Lorcan Mekitarian, Chair of the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association, reports.
The Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA) report on sustainability is designed to help buyers of cleaning and hygiene products select ethically and environmentally sustainable solutions.
The report compiles information from our members, who comprise manufacturers and distributors of cleaning and hygiene products. Manufacturing members include multinationals with a global footprint and major UK-based independent manufacturers. Distributor members span national networks to privately owned independent businesses.
The report compiled our members’ responses to three important and wide-ranging questions:
1. What are the major carbon-reduction initiatives and changes taking place in the industry?
2. What types of initiative or approach should be specified in tenders?
3. What should buyers be aware of or avoid and how do they identify greenwashing claims.
The Major Carbon-Reduction Initiatives
The focus of the major carbon reduction initiatives is the move from a linear mode of ‘take, make, use, throw’ to a circular economy of re-use, re-manufacture, repair and recycle. Our members highlighted their commitment to designing-in recyclability at the end of the product’s life cycle and using a high content of recycled material where possible. They are also minimising the use of raw materials by developing.
The two big areas of focus for transport and distribution are the vehicles themselves and delivery efficiency. Investment in expensive electric vehicles may be the attention-catching headline but members are getting important cumulative wins by improving delivery efficiency. They are investing in route planning software to reduce transport miles and working with customers to help them accept large, less frequent and less urgent deliveries.
In relation to corporate environmental impact, many manufacturing processes are energy intensive. To reduce emissions, our members are adopting renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power and investing in technologies and processes that improve energy efficiency. They are also making sure they take the simple steps, such as switching to LED lighting and online meetings, and using eco settings on all devices. Our members are also focusing on measurement – to reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, our members are making sure they understand their baseline.
Initiatives to Specify in Tenders
CHSA members are encouraging buyers to develop a consistent approach for responsible supplier assessment. The first step is to require a sustainability strategy, which includes a life cycle assessment of carbon emissions, quantified and measured independently where possible. To evaluate the strategy, CHSA members recommend buyers ask for information on the resources the organisation is committing to sustainability. It will indicate their seriousness. Seeking independent certifications is also important. For example FSC or PEFC address responsible forestry, sustainable sourcing and chain of custody. EcoVardis, CDP and Sedex are tools that monitor your supply chain’s sustainability. Finally, it’s important to instigate quality assurance checks post award of the tender. They should include site visits and relevant audits.
Identify and Avoid Greenwashing Claims
To avoid being caught out by greenwashing claims, buyers need to be informed. This means knowing about and understanding legislative developments. It also means understanding the truth of terms like ‘biodegradable’, ‘compostable’, ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘natural’. Buyers must also consider the whole lifecycle and instead of taking product and service sustainability claims at face value, buyers need to challenge them, asking for evidence. In particular, beware absolute claims. It is impossible to have, for example, zero environmental impact or be 100% sustainable and no plastic sack is made from 100% recycled material.Greenwashing claims also often focus on one aspect of the product’s lifecycle while ignoring others such as transport, disposal or the use of hazardous materials.
The full report as well as more information and resources are available on the CHSA website: https://chsa.co.uk/roadmap-to-sustainability/.
www.chsa.co.uk
About the contributor
Lorcan Mekitarian
Chair
CHSA