Where Soaps Fall Into Green And Sustainable Programs

In this Manufacturer Roundtable, Facility Cleaning Decisions took the compilation of questions we received from readers and asked soap/sanitizer manufacturers to weigh in.

How can facilities achieve green and sustainable initiatives with soaps and sanitizers?
Facilities should choose products that include third party green-certified formulations (Green Seal, UL Ecologo, USDA BioPreferred, etc.) and cartridges that are recyclable, reducing precious landfill space. Additionally, most foam products and dispensers are a great way to reduce costs and increase sustainability as they provide an optimal product shot size that reduces product wastage and considerably reduces water usage. Favor manual dispensers over touch free to avoid wasting batteries.
— Isabelle Faivre, Vice President of Marketing, North America, Deb Group, Charlotte, North Carolina

Companies that produce soaps and sanitizers can help facilities achieve their green initiatives by offering recyclable packaging and refills. Soaps and sanitizers can be formulated to be readily biodegradable and should be free of phosphates and carcinogens.
— Ronald Lewis, Associate Brand Manager, Diversified Markets, Henkel Consumer Goods, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona

It is important to choose hand hygiene solutions that help you exceed your goals across all three domains of sustainability – social, environmental and economic.
To meet your social sustainability goals, look for products that have been proven to be safe and effective. In addition, make sure these products are mild, pH balanced with fragrance-free and dye-free options; aesthetically pleasing so people want to use them; and are sanitary sealed, which means these products have been factory-sealed to lock out germs and protect the health of restroom users. In addition, to support the LEED requirement for hand hygiene, educate your building tenants on the importance of good hand hygiene and promote proper handwashing and hand sanitizing through tactics such as posters, emails and newsletters.
Looking at the environmental domain, select products that have been designed to reduce environmental impacts from material selection through end of life. Select products that meet third-party green certification standards, use sustainably sourced, plant-based renewable ingredients and utilize shipping cartons that are certified to be responsibly sourced and contain at least 30 percent recycled content.
Finally, when taking into account the economic domain of sustainability, choose dispensing systems that are easy to service and built for longer product life, which can minimize labor, maintenance and product replacement costs. Also, select dispensers that have specialized design mechanics so batteries can last longer than average.
 — Nicole Koharik, Global Sustainability Marketing Director, GOJO Industries, Akron, Ohio