If you’re a facility management professional, you’re engaged in an ongoing effort to evaluate and selectively implement a variety of productivity options that promise to enhance the efficiency, functionality, and harmonious operation of your worksite environment. Part of this task should include choosing environmentally friendly solutions to make your facility as green as possible.
These days, an increasing number of companies are achieving this eco-conscious goal by obtaining reusable textiles and uniforms from TRSA (Textile Rental Services Association) Clean Green certified companies. Let’s use this opportunity to explore the Clean Green international certification program and the ways it can benefit your business.
TRSA’s stated mission is to provide assistance to “the linen, uniform and facility services industry by building and promoting a stronger, safer and more environmentally conscious community.” Its Clean Green certification program is an important element of this endeavor.
TRSA Clean Green certification is awarded to facilities that have demonstrated their adherence to the best industry practices for reducing, recycling, reusing, and reclaiming resources. Businesses that purchase their textiles and uniforms from Clean Green certified companies can be confident that their uniforms, mops, towels, napkins, floor mats, and other reusable products were laundered using environmentally responsible processes.
How do these facilities earn this certification? It’s based on a stringent set of standards intended to reduce negative impacts to the environment. These best management practices, or BMPs, include but are not limited to the following:
In addition to the above, certified facilities must conform to TRSA’s water and/or energy standards. Clean Green certification is based on a point system that permits a certain degree of flexibility in meeting requirements.
The Clean Green certification lasts for a three-year period, after which it can be renewed so long as the facility remains compliant with relevant BMPs.
When it comes to managing your facility, you can derive multiple benefits from the use of reusable uniforms and textiles over disposables:
These benefits not only mean your facility and your employees can save money, but also mean that your business will significantly reduce its impact on the environment. Selecting a TRSA Clean Green certified company to supply your business with high-quality textiles and uniforms is a simple yet highly effective step toward promoting a green workplace.
By Jerry Martin, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Prudential Overall Supply