SUSTAINABILITY
Green light for
sustainability
Sustainable practices around people, products, and procurement are crucial for the success of many cleaning and facility management companies in New Zealand – global pandemic or not. Words Cameron Cooper
W
ith the emphasis on doing deep-cleans and wiping out viruses during the pandemic, some sceptics may have expected environmental issues to fall off the radar for cleaning service companies and suppliers. Not Sarel Bloem, executive general manager of PPCS, a leading professional provider of facility and cleaning services throughout New Zealand. He is spearheading the business’s long-term sustainability drive and believes high-quality, green cleaning products are viable in any market at any time. “I don’t agree that we have to move away from sustainable products because of COVID-19,” he says. “There’s a lot of sustainable products that do kill the coronavirus and other viruses.” The business prides itself on using environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals and agents; minimising the use of power, water and chemicals; and cutting carbon emissions through means such as using fuel-efficient vehicles. 22 INCLEAN NEW ZEALAND November 2021
“We could use the pandemic as an excuse to go back to the bleaches of the world that kill anything and everything, including the environment, but we’ve made sure that we don’t do that,” Bloem says.
KEEPING THE FAITH While OCS has had to reconsider the use of some chemicals during COVID-19, the business’s managing director Australia & New Zealand, Gareth Marriott, says if anything his team has upped the ante on its strong environmental and social pledges. “As an industry, and certainly it is the case with ourselves, we’re even more committed to our sustainability goals,” says Marriott, who oversees 25 New Zealand branches and operations in Australia that handle facility management services and commercial cleaning. “We’ve seen massive reductions in our carbon emissions during the pandemic due to lower travel movements. This has made many industries, not just cleaning, realise the possibilities of reducing travel and embracing
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We want to see our business thriving and supporting future generations and the only way we can do that is to ensure that we are contributing towards a more sustainable future.
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