and work planning.

Sales of chemical products (28 per cent generating €640 million) together with machines (18 per cent generating €500 million) and consumables (20 per cent generating €500 million) represent the main turnover figures in the sector.

Again it is important to note the significant impact of PPE with €280 million in turnover for the sector.

Eine Umfrage zum Zustand der professionellen Reinigungsbranche in Italien wurde von Afidamp veröffentlicht.

Anna Garbagna berichtet über die darin enthaltenen Ergebnisse.

E’ stato pubblicato da Afidamp un sondaggio sulla situazione del settore del cleaning professionale in Italia, ce ne parla la corrispondente Anna Garbagna.

LATEST: RUSSIA

The cleaning sector has been developing in Russia since the late 1990s. Until 2018, it was one of the most opaque industries. Therefore, the tax clean-up of the market was only a matter of time. Taking cleaning out of the shadows turned out to be very painful for all companies.

Where did the whitewashing idea come from? Why cleaning? It’s obvious the Federal Taxation Service (FTS) would be interested in cleaning because millions of euros were flowing past its budget.

In our industry, from the very beginning, it was profitable to work partially bypassing taxes.

Urgent problems pushed businesses to use grey schemes. The first is dumping. It was not only possible, but also beneficial due to the imperfections in procurement legislation. There were also problems with protecting competition and ensuring freedom of entrepreneurship.

And dumping was encouraged in every possible way by customers. It’s understandable: the effectiveness of managers is calculated not only in the money earned, but also in the money saved. And cleaning, with its grey schemes, was a good way to cut down on costs.

The second problem that pushed many companies to the grey path concerns the logic of pricing. Customers did not buy the labour of a specific number of cleaners, but the cleanliness of a square metre. The ‘cheaper is better’ rule had worked for a long time. The issue of pricing remains relevant now. Whitewashing with a breakdown in the practice of doing business, the forced inclusion of the full tax burden in the cost of services, is bound to affect the price. Cleaning becomes more expensive. Not all customers can afford the increase in cleaning costs. Those who do not fit into the budget go to the grey market for services.

Large companies which are now the focus of the FTS have lost many clients. They want to save money, but the tax authorities threatened these customers

that they would also be affected by tax audits.

By the time the tax authorities turned on the cleaning service providers, many companies had been working in a grey scheme, making minimal deductions.

According to various estimates, 70–90 per cent of the segment was in the shadows at the start of the whitewashing.

This amounted to almost 380 billion rubles (almost €5 billion) in 2018, which is 8.5 per cent more than a year earlier. In these statistics, only the funds visible in the accounting statements are taken into account. In my opinion, the real volume could well have reached 500 billion rubles (more than €6 billion).

Increased prices In total, according to the FTS (that is, officially), there were about 8,000 cleaning companies working in the country. At the same time, only 500 could be attributed to large and mediumsized businesses. As for people working in the cleaning industry, it is impossible to determine the exact number, because not all of them were registered. According to various sources, there were 0.5-2 million people.

The share of manual labour in cleaning was 60–90 per cent.

The specifics of the sector led to the temptation to save on taxes and contributions to social funds. This, of course, could not continue forever, so whitewashing was not a punitive measure.

It is a logical and understandable stage in the development of the industry, and the economy.

Coming out from the shadows does not go unnoticed and without losses. Whitewashing changes the balance of power in the market. In four years, the share of grey small players has grown, and this is what we were expecting. Medium and large companies that took the path of whitewashing have lost about half of their customers and at least 40 per cent of their revenue compared to 2018.

According to last year’s data, the cleaning companies’ revenue amounted to 277 billion rubles

Rapportant de Russie, Oleg Popov, de l’entreprise de propreté Cristanval, décrit le flou qui régnait sur la fiscalité du secteur de la propreté. Cette situation a maintenant été redressée.

Cleaning now out of the shadows Oleg Popov of Cristanval, a cleaning company in Russia, explains how the professional cleaning sector there was in the shadows where taxation was concerned until recently. This has now changed. (€3.4 billion). As the tax burden increased, service providers have been raising their prices.

Today large companies pay 21–34 per cent of their revenue to the tax office. Grey small business continue to deduct no more than 10 per cent. This situation creates tax competition. In other categories of costs (salaries, equipment, materials, overhead and administrative costs), it’s impossible to compete. These costs are approximately the same for all cleaning companies.

Why does the grey sector remain when the tax authorities keep an eye on cleaning? The thing is that large companies are the first to be whitewashed in any industry. As soon as they stabilise their tax burden, it will be the turn of small businesses.

One way or another, all market players will fall under the whitewashing. Many of them will not be able to cope with the load and will be forced to close. There will be only trustworthy companies that pay taxes in good faith.

According to various forecasts, we are talking about 1,000 service providers remaining.

Tax evasion difficult Obviously it will become more difficult to use grey schemes and evade taxes. Soon the FTS will find out every unscrupulous supplier. That is why “WhiteFM. rf” register was created. A joint project of the FTS and the Association of Cleaning and Facility Operators, it informs customers about the tax indicators of suppliers. Companies included in the register receive a competitive advantage and the opportunity to participate in major tenders.

Customers minimise risks by dealing with reliable firms.

The association’s activities are not limited to the creation

Oleg Popov vom russischen Reinigungs-unternehmen Cristanval erläutert, dass die professionelle Reinigungsbranche des Landes in Bezug auf Besteuerung bis vor Kurzem im Verborgenen arbeitete. Das hat sich jetzt geändert.

and maintenance of a white rating. The range of its tasks and achievements is much wider.

ACFO takes measures to combat unfair competition, conducts dialogue with the state on behalf of business, and develops standards for the production and remuneration of labour. There was no such thing in the cleaning industry before whitewashing.

Several years of whitewashing are behind us, but the most difficult for market players lie ahead. The process seems to have dragged on, so the FTS is going on the offensive. Decisive actions by the tax authorities will leave no chance for grey companies and outright evaders.

The tipping point is no longer a question of the future. We are living it now.

I think we will see the results in about a year. Customers will stop agreeing to dumping prices, since such tax optimisation will be too expensive – the risk of tax prosecution is high. Grey companies will sooner or later become white or leave the market.

In the new reality, the cleaning sector will look like this: low profitability (3-5 per cent), high prices, a tax burden close to the ideal and work on the turnover.

Also, a new player may appear in the sector – a giant state-owned company. The consequence of its entry into a competitive market will be the reduction of this market by 30-50 per cent.

One key question remains: who will be included in the number of companies remaining on the market after the tax clean-up? Those who initially had the right strategy, a pool of loyal whitewashed clients (they, in fact, keep the business of such companies) and a financial cushion to survive the turbulence all chances to stay afloat.

Oleg Popov della Cristanval, un’impresa di pulizie in Russia, spiega come il settore del cleaning professionale fino a poco fa era nell’ombra in materia di tassazione ma ora tutto ciò è cambiato.

November 2021 | ECJ |17

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HAND HYGIENE

A changing landscape Chris Wakefield, managing director UK & Ireland for GOJO Industries-Europe, discusses the effects of the pandemic on the hand hygiene industry and how to maintain compliance in a sea of coronavirus fatigue.

We are emerging from the most tumultuous of times; a period which has particularly tested – and continues to challenge – the hand hygiene business. From facing huge demands in the early days of 2020, to today, where we find ourselves in an extraordinary situation. We are entering the winter germ season (with Covid still circulating); awareness of good hand hygiene is at an all-time high, yet ‘pandemic lethargy’ has set in and compliance has started to slip.

Facing the crisis At the outset of the pandemic, there was an insatiable demand for hand sanitiser. This came with little warning and placed huge pressures on hand hygiene suppliers to fulfil all orders. Inevitably, in the early days, this unprecedented demand outpaced supply, which led to various scenarios.

Firstly, many turned to ‘bulk fill’ practices to help plug the gap. These ‘open refill’ dispensers are typically serviced by pouring product into them. They are usually ‘topped-off’ from gallons or drums of sanitiser that are not equipped with pumps for individual, portion-controlled product usage. Whilst it is understandable that businesses were seeking alternatives to protect people at the time, research we undertook showed that a large number of businesses had plans to continue this practice when supply chains return to

normal, post-Covid.

However, this may not be the safest, or most effective solution, and could actually cause more harm than good. Problems associated with ‘open refill’ dispensing include branded hand sanitiser products being refilled with other formulas, products mixing into unknown chemical combinations, contamination or degradation, and product tampering. All of which can mean an uncompliant and potentially harmful end product.

Secondly, we saw an influx of new companies enter the market – some from companies with no experience producing these kinds of products. More often than not, products had been formulated purely with the aim of killing bacteria, without taking skin health into consideration.

These sanitisers offered a poor user experience, often leaving hands feeling dry and tight, and with repeated use, potentially damaged skin. As one of the biggest barriers to hand hygiene, this was not good news for compliance.

In some cases, the sanitisers were not even fit for purpose. In fact, over the past year, we have seen several products pulled from European markets, due to compliance and safety issues.

A ticking time bomb Before long, it became clear that the crisis was not a short-term problem and manufacturers invested in changes to increase production. However, after nearly two years of restrictions, coronavirus fatigue is setting in. Within the industry, there is a feeling that people are already neglecting the importance of hand hygiene and even within the NHS in the UK, compliance levels have started to fall.

This has led to a most unexpected problem. If, at the beginning of the pandemic, the issue was there was not enough supply, today we are faced with the opposite. There is simply too much – and it’s a ticking time bomb. Warehouses are full of product, which is fast approaching its expiry and not selling through, because businesses are already overstocked with

potentially unsuitable product, and customer use is declining.

Further up the supply chain, distributors face a tough choice too. After purchasing stock (possibly at inflated prices, which was rife at the height of the pandemic), they must now either sell at rock bottom prices to clear the product or lose it completely.

Driving behaviour change We must, therefore, work hard to drive positive behaviour change. This will not only help alleviate the burden of excess stock but more importantly, help protect health and prevent the spread of harmful germs.

Public awareness of the importance of hand hygiene has grown phenomenally and attitudes have changed. In fact, research reveals that eight in 10 people now expect to see hand sanitiser in public facilities – but how many are actually stopping to use them? Recent US reports have indicated that hand washing has fallen to pre-Covid levels and the fact that there is excess stock shows us compliance has dropped considerably.

At a time when borders are opening up and there is more opportunity for potential transmission – of Covid and a whole host of other seasonal viruses – it is crucial that hand hygiene momentum is maintained.

It’s all too easy to slip back into old habits, so what measures can organisations put in place to improve compliance, now that people are becoming complacent about practising good hand hygiene?

Strategic positioning The correct positioning of dispensers is key. In healthcare settings, these should be as close as possible, within arm’s reach of where patient care or treatment is taking place, without having to leave the area.

Opportunities for hand hygiene should also be available at other prime germ hotspots, such as waiting rooms.

As well as installing dispensers across Continued page 22

November 2021 | ECJ | 21

HAND HYGIENE A changing landscape (continued) the site, supplying hand rub in small form versions can help increase compliance.

This enables time-poor staff to sanitise on the go, since, according to research we undertook with healthcare trusts last year, many overburdened and stressed staff felt as if they didn’t have time to clean their hands as often as they should.

In other environments, such as leisure, retail and catering establishments, ensure dispensers are positioned at the entrances and exits to buildings – and any other high traffic areas, such as reception foyers. The sheer physical presence of having dispensers in the right places can help prompt hygienic behaviour.

When it comes to washrooms – in all settings regardless of industry – offering one final chance to clean hands can make all the difference in reducing the number of germs leaving the room. If people have not washed their hands properly, bacteria and viruses can be spread onto the door handle and other surfaces that they touch when they leave the room. Research shows that one single contaminated door handle can infect up to 60 per cent of the occupants of a building within just four hours!

Placing a sanitising dispenser at washroom exits provides an extra opportunity for hand hygiene, as well as offering an additional layer of protection. Positioning it between 36 and 46 inches above the floor, on the handle side, is the optimum height to trigger proper hand hygiene behaviour and prevent the transmission of bacteria from door handles.

Formulation matters As well as ensuring dispensers are accessible, it is vital to equip them with high quality products. Of course, these must have proven antimicrobial efficacy, but formulation comes a close second in the order of importance. After all, if the balance of ingredients is not right, hands can quickly become dry or irritated or result in a poor user experience. Products that are too runny, too smelly, or that irritate skin can put people off using the hand sanitisers provided, ultimately reducing compliance and increasing the risk of transmission of germs.

Devant l’approche de l’hiver, il devient encore plus important d’observer les routines de l’hygiène des mains pour éviter d’attraper un mauvais microbe.

Salariés, parents et travailleurs de la santé se tiendront aux aguets à l’approche de l’hiver mais des recherches ont montré qu’en améliorant l’hygiène sur le lieu de travail, un patron est en mesure de réduire la propagation d’infections dans ses établissements et de diminuer la perte de journées de travail par congé maladie.

22 | November 2021 | ECJ

In fact, skin irritation is an increasingly common barrier to hand hygiene practice and is a growing issue within healthcare facilities. Recent reports have shown that 59 per cent of healthcare workers seen in occupational skin disease clinics, set up during the pandemic, were found to be affected by irritant contact dermatitis due to an increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and frequent hand washing.

It is clear then, that skin health is a key factor when choosing sanitising solutions, not only to care for hands, but to maximise compliance. Opt for products that are enriched with nourishing agents and have been proven to maintain skin health to offer that positive user experience.

While there is an understandable desire for ‘normality’ to return, we find ourselves in a precarious position this winter. Ac-

cording to Dr Jenny Harries, head of the UK Health Security Agency, the season is set to be ‘highly unpredictable’ with Covid, flu, and other serious respiratory viruses all circulating.

So take a look at the hand hygiene systems your organisation has in place.

Do the formulations offer a pleasant experience or are hands left feeling dry and tight? Are there opportunities to clean hands when you need them? Having the right products, in the right places, at the right time will go a long way in increasing adherence.

Now is not the time to let down our guard and become complacent. Rest assured, reputable hand hygiene companies are ready to play their part and will be with you every step of the way to help maximise compliance. www.gojo.com

The next edition of ECJ is February/March 2022. In the meantime, you can stay up-to-date on latest industry news at the website: www.europeancleaningjournal.com Mit dem nahenden Winter ist es noch wichtiger, die Handhygienepraktiken nicht schleifen zu lassen, um eine Ansteckung durch üble Bazillen zu vermeiden.

Sowohl Arbeitnehmer, als auch Eltern und im Gesundheitswesen Tätige werden gleichermaßen besorgt sein, während die Wintermonate näherrücken, aber Studien haben ergeben, dass es in der Macht von Arbeitgebern liegt, durch die Verbesserung der Hygiene am Arbeitsplatz die Ausbreitung von Infektionen zu reduzieren und die Anzahl von Krankentagen zu verringern.

Mentre l’inverno si avvicina, diventa sempre più importante curare le pratiche di igiene delle mani per evitare di prendere un brutto malanno. I dipendenti, i genitori e gli addetti al settore sanitario ne sono interessati all’avvicinarsi dei mesi invernali ma le ricerche mostrano che migliorando l’igiene del posto è di competenza del datore di lavoro il compito di ridurre il diffondersi di infezioni e di diminuire il numero di giorni di malattia che vengono usati.

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Car dealerships Education

Gym

Vet

Offices

Restaurants

www.dispenserone.com

PRODUCTS: HAND HYGIENE

• Comme produit nouveau, GOJO propose la Purell Solution combinant de nouveaux distributeurs et un type nouveau de « savon sain » pour les mains.

• Le système North Shore de distributeurs et consommables Northwood combine plusieurs caractéristiques en soutien de l’hygiène.

• Les gants Reflexx T25 en élastomères thermoplastiques protègent contre les produits chimiques, les microorganismes et les virus.

• Neu von GOJO ist Purell Solution, die neue Spender und eine neue Art von „gesunder Seife“ für Hände umfasst.

• Die Produktreihe North Shore mit Waschraumspendern und Verbrauchsmaterialien von Northwood kombiniert mehrere Merkmale, die die Hygiene fördern.

• Thermoplastische ElastomerHandschuhe Reflexx T25 schützen gegen Chemikalien, Mikroorganismen und Viren.

• Il nuovo prodotto della GOJO è Purell Solution che vanta nuovi dispenser e un nuovo tipo di ‘sapone sanitario’ per le mani.

• La gamma di dispenser per sale da toilette e materiali di consumo North Shore della Northwood combina una serie di caratteristiche che promuovono l’igiene.

• I guanti Reflexx T25 Thermoplastic Elastomer proteggono contro prodotti chimici, microorganismi e virus.

24 | November 2021 | ECJ

Healthy soap

New from GOJO IndustriesEurope is a hand hygiene system featuring dispensers and a new Purell Healthy Soap featuring Clean Release Technology (CRT).

This, it says, allows the product to reach into areas of the skin which are hard to access.

The mild formulation is also kind to hands, even with frequent use - it includes 90 per cent naturally derived ingredients and leaves less residue. It is free from parabens and phthalates, as well as preservatives and anti-bacterial ingredients.

And GOJO says its new Purell ES8 dispenser addresses the two most common service

issues: dispensers running empty and worn out batteries.

Its At-A-Glance refill design makes it easy to monitor product levels while the Energy-onthe-Refill technology means each refill comes with an integrated battery. www.gojo.com

only touch the paper they use.

The compact yet high capacity Folded Hand Towel dispenser also delivers one sheet at a time.

The range also includes soap dispensers and consumables. www.northwood.co.uk

Promote hygiene

Reflexx T25 Thermoplastic Elastomer gloves are medical grade and designed to allow greater grip and sensitivity - while being more resistant than regular polyethylene gloves (HDPE and CPE) thanks to their greater thickness. So they can be used for everything from first aid to cleaning.

The T25 gloves are PPE Cat. 3 certified for protection against chemicals (type C), microorganisms and viruses. They also comply with the legislation on food contact (MOCA) and are therefore suitable for contact with any type of food. www.reflexx.com

According to Northwood Hygiene Products, its North Shore washroom dispenser and consumables range incorporates hygiene-promoting features.

There is a choice of three wipeclean hand towel dispensers.

The high capacity Hybrid Hand Towel system, meanwhile, is sensor operated and delivers single sheets - so people

Medical gloves

PRODUCTS: HAND HYGIENE

New design The No Soap Company has updated its HYiGO 2.0 hand hygiene station with some new features. These include an improved drip tray for less mess and easier cleaning; easier customisation; better stability; improved packaging; more durable fluid connections; and flexible design for use with multiple formulas.

The company has also worked to use less material in the design of all products. www.nosoapcompany.com

Eco soaps New from Tork manufacturer Essity is a biodegradable soap -

Tork Clarity Hand Washing Foam Soap. Around 99 per cent of its ingredients are derived from natural origin and the product also reduces the quantity of water required for washing by up to 35 per cent because the soap lathers effectively and the foam can be quickly rinsed away.

Also new are two soaps for chefs and other kitchen workers.

Tork Odour-Control Hand Wash has been designed to eliminate pungent food smells such as fish and garlic from the hands while also being particularly kind to the skin, even with frequent use.

And Tork Antimicrobial Hand Washing Liquid Soap contains plant-based ingredients and is effective against viruses and bacteria. It is gentle on the hands and helps to remove food fat residues.

All three products are perfume-free and come in factory-sealed 1,000 ml refill containers equipped with hygienic single-use pumps. The

recyclable bottles collapse when empty to minimise waste. www.tork.co.uk

Disinfection Yaliss is the hand disinfection station from JVD, suitable for use in all public areas. This battery operated unit is part of the company’s HygiaConnect platform so it collects and analyses data on available stock levels.

This means facilities managers can be better organised, reduce logistics costs and lower the amount of time staff need to spend servicing the system.

Yaliss also features automatic hand detection so no contact is needed, and waste is minimised thanks to the drip system. www.jvd.fr

• NoSoapCompany a lancé l’unité distributrice HYiGO 2.0 pour produits d’hygiène des mains.

• Désigné Tork Clarity Hand Washing Foam, Essity a lancé un nouveau savon biodégradable.

• Le Yaliss est le poste de désinfection des mains proposé par JVD.

• Neu von der NoSoapCompany ist die Spendereinheit HYiGO 2.0 für Handhygieneprodukte.

• Neu von Essity ist eine biologisch abbaubare Seife – Tork Clarity Hand Washing Foam.

• Yaliss ist die Händedesinfektionsstation von JVD.

• Il nuovo prodotto della NoSoapCompany è l’unità di erogazione di prodotti per l’igiene delle mani HYiGO 2.0.

• La novità della Essity è il sapone biodegradabile Tork Clarity Hand Washing Foam.

• Yaliss è la stazione di disinfezione delle maniprodotta dalla JVD.

November 2021 | ECJ | 25

PRODUCTS: HAND HYGIENE

• Addgards a introduit un distributeur sur pied de lingettes humides fabriqué entièrement en matériaux recyclés.

• Airdri a lancé la gamme Kiddi Quad de sèche-mains à air chaud.

• L’unité All in One de Mediclinics combine savon, eau et air sur le même lavabo.

• Addgards hat einen freistehenden Spender für Feuchttücher vorgestellt, der vollständig aus Recyclingmaterialien hergestellt wird.

• Neu von Airdri ist eine Produktreihe mit WarmluftHändetrocknern namens Kiddi Quad.

• Die All in One-Einheit von Mediclinics kombiniert Seife, Wasser und Luft im selben Waschbecken.

• La Addgards ha lanciato un dispenser a colonna di salviettine umidificate prodotto per il 100 per cento in materiali riciclati.

• La novità della Airdri è la gamma di asciugamani ad aria calda Kiddi Quad.

• L’unità All in One della Mediclinics include sapone, acqua e aria nello stesso lavandino.

26 | November 2021 | ECJ

Fully recycled

phones - besides the hands.

The station is available in a range of colours and finishes, and there is an integrated bin for the used wipes. www.addgards.com

Child-friendly

Addgards has expanded its line of wet wipe stations with the launch of a freestanding model made from 100 per cent recycled materials. The refill wipes are also made of 100 per cent biodegradable materials.

Designed to be placed at strategic points throughout any building, Addgards says the wet wipes dispensers offer an effective and economical solution for the wiping of hands and surfaces. They can be used on trolley handles, door handles, gym equipment, desks and

Warm air hand dryer manufacturer Airdri is launching a range of child-friendly models named Kiddi Quad. These are designed to not only help encourage better hand hygiene among children, but also to reduce their fear about hand dryer noise the sound level is low.

Alongside the new dryer the company is also introducing the Handwashing Heroes which it

describes as “a team of sanitising superheroes that’s saving the world by banishing bacteria”. airdri.com

Combination unit Combining soap, water and air in the same wash basin is the new All in One from Mediclinics. This new hand hygiene solution, it says, saves space in the washroom and prevents waste water from falling onto the floor.

The unit is no-touch, incorporates a HEPA filter and Ion Hygienic technology to clean and purify the air. www.mediclinics.com

1 0 0 % C A PAC I T Y C A L L S F O R

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The XLERATOR® Hand Dryer is a completely touchless solution that provides a 95% cost savings over paper towels while creating a safer, more hygienic restroom environment.

And, it’s available with a HEPA Filtration System proven to remove 99.999% of viruses from the airstream1.

PROTECT YOUR VISITORS WITH XLERATOR HAND DRYERS 44 33 0818 7263 excel-hand-dryers.co.uk sales@exceldryer.co.uk

1

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TROLLEYS

Trending on your trolley What do customers want most from their cleaning trolley? And how far have their requirements changed over recent years? Ann Laffeaty asks manufacturers about the trolley trends driving the industry and finds out what lies behind them.

Cleaning trolleys - just like everything else - are subject to fluctuations in fashion.

And it is usually societal changes that determine what customers are likely to want most from their trolley.

For example, factors such as low cost and high levels of productivity become particularly important during an economic crisis. When environmental issues start to hit the headlines there is often an uptick in demand for sustainable products that are made from recyclable materials or that make life easier for the cleaner.

And upmarket and aesthetically-pleasing trolleys tend to become particularly sought-after during times of prosperity.

So, what influences are shaping the trolley market today?

Unsurprisingly, the issues of health and safety have come to the fore in the wake of the global pandemic, according to IPC’s content marketing and social media manager Chiara Molardi. “The chief aim of manufacturers now is to prevent the spread of germs and crosscontamination,” she said. “This means safety and hygiene have become key requirements both for the operator and for the wider public.”

She adds that sustainability and ergonomics are also important – but that these can go hand in hand with health and safety. “Ergonomic trolleys will help to reduce operator effort while also ensuring maximum efficiency,” she said. “We

also need to respect the environment by coming up with sustainable solutions that promote the use of recycled materials.”

She has also noted a growing trend for compact and manoeuvrable trolleys, although customer requirements can vary from facility to facility. “A compact design will aid easy movement in smaller facilities, for example, whereas in environments such as hotels it is useful to have a trolley with closed compartments to keep the spare linen clean and fresh,” she said. “And where frequent sanitisation is required it is often useful to incorporate a pre-impregnation system.”

Practicality and functionality are key requirements of any product, she says. “A trolley needs to be able to incorporate all the necessary equipment for daily cleaning to maximise labour time,” said Molardi.

“Trolleys play a fundamental role in cleaning and need to be lightweight, versatile, ergonomic and easy to use. In fact we find the term ‘trolley’ a bit reductive because we consider these products as 360° mobile workstations that are both easily accessible and customisable.”

Ergonomics are IPC’s main focus during the product creation stage, says Molardi.

“A modular design is also important because it allows the trolley to be adapted in flexible ways to meet the customer’s needs,” she says. “And a trolley should be both easy to use and quick to assemble.”

Modular design The company has observed a growing interest in connectivity, she adds. “Some manufacturers are thinking about smart solutions, and we ourselves have received a number of requests for trolleys that can be integrated with electronic devices such as tablets and smartphones,” said Molardi.

“However in our opinion the timing is a little premature.”

Made from recycled plastics, IPC’s new Pre-Treated trolleys come equipped with holders to accommodate sanitiser gel bottles, gloves, masks and the operator’s own work plan. The units are available in tailormade configurations and can include a

waste bag, extra buckets or drawers plus pre-impregnated microfibre mops.

Kärcher’s senior manual tools director Michele Redi agrees with Molardi that the pandemic has impacted on customers’ trolley requirements. “In fact, people are changing their attitudes towards cleaners in general,” he said. “Cleaning team members are now being seen as hygiene operators whose role it is to guarantee the cleanliness levels of facilities. And trolleys have become an important tool in their armoury because they allow the operator to perform tasks efficiently and effectively, with increased frequency and to higher standards than they did before Covid-19.”

Ease of use Specific customer requirements depend on the area to be cleaned, he adds. “But in general most customers demand ease of use, a high level of cleaning efficiency and ergonomics,” says Redi. “Sustainable features - such as the use of recycled plastic – are also important in order to meet customers’ ‘green’ requirements.

And people are increasingly seeking an attractive design that takes the trolley to the next level.”

He says modularity is another crucial requirement. “The customer should be able to customise their trolley to meet their own needs, and have the option to re-configure it if the tender changes simply by removing or replacing some components,” he said.

Smart features and connectivity are becoming a growing trend, according to Redi. “At the moment we see mainly larger companies seeking to connect their equipment, and this applies to trolleys as well as cleaning machines,” he said. “And ergonomics are also becoming increasingly important. A trolley should be a helper tool - not a transportation unit that becomes a burden for the cleaner.

“We therefore adapt most of the frequently-used parts of our trolleys so that they fit well with the operator’s natural body posture in order to reduce the Continued page 30

November 2021 | ECJ | 29

TROLLEYS Trending on your trolley (continued) possibility of health issues.” Kärcher is poised to launch a new range of trolleys claimed to be durable and versatile while also meeting today’s hygiene, sustainability, ergonomic, design and productivity requirements.

TTS has also noted an increased demand for trolleys with a hygienic design, according to export sales manager Alessandro Costantini. “The pandemic has led to calls for equipment that can reduce the risk of spreading viruses,” he said. “The choice of raw materials has an influence on hygiene levels: for example, it is impossible to thoroughly clean and disinfect products made from medium or low-density plastic due to their textured profile and high porosity.”

He says the issues of sustainability and ergonomics have also gained in importance in recent years. “There is a growing awareness that the health and wellbeing of operators can be safeguarded by equipping them with user-friendly trolleys,” he said. “Choosing suitable, ergonomicallydesigned equipment helps to avoid the risk of accidents and occupational injuries.”

He agrees with other commentators that customer demand reflects the environment in which cleaning takes place.

“Hospitals and clinics require trolleys that are easy to clean and disinfect to reduce the risk of cross-contamination, for example,” said Costantini. “And hotels and guesthouses need products that can facilitate room cleaning and linen collection while also guaranteeing maximum discretion. Trolleys should adapt to the environment in which they operate, and not vice-versa.”

Trolleys have played a key role during the global pandemic, according to Filmop’s export area manager Paolo Scapinello.

“The market is focusing on solutions that ensure a high level of hygiene and tackle cross-contamination, and trolleys are fundamental in helping to achieve hygienic and sanitary conditions,” he said.

Like other manufacturers he claims that ergonomics and sustainability have both become significant trolley trends over recent years. “The market is now aware that a functional and easy-to-use trolley can help to improve working conditions and reduce the incidence of occupational diseases along with related costs,” he said.

“Customers have therefore started to seek lightweight, user-friendly trolleys that facilitate cleaning and reduce the operator effort. And there has been a growing demand for green solutions that lessen the impact on ecosystems.”

He claims that modularity, ergonomics and sustainability are all keywords for Filmop when designing a trolley. But connectivity is less important, he adds. “While the market may welcome smart features, these are not yet proving to be a deciding factor for purchasers.”

All Filmop trolleys feature easy-to-clean non-porous surfaces, while the company’s Alpha A-B Plus trolleys are treated with

antibacterial coatings to prevent crosscontamination, he says. They are made with certified PSV - Plastic Second Life components and are said to be lightweight and user-friendly.

Constant evolution So it appears that hygiene, ergonomics and sustainability are all key trends today.

But how will tomorrow’s market develop?

According to Kärcher’s Michele Redi there will be no one specific “next big thing”. “It is more about the intelligent combination of different factors such as ease of use, cleaning efficiency, ergonomics, sustainability and an attractive design,” he said.

IPC’s Chiara Molardi adds the trolley industry is in constant evolution. “Over the next few years we believe that new products will increasingly be designed with the user in mind for maximum efficiency and minimum operator effort,” she said. “And the concept of sustainability will become increasingly relevant as manufacturers look to offer innovative solutions with a reduced environmental impact.”

And TTS’s Alessandro Costantini says it will be the market itself that determines how tomorrow’s trolleys evolve. “The challenge for the future will be to assess new and emerging needs and to develop professional solutions that can meet them,” he said.

Easy to clean When designing a trolley the company’s main focus is on modularity, he says.

“Components should be able to be customised to suit the environment because this will allow the operator to work more quickly and efficiently, which will in turn reduce costs.”

TTS Magic trolleys feature smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces and can be customised to suit any environment, according to Costantini. Made using high-density polypropylene, they feature adjustable handles plus a quick-release mop frame that avoids the need for operators to handle any contaminated equipment.

Fonctionnalités « intelligentes », surfaces antibactériennes, structures ergonomiques, cadre léger - quelles sont les caractéristiques les plus récentes qu’on peut voir sur un chariot de nettoyage ?

Nous interrogeons des fabricants sur les nouveautés de ce secteur et sondons des clients sur leurs réactions à ce sujet.

30 | November 2021 | ECJ

„Intelligente“ Eigenschaften, antibakterielle Oberflächen, ergonomischer Aufbau, leichter Rahmen – was sind die neuesten Merkmale bei Reinigungswagen? Wir fragen Hersteller nach den Neuigkeiten in der Reinigungswagenbranche, und wir erfahren, wie Kunden auf die neuesten Innovationen reagieren.

Funzioni “smart”, superfici antibatteriche, struttura ergonomica, telaio leggero – quali sono le funzioni più nuove dei carrelli che vengono offerte? Chiediamo ai produttori cosa c’è di nuovo sul mercato dei carrelli e scopriamo quali sono le reazioni dei clienti alle recenti innovazioni.

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1 handle per tool

TRADITIONAL SYSTEM

www.ttsystem.com TTS Cleaning S.R.L. (Soc. a Socio Unico) - Tel.: +39 049 9300710 - Fax: +39 049 9300720 - E-mail: info@ttsystem.com

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PRODUCTS: TROLLEYS

• Vermop entend contribuer à la conservation des ressources en veillant à la durabilité de ses procédés de fabrication de chariots.

• Les chariots Magic de TTS sont fabriqués en polypropylène haute densité afin d’en assurer la longévité et la recyclabilité en fin de vie utile.

• Les chariots Alpha A-B Plus de Filmop sont traités au pyrithione de zinc pour les protéger contre les bactéries, champignons et moisissures.

• Vermop teilt mit, dass das Unternehmen durch eine möglichst nachhaltige Herstellung der Reinigungswagen zur Ressourcenschonung beiträgt.

• Die Reinigungswagen Magic von TTS werden aus hochdichtem Polypropylen hergestellt, das bedeutet, dass sie dauerhaft und am Lebensdauerende recycelbar sind.

• Die Reinigungswagen Alpha A-B Plus von Filmop sind mit Zink-Pyrithion behandelt, um sie gegen Bakterien, Pilze und Schimmel zu schützen.

• La Vermop afferma di contribuire alla conservazione delle risorse nella produzione dei suoi carrelli essendo il più sostenibile possibile.

• I carrelli Magic della TTS sono prodotti in polipropilene ad alta densità che li rende duraturi e riciclabili alla fine della loro vita.

• I carrelli Alpha A-B Plus della Filmop sono trattati con zinco piritione per la protezione contro batteri, funghi e muffe.

32 | November 2021 | ECJ

Green quality Vermop says its Equipe range of cleaning trolleys combines quality and sustainability. For example the separate, individually configurable components can be switched as needs change - prolonging the lifecycle and reducing carbon footprint.

Buckets and boxes are made from 70 per cent recycled plastic and Vermop continuously strives to increase the percentage of recycled plastic in its production.

All the company’s plants run on 100 per cent green energy and waste management is carried out via certified disposal operations. Assembly is carried out without glue, components are only tucked or screwed. This

makes for easy re-modelling, disassembly and recycling. www.vermop.com

Carbon neutral Trolley lines from TTS include Magic, a multipurpose range boasting modularity, ergonomics, and sustainability. These models are made of high density polypropylene, which makes them resistant, long lasting, and recyclable at end-of-life. Several components are made of PSVcertified recycled plastic: the company uses only premiumrecycled polypropylene, allowing colours to remain unaltered.

The choice of raw materials is an important factor that can have undoubted advantages in environmental terms: polypropylene is a low impact material that generates fewer CO2 emissions than others.

In 2019 TTS started a longterm programme to absorb the emissions associated with

the annual production of Magic trolleys, thus making it a carbon neutral trolley line. www.ttsystem.com

Hygiene crucial Filmop trolleys are made of high intensity polypropylene, making components easy to clean, from wheels to handles to doors, walls and drawers.

The non-porous surfaces do not absorb dirt.

For areas where hygiene is crucial the company offers the A-B Plus line, a special range of Alpha A-B Plus trolleys treated with zinc pyrithione, an antibacterial additive.

A-B Plus is a system that also includes wet mopping frames, telescopic handles and microfibre, all treated with antibacterial additives. The trolleys are partially made with plastic components certified Plastic Second Life. www.filmop.com

BUSINESS: COP26

COP26 - more broken promises?

COP26 climate talks wound up this month with global decision-makers returning home with a clear message ringing in their ears ... ‘enough blah blah blah, it’s time for transformative action’. Hartley Milner reports on crucial pledges made by the private sector towards meeting netzero carbon targets.

On an unseasonably warm November day in Glasgow, an air raid siren blared out a symbolic message to the world … that its leaders were pulling back from agreeing decisive actions to combat catastrophic heating of the planet.

The mournful wailing gave expression to the anger and frustration felt by tens of thousands of climate activists who had jammed the streets around the COP26 venue as two weeks of negotiations approached the endgame. Millions more turned out in countries across the world to demand that their delegations make a final push to get the conference’s carbon reduction ambitions over the line.

Despite running into extra time, delegates came away from the UN summit having failed to do little more than keep on life support the core 2015 Paris goal of

limiting temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and achieve net zero by 2050. Scientists say this target must be met by the end of the decade to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.

Global warming has already reached 1.1°C and is on track for 2.7°C by the end of this century.

A critical landmark win for the talks was an acknowledgment for the first time that the climate crisis has been caused by the burning of fossil fuels. But the final Glasgow Agreement deferred more action on reducing fossil fuel emissions to next November’s COP summit in Egypt, and its text around reducing the use of coal – the single biggest source of greenhouse gases – was watered down following eleventhhour objections from India and China, despite pleas from other developing countries.

With countries strapped for cash after fighting Covid, all eyes at Glasgow turned to the private sector to step up and give a strong lead in the race to stabilise the climate. As Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on the first day of the UK-hosted summit: “We can find the finance and we must. But we cannot and will not succeed

by government spending alone. We in this room could deploy hundreds of billions, no question, but the market has hundreds of trillions.”

Johnson was essentially saying that governments were looking to the private sector to provide the bulk of the climate finance. No great revelations there, since corporations account for more than 72 per cent of global GDP in the OECD club of the richest countries, non-members China and Russia aside.

Private sector focus Many positives came out of the partnership with the private sector at Glasgow. An early climate pledge was to provide $100 billion a year in public and private finance by 2023 to help poorer countries mitigate the impacts of soaring temperatures. The funding target represents a reset of a commitment made in 2009 to deliver the money by 2020 that was missed. Conference president Alok Sharma said although $100 billion is just a fraction of the investment needed delivering it is “a matter of maintaining trust”.

A deluge of other public and private Continued page 34

November 2021 | ECJ | 33

BUSINESS: COP26 COP26 - more broken promises? (continued) climate finance promises followed. Among them was a commitment by more than 450 financial services firms, including banks, fund managers and insurance companies, across 45 countries to move $130 trillion of funds into investments where the recipient is targeting net-zero emissions by 2050. However, critics point to the absence of a roadmap showing how this ambition will be achieved.

Initiatives announced by the World Bank Group and Asian Development Bank will share risk with developing countries and provide up to $8.5 billion of new finance in support of climate action and sustainable development. There was also the launch of an innovative new financing mechanism, the Climate Investment Funds’ Capital Markets Mechanism (CCMM), which will boost investment into clean energy like solar and wind power in developing countries.

The transition to cleaner fuels was bolstered by a pledge on coal. But the wording was changed in the final text from “phase out” to “phase down” coal and fossil fuels. Major banks and financing institutions said they would stop funding coal production overseas by the end of 2022, and steer their spending into clean energy instead. More than 90 nations also agreed to slash emissions of potent climate heating gas methane by 30 per cent by 2030, a “low-hanging fruit” when it comes to slowing warming in the shortterm. It could reduce temperatures by as much as 0.2 degrees.

Finance pledges A long-awaited pledge commits the global business sector to provide finance to help halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation in countries including Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo – together accounting for 85 per cent of the world’s forests – by the end of the decade. The ambitious target will be underpinned by $19 billion in both private and public funds. More than 30 private sector investors will put up an additional $7.2 billion.

More than 30 financial institutions with $8.7 trillion in assets under management said they would make “best efforts” to eliminate deforestation related to activities such as cattle, palm oil, soya and Les négociations sur le climat de la COP26 se sont terminées ce mois-ci avec le retour des décideurs mondiaux chez eux avec un message clair résonnant dans leurs oreilles… « vous avez parlé, maintenant marchez ». Hartley Milner rend compte des engagements cruciaux que la communauté internationale des affaires a pris pour atteindre les objectifs de zéro carbone net.

34 | November 2021 | ECJ

pulp production by 2025. An extra package of over $1 billion in government and private sector money was promised for indigenous communities, who are seen as the most effective forest guardians.

These financial pledges could be timely.

A study published this summer by the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil shows the Amazon rainforest – often referred to as the ‘lungs of the Earth’ – is now emitting around one billion tonnes more CO2 than it is able to soak up. The flipping of its carbon sink role is an outcome of hardwoods logging and fires set to clear land for grazing beef cattle or for growing crops.

Catastrophic impacts The destruction of forests and other eco-systems across the planet is having catastrophic impacts on biodiversity.

Scientists predict that more than one million plant and animal species face extinction by the end of the decade. An array of urgent actions and investments were pledged by 45 governments to protect nature and make the shift to more sustainable ways of farming, including a €529 million boost to protect over five million hectares of tropical rainforests and create thousands of green jobs across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Almost 100 companies committed to work towards halting and reversing the decline of biodiversity by 2030.

The UK raised its commitment to combat global warming to £11.6 billion over the next four years. Chancellor Rishi Sunak targeted £100 million to help developing countries pay for projects to tackle climate change, as was agreed under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Britain also committed £576 million f or a package of initiatives to mobilise finance into emerging markets and developing economies, including £66 million to expand the MOBILIST programme, which helps to develop new investment products that can be listed on public markets and attract different types of investors.

The chancellor announced that the UK will become the world’s first carbon neutral financial centre and talked about the need to “rewire the entire global financial system to net zero”. And Die COP26-Klimaverhandlungen endeten diesen Monat mit globalen Entscheidungsträgern, die mit einer klaren Botschaft in ihren Ohren nach Hause zurückkehrten … „Sie haben gesprochen, jetzt gehen Sie den Weg“. Hartley Milner berichtet über entscheidende Zusagen, die die internationale Geschäftswelt gemacht hat, um die Netto-NullKohlenstoff-Ziele zu erreichen.

he called on private companies to be more transparent about their climate credentials. To this end, UK financial institutions and publicly traded companies will be required to publish details revealing how green their investments and their own businesses are, to show they are actually contributing to reductions in global heating.

The European Union, meanwhile, has said it wants Europe to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent.

Towards that goal, it has committed to reducing emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. The union was already the largest provider of international climate finance, having in 2020 set aside €23.39 billion ($27.04 billion) to help developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of global heating. During the final few days of the COP summit, it raised its commitment further, with a new donation of €100 million ($115 million) to the international climate Adaptation Fund. Along with this, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced its intention to double the mobilisation of private sector climate financing by 2025.

Surprise declaration Probably the most surprising conference outcome was a joint declaration made by the US and China in the final days. The arch rivals, who are also the two largest emitters of carbon dioxide, unveiled a deal to ramp up cooperation on tackling climate change, including doing more to cut methane emissions, phase out coal consumption and protect forests this decade. Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua said: “Both sides will work jointly and with other parties to ensure a successful COP26 and to facilitate an outcome that is both ambitious and balanced.”

As weary delegates caught their flights home, UN secretary-general António Guterres said the Glasgow summit had been “an important step but had not done enough”, adding: “It’s time to go into emergency mode as we are in the fight of our lives.”

Greta Thunberg said: “It’s all been yet more blah blah blah.”

I negoziati sul clima della COP26 si sono conclusi questo mese con i responsabili delle decisioni globali che sono tornati a casa con un chiaro messaggio che risuonava nelle loro orecchie ... “hai parlato, ora cammina”. Hartley Milner riferisce sugli impegni cruciali che la comunità imprenditoriale internazionale ha fatto per raggiungere gli obiettivi di zero emissioni di carbonio.

HIGH-PRESSURE CLEANERS

Shaping the industry What are the current trends in the high-pressure sector, asks Ann Laffeaty? And how are manufacturers adapting to them?

The cleaning industry is going through a period of flux as manufacturers strive to keep up with ever-changing customer demands. There has been a general switch to daytime cleaning which means that quieter machinery is now required, for example. An enhanced concern for operator wellbeing has led to an increased focus on health and safety. As a result, ergonomics are being given a higher priority and there is a growing demand for systems that are intuitive and easy to use.

Meanwhile, a growing groundswell of interest in the sustainability issue has prompted demand for ‘greener’ cleaning solutions that have a minimal impact on the environment. And of course the elephant in the room – Covid-19 – has prompted a surge in demand for cleaning systems that kill bacteria and viruses.

So, how have these trends shaped the high-pressure cleaning sector, and what are the chief requirements of the industry today?

Efficiency, productivity, hygiene and sustainability are among the main drivers of today’s high-pressure cleaning industry according to IPC’s content marketing and social media manager Chiara Molardi.

“The focus is on producing cleaner, safer environments while also maximising efficiency and productivity with the use of sustainable cleaning technologies,” she said.

Safe and clean Graffiti removal has moved lower down the list of priorities, says Molardi. “The chief goal today is to ensure that the environments in which we work and live are kept safe, clean and sanitised.”

She has noted an increasing demand for quieter systems that facilitate daytime

cleaning regimes “There is much more awareness of this topic at present,” she said. “The need to use quieter cleaning equipment is particularly important in more sensitive environments, and manufacturers are coming up with innovative machines that offer noisereducing technologies.”

Another trend has been an increased commitment to sustainability, according to Molardi. “There is a growing need to provide sustainable cleaning equipment in terms of energy savings, water savings and chemical reduction,” she said. “Our own recent product developments point in that direction.”

The company’s PW-E100 HT electrical hot water high-pressure cleaner is made from more than 90 per cent of recyclable materials. Equipped with a three-stage high efficiency boiler, the PW-E100 HT is said to be productive and sustainable and can be used in those areas where gas emissions are not allowed.

The issues of health, safety and ergonomics are key requirements for IPC when developing a machine, she says. “Posture is very important, and a few simple details can make all the difference,” she said.

“For example, our high-pressure washers feature handles with adjustable heights to adapt to the operator; and our machines are equipped with accessory holders that ensure the user always has everything at hand without having to bend over or assume awkward positions.

“And the spray guns are equipped with rotating joints to prevent the hose from twisting, which makes it easier to use.”

The ability to clean quickly, thoroughly and efficiently while keeping costs and emissions as low as possible are the main drivers of today’s high-pressure cleaning industry according to DiBO’s communications manager Kat Coppieters.

“Customers demand quiet machines with the lowest possible emissions and with a good total cost of ownership,” she said.

“The removal of viruses and contami-

nants was a very important issue at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we were able to achieve this with steam cleaning technology. But our machines are mainly for outdoor use now that more people have been vaccinated, we feel that the need to hygienically clean outdoor areas has somewhat decreased.”

The issue of graffiti removal has always been a top priority for DiBO, she says, but the topics of health, safety and operator comfort have gradually been coming further to the fore.

“At DiBO we try to think along with the user,” she said. “Safety comes first, but simplicity of operation is also very important to us.” The company’s trailermounted high-pressure machines come equipped with a digital display and a joystick. “The display guides the user through the programme step by step and the joystick is easy to operate, even with gloves,” she said.

Quieter systems An increase in daytime cleaning is another trend shaping the industry, she says.

“We have certainly noticed an increasing demand for quieter systems that fit with daytime cleaning regimes,” she said. “In response to this we have developed a battery-powered machine that is extremely low noise. And it is also low on CO2 emissions, because sustainability is another factor that comes high up on our agenda.”

DiBO’s new battery-powered JMB-ME hot water high-pressure trailer is said to reduce water consumption and reduces the need for chemicals or eliminates it altogether.

Kärcher has seen a definite demand for systems that reduce the viral load, according to high-pressure cleaners product manager Dominik Rauer. But he adds that this actually pre-dated the global pandemic, “Even before Covid-19 there was a trend in several countries towards higher standards of hygiene and the reduction of Continued page 36

November 2021 | ECJ | 35

HIGH-PRESSURE CLEANERS Shaping the industry (continued) viruses - and this is now becoming more important worldwide,” he said. “It is quite common to fight viruses with the use of a disinfectant in combination with a highpressure cleaner. So the ability to disinfect with a high-pressure cleaning system has become a requirement in certain groups over and above the standard use of the equipment.”

Battery power According to Rauer, Kärcher now has proof from an independent institute that Covid-19 can be effectively reduced with hot water alone using the company’s hot water high-pressure cleaner. “Enveloped viruses such as the coronavirus, influenza, ebolavirus and hantavirus can be reduced using water temperatures of 65°C applied to a contaminated surface and with a contact time of under one minute,” he said.

“And non-enveloped adenoviruses are effectively eliminated using temperatures of 75°C and a with contact time of less than five minutes.”

He claims that an increased sensitivity to noise emissions has become a current trend. “Where machines operate during the daytime they need to do so as quietly as possible,” he said. “This means the use of combustion motors is becoming more difficult and battery-powered machines are becoming more important as a result.”

Kärcher’s new HD 4/11 C Bp - launched last year – is claimed by the company to be the industry’s first professional batterypowered high-pressure cleaner.

La demande en systèmes plus silencieux, la nécessité urgente de supprimer les pathogène, le souci de solutions durables et l’intérêt croissant pour la sécurité et l’hygiène des opérateurs exercent des impacts sur le secteur des appareils haute pression.

ECJ examine les tendances du moment et la manière dont les fabricants s’y adaptent.

36 | November 2021 | ECJ

A growing awareness of the need for sustainability is another industry driver, he said. “As an example, the removal of weeds is increasingly being carried out with the use of hot water under high pressure instead of using chemicals,” he said.

“High-pressure systems are also being used for the cleaning of solar and photovoltaic panels.

“And user health and safety is another driving factor in the high-pressure industry, with an increasing focus on ergonomics.” He claims the Kärcher EASY!Force trigger gun – available on machines with an automatic hose reel – to be unique in the market because it dramatically reduces strain on the operator’s hands and fingers.

According to Rauer it is important to consider a high-pressure cleaner as a complete system rather than simply as a machine. “With the aid of the right accessories it becomes a solution and a problem-solver,” he said. Kärcher Der Bedarf nach leiseren Systemen, die dringende Notwendigkeit zur Entfernung von Pathogenen, ein Schwerpunkt auf nachhaltigen Lösungen sowie ein wachsendes Interesse an der Gesundheit und Sicherheit von Bedienern – alle diese Aspekte beeinflussen die Hochdruckbranche. Das ECJ betrachtet die aktuellen Trends und wie die Hersteller von Hochdruckausrüstungen sich anpassen.

offers a complete range of accessories including rotating roller heads and brushes, multipurpose telescopic lances and adapter sets.

Despite the fluid marketplace, the high-pressure cleaning industry has no problem adapting to current trends, according to Rauer. “This is a well-established sector with a long history and due to its versatile nature, the high-pressure sector is always able to react to social trends,” he said.

So, how will the industry evolve in the future? “There will be many more smart accessories developed to perform cleaning tasks even better than they can today,” he said. “Connectivity will also bring further support for daily cleaning tasks, and sustainability will increasingly become in focus. So the use of recycled materials plus the reduction of exhaust gases will drive the industry, and the use of battery-powered products will also be in line with this.”

La richiesta di sistemi più silenziosi, la necessità urgente di eliminare gli agenti patogeni, concentrarsi su soluzioni sostenibili e l’interesse sempre maggiore verso la salute e la sicurezza degli operatori – tutti elementi che stanno incidendo sul settore delle idropulitrici ad alta pressione. ECJ prende in esame le tendenze attuali e come i produttori si stanno adattando.

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PRODUCTS: HIGH-PRESSURE CLEANERS

• Kärcher a mis à jour ses nettoyeurs Classics, qui sont des appareils à eau froide haute pression d’entrée de gamme.

• Les dernières remorques de nettoyage haute pression de DiBO - les JMB-ME et JMB-MG - sont conçues pour une exploitation intensive.

Entry level Kärcher has updated its entrylevel class cold water highpressure cleaners with combustion engines. The new machines in the Classic range boast high performance, robust design and simple handling.

• Kärcher hat seine EinsteigerProduktreihe Classics mit Kaltwasser-Hochdruckreinigern aktualisiert.

• Die neuesten anhängermontierten Hochdruckreiniger von DiBO – JMB-ME und JMB-MG – wurden für intensive Nutzung konzipiert.

• La Kärcher ha aggiornato la sua gamma di base di idropulitrici ad alta pressione e acqua fredda Classics.

• I carrelli per la pulizia ad alta pressione più nuovi della DiBO, i modelli JMB-ME e JMB-MG sono progettati per uso intensivo

38 | November 2021 | ECJ

reduces their weight. This makes them more convenient to carry and control, and easy to store in transport vehicles.

Large wheels and a sliding handle make for maximum manoeuvrability, including on uneven ground. Practical holders make the machines even easier to handle - a hook on the machine keeps the high-pressure hose stowed away safely. www.karcher.com

Intensive use Alongside the flagship model HD 9/25 G Classic, the range includes three other compact, lightweight models. Thanks to their combustion engines they can be used independent of any power supply and all models feature a tubular steel frame that protects the components.

Compared to previous models they are much more compact, says Kärcher, which noticeably

New from DiBO are two highpressure trailers designed for intensive use - the JMB-ME and JMB-MG. Both hot water machines feature ecological benefits, the company says.

For example, these models have been equipped with the new generation DiBO GreenBoiler-CNG, which works on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

This lowers fuel costs while improving efficiency, with lower

CO2 emissions.

The DiBO JMB-ME has a water-cooled electric motor running on a 25 kWh Li-ion battery. The battery management system (BMS) with which the battery is controlled guarantees a long battery life and its performance capacity is maintained.

And thanks to the electric motor the noise level has been lowered to less than 75dB. The DiBO JMB-MG, meanwhile, features a Kubota water-cooled motor that runs entirely on CNG. The CAN-BUS-controlled ECU accurately regulates all motor parameters as controlled by the DiBO control unit. This motor also has a heat recovery system that partly heats the cleaning water in the tank. www.dibo.com

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Turning the tide on waste In this special report, experts at Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) break down some of the key issues affecting workplaces’ progress towards sustainable waste management during the past couple of years – and the solutions businesses can implement to make progress.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has spurred widespread and complex changes to workplaces across Europe. While many of these changes are easily identifiable – such as staff working at home, social distancing in offices and facilities, and increased hand hygiene provisions – another, less obvious impact has been on sustainability.

A leading international manufacturer of hand hygiene, waste and recycling and cleaning solutions, Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) has continued to champion sustainability throughout the pandemic and is supporting facilities as the topic once again rises on businesses’ agenda. Its award-winning Love Recycling initiative offers insights, support, and tools to help businesses reach their recycling goals.

Changing Workplaces, a Europe-wide research programme developed by RCP, uncovered how the pandemic has impacted businesses across multiple sectors to help give them control over the challenges ahead. The research revealed that 74 per cent of businesses are concerned about how the pandemic has affected their sustainability credentials.

With facilities gradually reopening to staff and visitors, and research from IBM revealing that 72 per cent of consumers look for brands that are sustainable and/or environmentally responsible, now is the time for businesses to make

visible, long-term commitments to sustainable practices.

In this special report, the experts at RCP break down some of the key issues affecting workplaces’ progress towards sustainable waste management and the solutions you can implement to advance towards your goals.

Increase in single use products Particularly in the early days of the pandemic, individuals and organisations were reliant on disposable PPE to prevent the spread of Covid-19, leading to a rapid growth in the use of single use products. 66 per cent of Changing Workplaces respondents invested more in disposable products during the pandemic, and 79 per cent found the increase of single use products amongst staff and visitors impacted waste management at their facility.

Although the heavy uptick in reliance on single use products is staggering, fewer than half of these respondents believe this to be a permanent change. The challenge for many workplaces now is to refocus on returning to sustainable working practices and adjusting their targets in line with the pandemic’s impact on their progress.

Split your waste to increase recycling Despite 79 per cent of workplaces struggling to manage waste, only 39 per cent introduced multi-stream waste and/ or recycling systems during the pandemic.

Installing multi-stream waste disposal systems across your facility will enable users to separate waste at source, which in turn allows you to recycle more waste across your facility by preventing the cross-contamination of recyclable and non-recyclable materials.

A multi-stream system is not just a practical choice; actively separating waste to increase your facility’s recycling saves money and demonstrates that your business is committed to environmentally friendly practices, enhancing your reputation among customers, employees, and partners.

Integrating a culture of sustainable waste management practices With over half of Changing Workplaces respondents indicating they intend to review their facility’s waste management and recycling practices following the pandemic, it’s evident that facilities are approaching sustainability with renewed commitment. But 72 per cent of businesses struggled to succeed in their recycling efforts even before the pandemic, indicating many may find themselves stuck at step one.

Take a considered approach Just as various parts of your facility have different functions and user groups, there’s no one-size-fits all solution for your waste management. Challenge yourself to think differently about how you approach recycling and waste management, so you have the right solutions throughout your facility and for each part of your operation. Through its free Love Recycling audit tool, for example, RCP can help you effect changes that will make a difference without costing the earth.

Also, consider the motivations of others at your organisation as well as your facility users when making changes to how you operate your waste management. For example, 44 per cent of Changing Workplaces respondents indicated that they would benefit from support to understand how particular products could save them money, while 40 per cent felt the same way about understanding how a product could save time. From communicating the financial benefits of waste segregation to your board, to providing appropriate training for employees and incentivising compliance, there are many routes to establishing sustainability as a businesswide priority.

Leveraging budgets Changing Workplaces revealed a clear trend of increased budgets, as workplaces grappled with urgent need for more stringent cleaning and hygiene measures.

Continued page 42

November 2021 | ECJ | 41

WASTE MANAGEMENT Turning the tide on waste (continued) However, while 82 per cent of Changing Workplaces respondents reported an uplift in cleaning budgets during the pandemic, only 42 per cent reported a rise in their waste and recycling budget.

As the pandemic has continued, however, there has been a real reversal of fortunes: 50 per cent of people agree that recycling and waste management budgets will increase in the future.

This leaves workplaces with a new conundrum: how to best leverage increased budgets to meet the growing demand for high-quality, sustainable solutions.

Buy better, waste less, recycle Implementing solutions that are manufactured to withstand frequent use over long periods of time is an essential step towards more sustainable practices.

Dans ce rapport spécial, des experts travaillant chez Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) analysent certains des éléments affectant depuis quelques années les progrès vers la gestion durable de déchets sur le lieu de travail, puis considèrent les solutions offertes aux entreprises pour avancer.

42 | November 2021 | ECJ

By investing in long-term solutions that are built to last while budget is available, you can simultaneously future proof your facility and meet heightened expectations from your service users.

Implementing long-term solutions that are built with longevity at their core also reduces the need for your facility to

re-purchase solutions frequently. In turn, this then reduces the waste, costs, and energy generated from remanufacturing, transporting, and installing your solutions, allowing your facility to adopt waste management processes that are sustainable on a holistic level. rubbermaid.eu.

In diesem Sonderbericht analysieren Experten bei Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) einige der wichtigsten Probleme, die in den letzten paar Jahren den Fortschritt an Arbeitsplätzen zu einer nachhaltigen Abfallentsorgung beeinträchtigt haben – und die Lösungen, die Unternehmen implementieren können, um Fortschritte zu erzielen.

In questo servizio speciale, gli esperti della Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) analizzano nei dettagli alcuni dei problemi fondamentali che hanno inciso negli ultimi due anni sullo stato di avanzamento dei luoghi di lavoro verso la gestione sostenibile dei rifiuti e le soluzioni che le imprese possono implementare per fare progressi.

MATTING

Laying the groundwork Lee Fox at Kleen-Tex looks at how floor matting systems can be used to enable cleaning professionals to minimise the transfer of dirt and dust throughout their buildings.

As 2021 draws to a close and we enter the winter season, professionals across a variety of sectors will be preparing themselves for the increased frequency of dirt and debris that will be brought into their premises by the wind, rain and snow.

Last winter, parts of Europe experienced some of the heaviest snowfall in several decades, with temperatures in the east plummeting to freezing due to the transfer of extreme cold air from the Arctic.

As cleaning professionals prepare themselves for similar conditions this winter, the increased levels of snow, sleet and ice that can be easily transported inside a facility will be a leading consideration, even more so as occupancy levels increase with people returning to the workplace and individuals opt to stay indoors to safeguard against the elements.

For premises across Europe this presents numerous issues, with safety a key concern, as the risk of slush and melted snow can lead to dangerously slippery floors if not managed appropriately. The use of salt to grit roads and pavements can cause permanent and irreversible damage to most floor surfaces when tracked indoors which in many cases can lead to costly premature replacement of flooring. Additional cost implications can also be incurred due to the increase in floor cleaning routines and the resources and materials required to successfully control dirt levels.

On average, it is estimated that 90 per cent of all soils, including melted ice and salt, that enter a building are tracked in from the outside, typically on the soles of shoes or wheels.

Here a combination of different floor

matting solutions can be utilised to alleviate the transfer of dirt and bacteria around a building, with correct applications supporting the reduction of up to 90 per cent from entering a premises.

Entrance matting can be perceived by many as being installed for purely aesthetic reasons. However, the careful specification of these types of systems can significantly reduce the level of dirt and moisture tracked in from outside to ensure high footfall areas, such as doorways, corridors and reception areas, are consistently clean.

There are two zones that need to be addressed when choosing floor matting systems for entrances – external and internal. Here the building’s individual requirements must be assessed to ensure each specific area is met, such as location, average footfall and weather. As general best practice, cleaning professionals should look to install a durable weatherproof option that is greater than 1.2 metres in length, so that visitors make contact with both feet when entering the building to remove the highest possible levels of dirt and moisture.

For wheelchair traffic, the dimensions of the matting should be large enough for the wheels to turn twice before making contact with the flooring installed underneath. It’s also crucial to ensure the matting is compliant with relevant national standards concerning slip-resistant surface and firm top layer.

Here the installation of solid rubberbacked mats provide one the most effective options, as the 100 per cent polypropylene surface can hold up to 4.5 litres of water per square metre.

An additional consideration is scraper style matting, as due to its construction and appearance, individuals are visually encouraged to wipe their feet when they see it, further aiding overall dirt control.

Once this area has been addressed, cleaning professionals should then consider what floor matting solutions are required for the indoor entrance. This is

particularly crucial for commercial buildings, which often feature granite, marble, hardwood and ceramic tile flooring, all of which are susceptible to scratches and staining. These smooth types of flooring materials also present potential slip and trip hazards if moisture is allowed into the building.

It is here essential that the correct floor matting system is specified to successfully alleviate these risks, by removing dirt from shoes before occupants step inside. Due to the nature of internal matting, there are a wide range of options to choose from, with different constructions and materials providing greater moisture resistance or inherent quick drying properties, whilst other products may feature heavy duty fibres for optimum durability.

For high stress areas such as the entrances of production facilities, cleaning professionals should consider mats that have a high capacity for dirt capture, whilst also offering significant water holding capabilities.

Bespoke solutions, such as modular matting, should also be considered for commercial locations due to their flexibility to fit any area, size or shaped recess, in addition to being able to easily scale up according to changing requirements.

This includes systems such as concourse tiles, which feature a durable rubber mat for extreme toughness, whilst matrix tiles feature a solid rubber base with solution-dyed nylon wiper pads. Both of these solutions offer superior dirt control properties, slip resistance and unlimited modular sizing.

Without an effective entrance mat, 42 per cent of a floor’s finish across the first 1.8 metres of the entrance can be worn away by just 1,500 people walking across it. This demonstrates the importance, particularly for high traffic areas, to install and maintain dedicated floor matting systems that adequately capture moisture, dust and debris to prevent it from entering a building.

Continued page 44

November 2021 | ECJ | 43

MATTING Laying the groundwork (continued) Taking the next step However, whilst entrance matting will be the primary concern for cleaning professionals when creating winterisation plans, all internal areas of a building will need to be considered. By installing floor matting throughout the reception area and additional spaces that present themselves as key transfer zones, such as communal spaces and landings where visitors frequently use the lift or stairs, it ensures that all areas of the building are adequately protected.

Here cleaning professionals should consider mats that have a high capacity for dirt capture, whilst also offering enhanced levels of aesthetics. By installing a dedicated combination of different systems throughout key areas of a building, À l’approche de la saison hivernale, les professionnels de nombreux secteurs se préparent aux taux accrus de salissures et débris à prévoir dans leurs établissements. Lee Fox, de la société KleenTex, examine la manière dont les systèmes de paillassonnage à travers les bâtiments peuvent minimiser le transfert de salissures et de poussières.

cleaning professionals can successfully optimise safety and flooring durability and longevity, whilst simultaneously reducing cleaning requirements. This not only enables professionals to maximise their commercial cleaning budgets, but adopt a proactive approach to the maintenance of their flooring throughout the winter.

365 day approach Whilst the upcoming winter period will currently be the key focus for cleaning teams across Europe, they should also look to prepare dedicated maintenance plans to minimise the transfer of moisture, dust and dirt throughout their building all year round.

Over the last 30 years, the UK has been on average six per cent wetter than the preceding 30 years, with 2020 presenting Mit Beginn der winterlichen Jahreszeit bereiten sich Geschäftsleute in einer Vielzahl von Branchen darauf vor, dass mehr Schmutz und Fremdkörper in ihre Räumlichkeiten gebracht wird. Lee Fox von Kleen-Tex untersucht, wie das Reinigungspersonal mithilfe von Bodenmattensystemen die Verbreitung von Schmutz und Staub in ihren Gebäuden auf ein Minimum reduzieren kann.

the fifth wettest year on record. This year, many countries across Europe have also experiencing significant flooding, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, England and Scotland.

This increase in rainfall across Europe, which has been largely attributed to climate change, is presenting professionals with the additional challenge of protecting the flooring throughout their premises throughout the entire year. This is requiring a more holistic view of floor matting throughout the industry to understand the practical benefits that various flooring systems provide for different areas of a building, to successfully ensure all possible dirt and moisture is successfully captured and retained 365 days a year. www.kleen-tex.co.uk Mentre entriamo nella stagione invernale, i professionisti di diversi settori si prepareranno per l’aumentata frequenza di sporcizia e detriti che verranno portati all’interno delle loro strutture.

Lee Fox della Kleen-Tex prende in esame come i sistemi di zerbini per i pavimenti possono essere usati per permettere ai professionisti del cleaning di minimizzare il trasferimento di sporcizia e polvere all’interno dei loro edifici.

MAKE MORE OF YOUR FLOOR With more than 50 years experience in mat production and innovation, Kleen-Tex provides a wide range of products to reduce dirt and moisture from entering your premises. þ Keep dirt and moisture at bay þ Reduce slip hazards þ Cut cleaning costs For more information: +44 (0)1204 705070 info@kleen-tex.co.uk

44 | November 2021 | ECJ

www.kleen-tex.co.uk

SWEEPERS

Sweeping into winter Does the task of sweeping become more difficult in winter than at other times of the year?

Ann Laffeaty finds out how far the sweeping challenge changes from season to season - and asks manufacturers how their machines are able to cope with the particular issues that each season represents.

Winter has now well and truly arrived in the northern hemisphere. That means we must all batten down the hatches and look ahead to the longer nights, cooler conditions and the icy roads.

These cold, dark days can be a challenge for many. And the winter months not only cause difficulties for us on a personal level, they can also change the nature of cleaning – particular when it comes to outdoor tasks.

Sweepers are deployed on our streets year-round to pick up the debris left behind by people and nature. Cans, bottles, takeaway containers and other items of packaging all need to be removed from public thoroughfares along with seasonal detritus such as wet autumn leaves, road salt and the twigs and branches left behind after high winds have struck.

During the winter there is therefore inevitably more natural debris to sweep away. But on the other hand, the fact that fewer people tend to be congregating on the streets during the cooler months means there are lower quantities of human-generated waste in public areas.

So bearing in mind these seasonal swings and roundabouts, how much of a challenge does road sweeping pose in the winter?

In fact the task becomes much more

complex, says head of sales at Dawsongroup Sweepers Paul Beddows. “The weather poses significant challenges for the industry,” he said. “Some smaller sweepers operate less efficiently in snowy conditions than the larger models and have a tendency to slide around on icy roads unless the driver has been trained for all-weather conditions.”

Measures taken at municipal level to melt the ice can simply add to the problem, he says. “De-icing grit is not the sweeper’s friend,” says Beddows. “It has a high salt content and can cause the steel elements of the machine to rot if the vehicle is not flushed out and cleaned properly after use. Ensuring all machines are serviced regularly is therefore key to keeping them on the road.”

Challenging weather He concedes that the lower number of people on the streets during winter is an advantage. “However, while the debris collection process might well be simplified when there is less litter on the streets, any time savings are counteracted by the challenges posed by the winter weather conditions,” he said.

According to Beddows, all Dawsongroup vehicles are built to cope with the challenges of every season. “And snow ploughs and gritters can always be added to counteract extreme weather conditions if they are required,” he adds. Dawsongroup supplies chassis-mounted, compact, industrial and pedestrian sweepers for use in a range of environments.

One of the major problems in winter – particularly in Central Europe – is the quantity of road grit that needs to be swept away according to Kärcher’s sweepers product manager Florian Böhm.

“Furthermore, the use of a classic sweeper is very limited once the ground has been covered with a layer of snow or ice,” he adds. “In these situations we can offer specific solutions such as front sweepers, which are primarily used to clear the snow from the ground.”

He adds the challenges of winter can

be offset by people’s behaviour. “Most of us tend to spend more time indoors in the winter months, and this means there is less outdoor rubbish left behind by members of the public,” he said.

IPC’s content marketing and social media manager Chiara Molardi agrees that road salt mixed with snow and ice are among the issues that make winter sweeping a particular challenge.

“However, each season has its own problems and the sweeping challenge is not dictated by the season alone,” she adds. “Weather conditions vary from country to country with colder temperatures typically experienced in the north and warner ones in the south. And street sweeping can be a real issue in large cities where there is a lot of traffic congestion.”

Other factors that can change the scope of the challenge include social issues, pollution and the amount of rubbish to be found on the streets, she says. “For example, in larger cities there is a greater chance that the streets will be littered with debris,” said Molardi.

Sweeper problems are not limited to the winter alone, she adds. “In autumn there is always an issue with huge amounts of foliage whereas in summer – particularly in seaside areas – there will be large quantities of sand and salt carried in by the wind,” she points out.

Two seasons According to Dawsongroup Sweepers’ Paul Beddows there are actually two main sweeping seasons. “The first is surface dressing season which falls between April and October, and the second is leafing season which occurs between October and December,” he said.

Surface dressing season is when the roads are treated to prevent them from deteriorating too quickly, he says. “Once bitumen has been applied to a road, any loose chippings need to be swept away immediately due to the skid risk for other vehicles,” he said. “This process can take its toll on the sweeper over the Continued page 46

November 2021 | ECJ | 45

SWEEPERS Sweeping into winter (continued) packaging, cigarette ends and other types of litter that people have carelessly thrown away.”

He agrees with other commentators that the challenge is environmental as well as seasonal. “In the Middle East there are large amounts of fine sand on the roads – particularly in the summer months,” he said. “This is blown in from the deserts to the towns and cities and on to the roads.

Social behaviour

course of time.

“And during the leafing season, leaves that need to be swept away are typically wet – and this makes the debris heavier than in the summer months. As a result the sweeper will reach its payload more quickly and the machines will have to offload more frequently. And if you don’t have the right machine for the job, this can be a very challenging period for sweeper operators.”

The summer months present their own challenges, he adds. “This is when significantly higher levels of dust and sand appear on the roads. However, this isn’t so much a problem with our machines because the water bar compresses any fine particles to reduce circulation and

Feuilles mouillées, boue, gravillon, neige fondue autant d’éléments à éliminer sur les rues de nos villes en ce temps de l’année et qui font de l’hiver une saison difficile pour le balayage. Mais quels seraient les défis des autres saisons ? Nous interrogeons des fabricants de balayeuses sur les changements de tâches qui interviennent d’une saison à l’autre et sur la manière dont leurs machines y font face.

46 | November 2021 | ECJ

spread,” he said.

He believes the sweeping challenge varies from nation to nation as well as from season to season. “Different countries have their own terrains, some more hilly than others,” he said. “Steep hills present difficulties for sweepers so it is vital that the right sweeper is selected to suit the specific environment.”

Kärcher’s Florian Böhm agrees the large volume of leaves created in the autumn makes it a particularly challenging season.

“Sweepers with the largest possible waste containers are needed to cope with this issue in Europe,” he said.

“And in the summer months, the fact that many more people are outside means more rubbish is created in the form of food

Nasses Laub, Schlamm, Streugut, matschiger Schnee – von all diesen müssen unsere Straßen in dieser Jahreszeit befreit werden, und das macht den Winter zu einer schwierigen Jahreszeit für die Straßenreinigung. Aber welche Herausforderungen gibt es in anderen Jahreszeiten? Wir fragen die Hersteller von Kehrmaschinen, in welchem Maße sich die Aufgabe von Jahreszeit zu Jahreszeit ändert, und wir erfahren, wie ihre Maschinen mit den spezifischen Herausforderungen der jeweiligen Jahreszeiten fertigwerden.

“And the social behaviour of people can also determine how much rubbish ends up on the streets. Every culture has a different perception of cleanliness and hygiene, and this means the requirement for road cleaning varies depending on the location.”

So, which is the most problematical sweeping season of them all? Kärcher’s Florian Böhm says it depends on the region and the application, while IPC’s Molardi feels there is no clear answer.

“However, if we take into consideration the weather conditions and the state of the paths to be cleaned, the most difficult season is probably the winter,” she says.

Dawsongroup Sweepers’ Paul Beddows concurs. “Winter with its hazardous driving conditions and its typically wet weather poses the most risks to operators and fleet,” he says. “And the easiest sweeping season is probably the summer due to the more favourable weather conditions.”

Foglie bagnate, fango, pietruzze, neve ridotta a fanghiglia – tutte cose che devono essere eliminate dalle nostre strade in questo periodo dell’anno che rende l’inverno una stagione difficile per spazzare le strade. Ma quali altre sfide presentano le altre stagioni? Chiediamo ai produttori di spazzatrici stradali in che misura il lavoro di pulizia cambia da stagione a stagione e scopriamo come le loro macchine fanno fronte alla sfida che ogni stagione presenta.

PRODUCTS: SWEEPERS

Medium areas The KM 85/50 W Bp walkbehind sweeper from Kärcher is designed for cleaning of medium-sized areas. It can work for up to two and a half hours on a single battery charge and can be used indoors or outdoors.

The twin-walled frame and impact-protected side brushes protect the machine when working near edges. The rotating sweeper roller is pendulummounted and adjusts to different surfaces. Sweeper roller and side brush can be changed without tools - the working width with one side brush is 850 mm, with an optional second brush

this increases to 1,050 mm. www.karcher.com

Ride-on RCM has updated its ATOM.3 ride-on sweeper with improved ergonomics to allow longer work shifts with greater comfort and safety for the operator. Improvements include less distance between the seat and the pedal, ergonomic and adjustable seat, light steering, non-slip platform and steering controls.

Maintenance is also simpler as brushes can be adjusted and replaced without tools, and the hood opens completely. The Energy Saver system increases range while the electric motors stop after 15 seconds of inactivity to save on energy. www.rcm.it

Sweeper robot ECOBOT Sweeper 111 is a sweeper robot designed for

heavy-duty cleaning in large indoor and outdoor environments.

This machine cleans up to 5,500 square metres per hour and boasts close-to-the-edge cleaning thanks to the teachand-repeat mode. 360° visibility is possible thanks to over 30 sensors (including 3D LiDAR) all over the machine body.

Precision navigation within 2 cm is possible thanks to 3D LiDAR, and it takes 30 minutes to map a 2,000 square metre site - a single map of up to 300,000 square metres can be made.

The lithium ion phosphate battery has up to 2,000 cycles, with up to seven hours of runtime on a single charge. An optional charging dock is available for automatic charging. www.gaussianrobotics.com

• La balayeuse accompagnée KM85/50 W Bp de Kärcher est destinée à travailler sur des superficies de 900 à 6000 mètres carrés.

• La balayeuse autoportée ATOM.3 de RCM a été mise à niveau par de nouvelles fonctionnalités ergonomiques et opérationnelles.

• La balayeuse ECOBOT 111 de Gaussian Robotics est un robot conçu pour le nettoyage grand rendement.

•Die handgeführte Kehrmaschine KM85/50 W Bp von Kärcher wurde für Bereiche zwischen 900 und 6.000 Quadratmetern konzipiert.

• Die Aufsitz-Kehrmaschine ATOM.3 von RCM wurde mit neuen ergonomischen und betrieblichen Merkmalen aktualisiert.

• Beim ECOBOT Sweeper 111 von Gaussian Robotics handelt es sich um einen Roboter, der für hochleistungsfähige Reinigung konzipiert wurde.

• La spazzatrice KM85/50 W Bp con operatore a terra della Kärcher è progettata per aree fra i 900 e i 6.000 metri quadrati.

• La spazzatrice con operatore a bordo ATOM.3 della RCM è stata potenziata con delle nuove caratteristiche ergonomiche e di funzionamento.

• Il modello ECOBOT Sweeper 111 della Gaussian Robotics è una macchina robotica progettata per le pulizie industriali pesanti.

November 2021 | ECJ | 47

PRODUCT REVIEW

• Vepa Bins, un spécialiste des conteneurs de déchets, a lancé deux nouvelles poubelles fabriquées à 100 pour cent en matériaux recyclés.

• LionsBot a développé le Rex, son premier robot de nettoyage « king size » pour de grands espaces commerciaux.

• Le plus récent tissu de nettoyage Tork de service sévère et à base biologique est fabriqué à 99 pour cent à partir de fibres végétales.

• Handy Dryers a profité de la collaboration d’un écolier de 12 ans pour concevoir un nouveau sèche-mains, le Zebrillo.

• Le dernier né de la gamme Sky Pro de systèmes automatiques de nettoyage de vitres et de façades est le Skyscraper Cleaning System.

• Vepa Bins, der Spezialist für Mülleimer, hat zwei neue Mülleimer vorgestellt, die vollständig aus Recyclingmaterialien hergestellt werden.

• LionsBot hat den ersten besonders großen, autonomen Reinigungsroboter für große kommerzielle Räume entwickelt: Rex. • Das Tork Biobased Heavy-Duty Cleaning Cloth von Essity wird zu 99 Prozent aus pflanzenbasierten Fasern hergestellt.

• Handy Dryers arbeitet zusammen mit einem 12-jährigen Schüler, um einen neuen Händetrockner mit dem Namen Zebrillo zu entwerfen.

• Das neueste Modell in der Produktreihe Sky Pro mit automatischen Fenster- und Fassadenreinigungssystemen ist das Skyscraper Cleaning System.

• La Vepa Bins, specializzata in raccoglitori per rifiuti, ha lanciato due nuove pattumiere prodotte per il 100 per cento con materiali riciclati.

• La LionsBot ha sviluppato Rex, il suo primo robot di pulizia autonomo ‘king-size’ per gli spazi commerciali di grandi dimensioni.

• Il panno Tork Biobased HeavyDuty Cleaning Cloth della Essity è prodotto con il 99 per cento di fibre vegetali.

• La Handy Dryers ha unito le forze con uno studente di 12 anni per progettare un nuovo asciugamani chiamato Zebrillo.

• Il modello più recente della gamma Sky Pro di sistemi per il lavaggio automatico delle finestre e delle facciate è Skyscraper Cleaning System.

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Recycled bins Waste bin specialist Vepa Bins developed the BonTon and BrickBin products to enable easier and more efficient waste management.

Modular separation unit BonTon is made of 100 per cent recycled polypropylene from

construction and demolition waste as well as bulky waste.

BrickBin, meanwhile, is made of different recycled materials for example bottle tops, recycled artificial grass and coffee residue.

Both units can easily be connected together to form a complete waste separation unit. This means products such as paper, plastic, organic waste, cups and residual waste can be collected separately at a central location within a building. www.vepabins.nl

King-size robot New from robotic cleaning machines specialist LionsBot is Rex, its first ‘king-size’ autonomous floor scrubber for large commercial spaces. Designed for ease of operation and accessibility, a single cleaner can handle several robots at the same time via the LionsClean app, freeing up their time to perform more specialist tasks.

Said to be capable of navigating tight corners, the Rex has a brush width of 81 cm and a turning radius of 2.5 metres - water tank and wastewater tank are both 140 litres. Battery runtime is up to six hours, with

a maximum speed of 1.4 metres per second, so up to 4,032 square metres an hour can be covered. Two 16-inch brushes deliver up to 80 kg of downward pressure while the chemical dosing system accurately controls the ratio of chemicals to water. The Rex also features a defoamer cleaning system.

The machine can be operated via three methods – the LionsClean mobile app, a touchscreen interface on the robot’s body or manually with the handlebar. Ambient lighting and in-built speakers contribute to the robot’s ‘personality’.

The Rex is powered by a highdefinition precision 3D LiDAR sensor. With 32 lasers, four depth cameras and three sonar sensors, it has a scan coverage diameter of 200 metres, enabling it to scan its environment comprehensively and optimise its cleaning path accordingly.

Obstacle tracking guarantees safety while providing consistent cleaning quality with better localisation and accuracy.

Finally, the Rex has autodocking capabilities. After each cleaning cycle it automatically returns to the docking station where it charges and manages its solution levels with automated rinsing and water exchange. www.lionsbot.com

Ecological cloth

Designed to help customers meet their sustainability goals is the new Tork Biobased HeavyDuty Cleaning Cloth from Essity.

Made from 99 per cent plantbased, sustainably-sourced fibres, it has been certified as OK Biobased by TÜV Austria.

Capable of handling both light and heavy-duty cleaning tasks, these cloths are suitable for mopping up water, oil and grease-based spills. They have

a durable design for longer life, helping to reduce costs and consumption. And the fact they are dispensed one at a time from the pack means waste is reduced because users only take out what they need. www.tork.co.uk

New talent Warm air hand dryer manufacturer Handy Dryers has teamed up with a 12 year old schoolboy to design a new model. Budding engineer Zach Cosham approached the company with an idea for a dryer called the Zebrillo. His objective was to deliver an effective dry, minimise noise levels and promote healthy hand hygiene to young people during the pandemic.

Managing director Steven Levy was so impressed that he decided to bring Zach’s ideas to life. So the Zebrillo is going into production and will launch early in 2022. www.handydryers.co.uk

Automatic Sky Pro, developer of automated window and façade cleaning technologies, has a new model in its range - the Sky Pro Skyscraper Cleaning System. This can be retrofitted on existing scaffolding, BMUs or monorail systems, or constructed into a new building.

The system is operated by a minimum of one person on the platform - the rotating brush moves from side to side, cleaning not only windows but also the surface of the building exterior.

The technology behind the Sky Pro systems is similar to that used in car washes, with machines mostly running on pure water. Water is passed through an RO/DI water filtration system that removes minerals - this means smear-free windows without the need for manual drying. www.skypro.com