Corporate social responsibility locked out of the loo?
February 1st 2007

Ceris Burns,marketing manager,Kennedy Hygiene Products, takes a look at the place for corporate social responsibility in the away from home washroom

There's rarely a day when corporate social responsibility (CSR) is out of the media spotlight. It's commonplace to hear about multinational companies working on their CSR policies with the goal of continually improving the management of the social, environmental and economic aspects of their businesses. Sadly the washroom is not often a highlight in these proposals.Maybe it should be.

Small room, big impact

The washroom is often the smallest room in a building but potentially the one that has the greatest impact. However, responsible management of hygiene and risk can minimise any negative impact that the washroom can have on people, the planet and prosperity.

People

Over a twelve month period it's likely that at some point most people will suffer from a bout of sickness and diarrhoea and this usually means time off work. The CBI report states that in 2005 a total of 164 million sick days were taken in the UK equating to a cost of £13 billion pounds. Sickness and diarrhoea is a result of cross contamination and the sneeze effect during toilet flushing is a common means of spreading bacteria. The presence of a hygienic washroom in the workplace brings the user to the forefront and can prevent sickness. An analysis of absenteeism,workdays lost and the impact on the bottom line, is alone case enough to justify a washroom hygiene service.

Planet

Risk management in the washroom not only relates to the washroom products utilised but also to hygienic and responsible waste disposal. Despite studies showing an annual 18% increase in consumer spend on eco-cleaning products (Source:The ethical consumerism report 2005), bleaches and chemicals are still used at home and in away from home washrooms.'Green' alternatives are available and mass use would benefit the planet and its people.

The disposal of washroom products at the end of their lifecycle needs to be managed effectively to minimise environmental impact. The WEEE directive introduced in January lays down strict requirements for the end of life disposal of electrical and electronic equipment. Until now there has been little interest in what happens to products after their use. The reality is that they go into landfill adding to pollution. Legal requirements and growing landfill costs will without doubt drive establishments to pursue the 'green' option. The government has also started to increase pressure on companies to ensure that their contractors use eco-friendly hygiene waste disposal rather than landfill. Smaller independent hygiene service companies are cashing in on this. For many the eco-friendly route is proving to be a good source of competitive advantage. Lois Thompson, Hygiene Director of Mustang Hygiene Solutions believes that although Contract Managers are starting to look for 'green' solutions, hygiene service is still very price-sensitive. Often the lower cost service provider will win a contract even if it's not necessarily the preferred ethical option.

Water wastage is another area where responsible action can be taken. "Water wastage from urinals can be horrendous;" comments Lois. "In a typical installation, water saving systems can reduce water consumption by up to 80%. Surveyors are starting to specify these systems on a much more regular basis now." corporate social responsibility in the away from home washroom locked out of the loo?

Prosperity Companies frequently put cash into slick receptions and show rooms only to neglect investment in their washroom facilities. Whether good or bad, the washroom makes an impression in every establishment and this can help make or break a deal resulting in business growth or loss. Nobody wants to go back to a restaurant with a dirty toilet now do they? Hygienic washrooms can also impact positively on the productivity of staff due to the feeling of good will generated. There are also cost savings to be had from fewer sick days, as a result of enhanced hygienic conditions.

Social responsibility in the washroom

Without doubt there are many establishments out there who already successfully manage hygiene and risk in the washroom. Can we expect this to develop broad stream though and if so, how? Hygiene & risk management as drivers One company keen to see development in this area is Essex-based hygiene service provider,Albany Facilities. Currently working towards ISO 9001 quality management and ISO 14001 environmental management accreditations, Ian Glover,marketing manager; says hygiene and risk management go hand in hand. "Using the two to drive each other will take time but I believe this is the way to go. If consistent hygiene can be introduced across washrooms this will set a firm base for environmentally friendly products to follow.

"The hygienic service solution is what Albany is about but we are also keen to ensure that the market can provide an environmentally friendly solution. We'd like to be instrumental in this change." The end user Although research shows that today's consumer cares about the environment, this isn't yet overly apparent in the away from home washroom. Comments Ian;"The end user wants a quality hygienic washroom and although they're not pushing for environmentally friendly products yet, I'm sure this will come." Supply chain compliance

There is evidence that pressure has already started elsewhere. ISO 14001 accredited establishments are threatening to de-select suppliers who are not ISO 14001 compliant and so are setting a trend along the whole supply chain. 'Green'products are being requested by companies, facilities managers, contract cleaners, hygiene service providers and they are also creeping onto tenders too. For companies able to adapt their processes to comply, competitive advantage is the promised reward.

Washroom Hygiene Forward thinking from manufacturers Movement can be seen on the part of washroom product manufacturers. An interest to re-engineer and develop new 'green' products while complying with environmental policies, should drive other manufacturers to conform and enable service providers to offer a broader range of new 'friendly' alternatives.

Kennedy Hygiene Products has been ISO 14001 accredited since the year 2000. As such the company manages environmental issues effectively and has set up its own environmental management system.The mantras are;"Reduce, reuse and recycle," states Roger Harris, Quality Control Manager at Kennedy Hygiene Products.

In spite of a growing company output, Kennedy has achieved ambitious goals for reductions in energy usage and raw material waste. The company has also implemented a successful product reengineering programme.

Product re-engineering involves minimising the amount of raw materials, plastic and hazardous components in each product while increasing the life of consumables. Roger explains;"New tooling introduced in 2005 for Kennedy's toilet tissue dispensers made tissue mandrels lighter resulting in an annual saving of 1850kg of polypropylene. New lighter product designs have enabled us to make significant savings on cardboard packaging too and low power LCD electronics have lengthened battery life so our customers can use less batteries in our dispensers. Last year we introduced a urinal sanitizing system which was specifically designed for use with a non-hazardous sanitizing consumable." How to bridge the gap It's clear that there is a certain level of awareness and movement across the supply chain and that hygiene and risk appear to be the drivers. But where do we go from here? A change in attitude & behaviour Awareness of 'the right way' is not foreign to us but in reality someone buying for their family and buying for their company behaves quite differently. At home they are more likely to take into account ethics and research when buying and they'll probably recycle products too. It appears that a general change in attitude and behaviour is required before we'll see 'good' washrooms all round.

Ian Glover of Albany Facilities sums up: "If people applied the same procedure to corporate buying as they do personal buying you would see a very different washroom environment. We'd see quality hygiene services in all away from home washrooms and environmentally friendly washroom products as the norm. When this happens and I believe it will,we'll see an about turn. The environmental issue will have become the driver and hygiene and risk will be taken for granted"

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