Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 11th April 2024 Issue no. 1109
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Sustainability tops most important customer demands for cleaning businesses in 2023
Almost four in five cleaning businesses say that sustainability will be of greatest importance to their customers in 2023 - an increase of over 25% from last year.
The data, revealed by cleaning equipment manufacturer and distributor, Robert Scott, shows that 78% of cleaning businesses surveyed expect the sustainability of their products and business practices to top the list of their customers' priorities this year.
By comparison, in 2022 around half (51%) of respondents said that sustainability would be very or somewhat important to their customers.
"Sustainability remains an incredibly important customer demand for cleaning businesses and it's interesting to observe such a considerable jump in the number of organisations admitting that it will be of increasing importance to their customers this year,” says Alastair Scott, sales director at Robert Scott.
"This is extremely encouraging for our sector, which has historically been one of the biggest contributors to waste and contamination. We've made it a priority to inform and educate our customers on ways to reduce their environmental impact, as well as investing in innovation to bring new products to market with greater sustainable benefits. It's clear to see the impact that collectively building a greater awareness of sustainability is having on manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and their customers across the board."
When asked what the most important trends for the cleaning industry are likely to be in the next year, over a third (34%) of businesses said “sustainable cleaning”, while 27% cited “reducing plastic waste”.
However, a majority of respondents (68%) said that demonstrating value for money would be the biggest priority in the coming year. "Given the current economic climate, it's not surprising that businesses expect value for money to be a dominating trend," adds Alastair. "This will need to be well-balanced with wider trends towards increased sustainability by highlighting the long-term value for money that can be achieved by reducing environmental impact.
"Products that have strong sustainability credentials and, most importantly, evidence of green claims are likely to be more appealing to customers in the first instance. Demonstrating value for money comes when products can be incorporated into circular business models to reduce waste and keep valuable materials in supply chains, for example.
"Products with improved durability and longevity will also make a compelling value proposition for customers, while providing an opportunity for businesses to engage with end users. This is where training and education can be offered to customers as added value to ensure reusable products are being used effectively to last longer and maintain optimum cleaning and hygiene standards."
Robert Scott is a fourth-generation family business, dating back to 1925 when the company was founded by James Scott in a cotton mill. One of the UK's largest designers, manufacturers, importers, and stockists of cleaning products for the professional janitorial market, it is thought to be UK's largest mop manufacturer, delivering over half a million mops each week to its customer base of over 1,500 businesses.
Robert Scott is the UK's only distributor of Toucan Eco - a cleaning system that uses nothing more than water, salt and electricity to create a powerful, eco-friendly disinfectant cleaning solution.
26th January 2023