Flat style modern idea innovation light bulb infographic concept

Several commercial cleaning companies have landed themselves on the Forbes’ 2018 list of The World’s 100 Most Innovative Companies. To compile the list, Forbes ranks companies by their innovation premium, which is the difference between their market capitalization and the net present value of cash flows from existing business. (For more information on how companies are selected, click here.)

Companies in the jan/san industry that made the Forbes list include:

 • Reckitt Benckiser Group (No. 56)
 • Procter & Gamble (No. 65) - Parent company to Procter & Gamble Professional
 • Colgate-Palmolive Co. (No. 71)
 • Sodexo (No. 72) - Provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services
 • The Clorox Co. (No. 77) - Parent company to Clorox Professional Products Co.
 • Waste Connections, Inc. (No. 84) — A solid waste services company, providing solid waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services
 • Ecolab, Inc. (No. 93)

Although their entire structure is not cleaning related, it's worth mentioning that Amazon.com was ranked No. 5 on the list. The retail giant has been active in commercial cleaning of late. The growing company directly competes with traditional jan/san distributors on low prices and guarantees of quick delivery. Amazon has also announced a possible push into housekeeping services. They've also patented technology that could allow robots currently transporting inventory in warehouses to also tackle janitorial duties.

Various divisions of Unilever also appear on the list.

Click here to view the entire list of innovators.