Anyone can say they clean green. But what does that mean? Many shades of green exist within the spectrum of green cleaning. How green is green? The varied scenarios include businesses that mix their own natural cleaning products with or without essential oils , contract production of proprietary and custom blends, buy manufactured green formulas, or rely on water-only cleaning technologies like steam vapor and de-ionized water.
Some companies end their contributions to the environment at the cleaning protocols. How does one sort through all the considerations that must be made before introducing a green cleaning service? As the leader, your informed approach to this commitment will have everything to do with the success of your launch. Otherwise, upside possibilities with green cleaning will not be yours to provide. With little money and zero experience running a business Joe Walsh, founder of Green Clean Maine , knew he wanted to start an environmentally friendly company.
But what kind? And, cleaning was a business that could provide environmental benefit. It seemed like a no brainer. This spirit of commitment is shared by Kris Koenig, who founded Natura Clean 13 years ago on a green platform that belies her lifelong interest in environmentalism. But they each had a commitment to be green thoroughly and transparently rather than naively and incompletely. So they taught themselves. Running an authentic green cleaning program requires making every effort to provide maximum environmental and human health protection while maintaining cleaning efficacy.
While the standard gives us no insights into qualitative thresholds of impact, the executive order makes clear that green cleaning is about human health and the environment. Reputable cleaning companies should be able to substantiate any green claims that you make accordingly.
We will look at this in greater detail in Part 2 of this series but generally false or exaggerated claims are misleading at best, illegal at worst. Start by taking a mental walk through of a typical week at your company to make note of all the areas that will be affected by your choice to be green. Now, imagine the full course of your day and make note of all areas that will be affected. Record everything on post-it notes as you go through a Monday at your company. What about the other days of the week?
