ISSA is creating a new Quality Management Standard that will help building service contractors and in-house professionals develop customer-centered, quality cleaning organizations. The new standard will apply to a cleaning organization as a whole, as opposed to specific personnel, programs or products.

“The ISSA Quality Management Standard will allow companies to ensure that their systems and processes are structured to deliver consistent, quality services,” says John Garfinkel, ISSA executive director, in a news release. “Ultimately, cleaning organizations will be encouraged to use the standard as a quality-management framework.”

The ISSA standard will not require the use of specific cleaning processes or products, but rather will be performance-based and allow individual companies to choose the most effective ways in which to comply with its management requirements. Further, the new standard will recognize and compliment existing industry standards and certification programs as evidence of compliance with specific portions of the requirements.

The standard will be based on universally accepted management principles and identified through a consensus-building process over the next eight to 12 months. A group of standards committees representing a cross-section of the cleaning and facility management industries, as well as related associations and certification programs, will draft the general framework of the standard and peer review will be encouraged. ISSA expects the technical committees to meet and begin creating the new standard in mid-February.


Green Seal’s Cleaning Standard To Be Ready Mid-Year

Washington DC-based Green Seal Inc.’s green cleaning standard should become final in mid-2006 and building service contractor programs will be able to become certified later this year, announced Arthur Weissman, PhD, president and CEO.

“Like Green Seal’s environmental standards for chemical products, this new standard for cleaning services promises to help transform the cleaning industry toward more healthful and sustainable practices,” says Weissman in a news release.

BSCs have shown interest in this certification because they want to be able to differentiate themselves from their competition and ensure their customers that they are receiving true green services.

“There are too many companies that say they are green just because they are using green products. But that’s not truly green. You’ve got equipment and procedures to use along with green products,” says Jeff Meulendyk, president of Grand Rapids Commercial Cleaning LLC in Grand Rapids, Mich. “This standard will help prove that a contract cleaner is certified green.”


New Jersey follows New York to become the second state to pass green cleaning at a statewide level. Governor Richard J. Codey signed Executive Order No. 76 requiring all state agencies and authorities to begin using environmentally-friendly cleaning products.

At the city level, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg signed into law the “NYC Greening Our Cleaning Act” requiring the city to conduct a green cleaning pilot program and purchase and use environmentally preferable cleaning products, as well as products composed of recycled materials. This Act differs from the original version of legislation that was introduced in early 2005, which would have required city agencies and contractors to purchase and use cleaning products that met the Green Seal Standards.

Canada’s Environmental Choice Program and Green Seal Inc., Washington D.C., are developing an environmental standard for industrial and institutional hand soaps. This standard seeks to encourage the production and use of environmentally responsible hand soaps and to assist in identifying such products.

The organizations are currently seeking comment from all stakeholders, including manufacturers, users, government agencies, academic researchers, trade associations, environmental and consumer groups, and the general public.

Stearns Packaging Corp., Madison, Wis., a manufacturer of pre-measured cleaning and floor-care concentrates, has announced its sponsorship of the Green Seal Cleaning Services Standard.




POSTED ON: 2/1/2006