Driving Innovation in the Cleaning & Hygiene Industry
By David Cousins, Divisional Managing Director at Bunzl
The cleaning and hygiene industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace. At Bunzl Cleaning & Hygiene Supplies (BCHS), we pride ourselves on leading with innovative solutions, and staying ahead of industry trends to help customers enhance efficiency and sustainability.
Automation and smart technologies are rapidly gaining traction, offering solutions to evolving labour demands while delivering more efficient and environmentally sustainable services. Advancements in AI and automation are addressing key challenges, such as labour shortages and reliability concerns, reshaping the industry’s future.
The Rise of Cobotics
Cobotics (collaborative robotics) are revolutionised the industry by reducing costs, saving time, and improving efficiency. Rather than replacing human labour, cobotics augment it, allowing workers to focus on skilled tasks without fear of job displacement. By integrating intelligent automation, businesses can allocate resources effectively and enhance productivity.
Cobotics combine AI, cutting-edge sensors, and human expertise to create seamless cleaning solutions. At BCHS, our machines division, Bunzl Cleaning Machine Solutions (BCMS) has embraced this evolution, integrating cobots into our offerings. In partnership with world-renowned manufacturer’s Gausium and Pudu, we help customers select the most suitable cobotic solutions to enhance efficiency and elevate cleaning standards.
Cobotics maintain consistent performance while reducing reliance on manual labour, ensuring high hygiene standards in industries like commercial office cleaning, healthcare, education, hospitality, and retail. Autonomous cleaning tasks allow businesses to reallocate resources toward higher-value activities, ultimately driving productivity and customer satisfaction.
Data-Driven Innovation: Sustainable Insights
As innovation continues to shape the industry, the Sustainability Team at BCHS identified a need for accurate data analysis to guide customers in selecting effective, sustainable cleaning products. In response, we developed Sustainable Insights, an extension of our award-winning Sustainable Solutions initiative. This reporting tool provides insights into sustainability savings, including plastic reduction, and waste minimisation, with sustainable and innovative alternative recommendations.
Access to such data empowers businesses to align with sustainability goals while embracing innovative cleaning products and services. Businesses prioritising sustainable practices can meet corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments while improving efficiency. Sustainable Insights offers transparency, allowing organisations to track progress and refine sustainability strategies. Recognising the incredible work behind our Sustainable Solutions impact report, BCHS are finalists for the Metsa Sustainability Awards 2025 for ‘Best Sustainability Marketing Campaign’.
The need for highly skilled cleaning operatives with viewable training records
Recognising this need, BCHS launched Advantage Learn, an online training platform designed by industry experts for cleaning professionals. Advantage Learn is another addition to BCHS’s highly successful and industry leading Advantage digital platform.
Developed with input from renowned industry experts, Lorriane Larman and Lynn Webster, Advantage Learn provides brand-independent training resources tailored to the training needs of operational teams; available 24/7 and soon to be in multiple languages too, this platform equips cleaning operates with the required essential skills and best practices in a very easy to use self-serve manner
Hosted on a Training Management System (LMS) , Advantage Learn ensures compliance with industry regulations and safety standards through structured video based training courses. The system also allows the user to print individual training certificates of courses completed with everything hosted on a single platform that allows Management to view and monitor the training records of every individual worker and team. Advantage Learn’s innovative platform enhances workforce competency, reduces training costs, allows the quick deployment of trained labour, supports professional development, driving continuous improved cleaning performance in a time efficient and easy to use manner.
Looking Ahead
The cleaning and hygiene industry is constantly evolving, with new trends emerging rapidly. At BCHS, staying ahead of these innovations enables us to support customers in becoming more efficient and sustainable. From autonomous cleaning technology to high impact reporting tools and training platforms, we remain committed to pioneering change and showcasing them to our customers.
As we look to the future, we anticipate the next wave of innovations that will further transform the industry. Through collaboration with industry leaders and technological advancements, we aim to shape a cleaner, more sustainable, and more efficient future for all. All these innovations will be showcased at our stand (Stand B5) during The Cleaning Show London 2025, where we look to share our insights with fellow industry professionals.
David Cousins is one of the Ambassadors for The Cleaning Show 2025.
The exhibition will take place at ExCeL London from 18 – 20 March 2025. Registration for The Cleaning Show 2025 is now open. Entry remains free, but visitors should pre-register online.
To register and find out more about this year’s event, visit https://cleaningshow.co.uk/london/