News, Views & Comments from the World of Building Service Contractors WFBSC ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Diversey Sturtevant, WI 262-631-4001 www.sealedair.com Kaercher Germany www.kaercher.com WFBSC MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS Association de Empresas de Limpieza Buenos Aires, Argentina Norberto Peluso [email protected] Building Service Contractors Association of Australia Crows Nest, NSW, Australia [email protected] Quebec Building Service Contractors Association, Inc. Montreal, Quebec, Canada Roger Gauthier - [email protected] Building Service Contractors Association International Chicago, Illinois, USA Chris Mundschenk - [email protected] Building Service Contractors of New Zealand,Inc. Auckland, New Zealand Marja Verkerk - [email protected] Bundesinnungsverband des Gebaeudereiniger- Handwerks Bonn, Germany Johannes Bungart [email protected] Cleaning and Support Services Association London, United Kingdom Linda Casey [email protected] Feb 2014 Final preparations underway for The World Federation of Building Service Contractors congress in New York The 20th Conference is now just over a month away and delegates can look forward to presentations by some of the biggest names in the industry. leadership; Jim Collin, student and teacher of enduring great companies; and Dr Richard Besser, worldwide healthcare expert. It’s due to take place from the 6th -9th April with content organised around three ‘big ideas’ designed to help contractors grow their businesses over the coming years - strategy, health and people. There will also be a panel from the industry, comprising Henrik Slipsager of ABM Industries, Jeff Gravenhorst of ISS, Markus Asch of Kärcher, Stan Doobin from Harvard Maintenance, Claude Bigras of GDI Facility Services, Martyn Freeman from MITIE, OCS International’s Chris Cracknell and Dr Ilham Kadri from Sealed Air Diversey Care. Keynote speakers include Peter Diamandis, co author of the New York Times bestselling book Abundance The Future is Better Than You Think; Steve Forbes, chairman at Forbes Media and internationally respected authority on economics, finance and corporate Ticket and booking information can be found here: www.WFBSC2014.com Febrac Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil Adonai Arruda [email protected] Ricardo Garcia - [email protected] Building Managers Association of the ROC Taipei, Taiwan Kenneth Kao - [email protected] Federation des Enterprises de Proprete Paris, France Carol Sintes [email protected] Japan Building Maintenance Association Tokyo, Japan Keizo Kozen [email protected] Korean Association of Sanitary Maintenance Seoul, Korea Young Hoi Um [email protected] OSB S’Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands [email protected] Page 1 Ecolab Launches Nexa™ Hand Hygiene Platform to Help Reduce the Spread of Infectious Diseases A new hand hygiene dispensing platform that makes it easier to promote good hand-washing practices and reduce the spread of infectious diseases has been introduced by Ecolab. Named Nexa™ this simple to use platform can dispense an array of Ecolab hand hygiene products, which, it is hoped, will reduce the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare, foodservice, hospitality, long-term care and commercial facilities. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 80 percent of all infections are transmitted by hands, and hand washing is the single most effective way to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. Failing to sufficiently wash one’s hands significantly contributes to the spread of foodborne illness outbreaks and also to the 1.7 million hospital-acquired infections that occur in the U.S. each year. A June 2013 study by Michigan State University found that only five percent of those observed in public washrooms washed their hands long enough to remove dangerous bacteria. “The reasons for poor hand hygiene can range from individuals not fully understanding the health risks to feeling they are too busy,” said Dr. Andy Cooper, vice president of Research, Development & Engineering at Ecolab. “We’ve designed Nexa to deliver on key aesthetic and functionality needs, while being flexible and simple to use in our varying customer locations. Nexa also incorporates key design elements that meet our customers’ unique needs, such as creating an antimicrobial push bar for the manual dispenser to help inhibit the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew.” Depending upon the product used, Nexa dispensers can be installed near commercial kitchen sinks, in restrooms and public spaces of commercial buildings, and at nurses’ stations, in patient rooms and in public areas of healthcare facilities. A new campaign has been launched aimed at persuading consumers to lower laundry wash temperatures Families across Europe are being asked to wash at lower temperatures in a bid to help the environment and protect over stretched household budgets Headed by AISE (International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products), the ‘I prefer 30°’ campaign is running in five countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy & UK) in coordination with each national association. WWW.IPREFER30.EU The campaign is asking people to consider the temperature at which they are washing their laundry in a bid to drive down the average wash temperature of domestic laundry washing. “This change is not only one which is good for the environment, but clothes will last longer and it will help reduce the amount of energy consumed through electricity. It’s a simple and easy gesture which can really make all the difference,” the campaign literature states. Washing at 30°C is fine in most domestic circumstances. However, it is necessary to wash at 60°C for heavy soiling, for example, or when someone is ill. In addition, items that are used in the kitchen during food preparation and uniforms of healthcare workers should all be washed at 60°C with an active oxygen bleach detergent or additive. In the UK detergent products are represented by UKCPI (UK Cleaning Products Industry Association). The campaign in 2014 will see members of the public encouraged to consider laundry washing at a lower temperature with help from consumer partners including the fashion/ textile industry, retailers, appliance manufacturers, and other interested stakeholders. It will feature in magazine ads, web ads and Point of Sale material at participating outlets in the coming months. Page 2 American Cleaning Institute Launches Charter for Sustainable Cleaning The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) has launched the Charter for Sustainable Cleaning, a voluntary initiative to promote and demonstrate continual improvement in the cleaning products industry’s sustainability profile. The charter was unveiled during the ACI’s 2014 Annual Meeting & Industry Convention. of sustainability relative to the cleaning product supply chain,” said Ernie Rosenberg, ACI president & CEO. The charter, which is designed to go beyond basic legal requirements, provides a framework for driving the industry toward common sustainability goals. It requires companies to have systems in place for continual assessment, review and improvement of sustainability performance, including raw material selection, resource use, and occupational health and safety at every important stage of the product life cycle. 1 Charter companies must formally commit to the ACI Principles for Sustainability. “By participating in the charter, companies will have a means of demonstrating their commitment to continuous improvement in key aspects The charter exists as a guideline for best practices in sustainability and consists of three required components: 2 Charter companies must participate in ACI’s Sustainability Metrics Program. “ACI’s Charter for Sustainable Cleaning creates a credible industry-wide initiative for continual assessment, review and improvement of sustainability performance at major stages of the product life cycle,” said Brian Sansoni, ACI vice president of sustainability initiatives. The ACI charter is based in part on the A.I.S.E. Charter for Sustainable Cleaning, a voluntary initiative of the European soaps, detergents and maintenance products industry developed by ACI’s sister trade association, A.I.S.E. 3 Charter companies must work toward implementing a set of Essential Sustainability Procedures and Activities (SPAs), which apply to the design, raw material use, manufacture, consumer use and disposal of products and packaging to become members of the Charter. China send out air pollution inspectors CHINA’S environment ministry says it has sent inspectors to Beijing and other areas of the country to inspect polluting industries and check construction sites amid a spell of severe air pollution. Twelve teams will inspect factories, including those producing steel, coal, glass and cement, in Beijing, nearby Tianjin city and neighbouring Hebei province, as well as their surrounding areas, the ministry said. While heavily polluting industries have emissions standards, they are not necessarily enforced, and local governments often still favour pollutionintensive projects that can generate economic growth. The teams will review the local governments’ responses to the bad air over the past few days, it said, adding that any violations found would be publicised. Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, on Sunday ordered 20 per cent of private vehicles off the roads in urban areas based licence plate numbers, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The government is eager to bring about a visible improvement in China’s bad air, which has caused discontent among its citizens and tarnished the country’s image abroad. On Friday, Beijing raised its pollution alert to the second-highest level for the first time, which meant some manufacturing plants had to suspend or reduce production, and that demolition work, barbecues and fireworks were banned. Xinhua said that almost all provinces in central and east China had had serious air pollution since Friday, and that Beijing and five provinces in northern and eastern China had reported “severe smog.” Page 3 Finalists announced for Amsterdam Innovation Award 2014 The jury of the 10th edition of the ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam Innovation Award has selected its 10 final nominees from a total of 66 entries. The overall winner, the category winners and visitors’ choice winner of this international prize for the best innovation in the professional cleaning industry will be announced during the award ceremony on the opening day of ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam, on May 6. The following 10 nominees are selected as top three in their category: Machines, accessories and components • T17 battery powered heavy-duty ride-on scrubber, Tennant • VISIOAIR, Teinnova • Discomatic Mambo, Wetrok Equipment/tools for cleaning, care and safety • B 60/10 C, Kärcher • Biotech, Sofidel • Orbio OS3, Tennant Management, Training Solutions and Related Products • Alpheios ExpertAtHand, Alpheios • European Cleaning Machines Recycling, ECMR •Hako-Fleet-ManagementSolutions, Hako • Kärcher Fleet Services, Kärcher Chair of the Amsterdam Innovation Award jury Michelle Marshall, also editor of ECJ said: “Once again the jury has been impressed with the high standard of entries for this year’s award, and the considerable work that has gone into preparing each entry. “Across the various categories we have seen a most interesting mix, a range of products that really demonstrates how much manufacturers are developing solutions that take into account the genuine day-to-day needs of their customers.” She added: “As demonstrated in previous years, the sustainability trend is proving it is very much here to stay and we continue to see new products that use less water, energy and chemicals. Not only that, they have also been manufactured using more environmentally conscious methods and with an eye on the total life cycle impact. The jury will jointly select the three category winners and one overall winner after a live presentation and demonstration of the 10 nominated products before the exhibition. Visitors can also participate by nominating their overall winner for the Visitors’ Choice Award, which will also be presented on the opening day of ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam. Awards for sustainability In France three cleaning companies have been handed awards for sustainability The award ceremony, which took place at the end of January, was set up by the Federation of Cleaning Companies to recognise both large and small firms’ commitment to the environment. The judges were comprised of personalities known for their expertise in sustainable development, and were chaired by Patricia Savin, a lawyer at the Paris Bar who now heads the Savin Martinet Associates. In total 13 French companies from right across the cleaning industry took part in the awards evening which is now in its third year. The winner in the large company category was ISOR (5,242 employees) which was recognized for its overall commitment to environmental, social and economic, values, which the judges said, was at the heart of its strategy. In the medium enterprises category the award went to ADC CLEANLINESS (226 employees) for its ongoing sustainable development work. There was also a special SME prize for TRAPEZE (22 employees) who specialise in difficult access work. This small company has put in place a strategy for sustainable development, based on the ISO 26000 guide. The purpose of the awards is to promote the activities of French cleaning companies who can innovate to find new ways of operating in a sustainable way. Page 4 Electronic waste transfer system comes online in UK The new online portal known as edoc will enable businesses to streamline their waste-recording systems and is already proving popular with UK companies. Edoc – Electronic Duty of Care - was rolled out across the UK in January and already has almost 900 registered users. The Environment Agency claims that the new system could save businesses up to £8 million a year, as it avoids the need to print and store millions of waste transfer notes. One of the most enthusiastic supporters of the new system is Steve Lee, CEO of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management. Last September Steve gave a pre launch presentation for the RWM and CIWM exhibition at NEC in Birmingham and told the recent British Cleaning Council meeting about the new system. Steve told BCC members; “this system is absolutely brilliant, and one of the best things about it is it’s free! It will save companies huge amounts of time and money. It will improve the tracking and understanding of your waste, it cuts down on paper, and will greatly enhance your reputation as a responsible business”. The system has been developed by the Environment Agency in partnership with the waste sector, and various government bodies from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It enables businesses to create, share, edit and store waste transfer notes online through a portal that will alert uses when they need to take action. Page 5