Sustainable Facility - November 2008 - (Page 34)

Connecting Sustainability and Green Cleaning >> BY STEPHEN P. ASHKIN R ecently, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Foundation released a new book, “The Business of Green Cleaning,” speciﬁcally to help facility managers around the world connect sustainability and cleaning practices. The book makes the case that the origins begin in 1993 when U.S. Presidential Executive Order 12873 (reauthorized in 1998 as Executive Order 13101) focused the purchasing power of the U.S. Federal Government on “environmentally preferable” products. This Executive Order deﬁned “environmentally preferable,” which is used interchangeably with green, as “reducing the health and environmental impacts compared to similar products and services used for the same purpose.” Based on this deﬁnition, green cleaning in its simplest form became deﬁned as “cleaning to protect health without harming the environment.” Today, green chemicals, paper, janitorial equipment, plastic liners and other items used in the cleaning process are widely available and cost competitive compared to their traditional counterparts. impacts. This is particularly important because of cleaning’s labor-intense nature, and the need to reduce harmful exposure to both cleaning workers and building occupants in addition to reducing environmental impacts. The deﬁnition further characterizes green as a comparison. It does not suggest that traditional cleaning products purchased or speciﬁed by facility managers are inherently bad for health or the environment. Rather, the deﬁnition aligns with the process of continual improvement where the emphasis of the improvement is health and the environment, rather than a more traditional selection criterion, which would place performance and cost as the highest priorities. The deﬁnition goes on to state that the “comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, or disposal of the product or service.” While it clearly points to the entire life cycle of the products, it also recognizes improvements can occur during the operation and maintenance or use-stage of the products or service. This is particularly important because cleaning is labor or process intensive, and if used incorrectly, the potential beneﬁts of a green cleaning program can be negated. This can actually result in increased health and environmental problems. Furthermore, life-cycle assessments of cleaning products typically indicate that the use-stage of cleaning products can represent more than 50 percent of the total impacts. This recognition has led to a further reﬁning of the deﬁnition. EVOLVING CONCEPTS MINIMIZE HARM Green cleaning has evolved beyond just a speciﬁc product or service, and is best thought of as a concept or thought process that focuses on creating a healthy, safe and attractive building while minimizing harmful impacts. It encompasses many concepts such as continual improvement, stewardship and other issues beyond just those associated with cleaning, health and the environment. Operationally, green cleaning is tied closely to the concept of sustainability and the triplebottom line (economic, social, environmental). The concept of sustainability is derived from the United Nations, which, in 1987, published the Report of the Brundtland Commission, “Our Common Future.” The Brundtland Commission deﬁned sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” While the cleaning industry is certainly not primarily responsible for today’s global environmental problems, its impacts are signiﬁcant due to the sheer size of the industry. Facility managers who specify and purchase cleaning products and services can make an important contribution to addressing these issues. This is especially true as green cleaning products and practices are now widely available. Facility managers can ask more from their suppliers, and ultimately purchase green products and services from green companies by insisting that their suppliers integrate these practices themselves. REFINING THE DEFINITION OF GREEN CLEANING This deﬁnition characterizes green as simultaneously addressing environmental and health SUPPLIER BEST PRACTICES In the U.S., the commercial, industrial and institutional cleaning industry (non-residential) is comprised of approximately 100,000 companies. Many of these have multiple buildings and numerous trucks, cars and other delivery and service vehicles, and all of which consume fuels and contribute to environmental impact. This represents an opportunity to select suppliers based on that supplier’s sustainable practices. The industry itself manufacturers and consumes approximately 6.2 billion ■ Green cleaning is best thought of as a concept or thought process that focuses on creating a healthy, safe and attractive building while minimizing harmful impacts. >> Photo courtesy of Enviro-Solutions. 34 S U S TA I N A B L E F A C I L I T Y NOVE M B E R 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Facility - November 2008

Sustainable Facility - November 2008 Contents Editorial Industry Watch Web TOC New and Notable The Case for Daytime Cleaning Commitment to Energy Effi ciency and Sustainability Finding the Green Solar for the Commercial and Industrial Sector: What’s Hot Now? Connecting Sustainability and Green Cleaning Recycling Rechargeable Batteries Sharing Best Practices The Consultant Conundrum Sharing the Facilities Management Burden The Building Owner’s and Operator’s Sustainability Solution: Energy Audits Greenbuild: Green Product Buzz Guide Product Focus Marketplace and Classifieds Advertiser’s Index Initiatives

Sustainable Facility - November 2008

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