A ‘Conscience’ Decision

Twenty years ago, a woman Michael Rochon had never met changed his life forever. She was an elderly woman living in a retirement home. Suffering from senility, the woman purposely drank from the cleaning crew’s disinfectant and died.

The deadly chemical was made by Rochon’s company. He was devastated when he learned what had happened.

“I couldn’t understand why we were selling poisons for cleaning,” he says. “You should be able to clean without harming.”

That simple concept became a crusade. Rochon searched for years to find non-toxic cleaning agents made from renewable resources that would work well. He wanted to sell products that a child could ingest or that could be thrown down the drain without harm to person or environment. His work paid off.

Four years ago, Rochon founded Cogent Cleaning Solutions, a Caledon, Ontario, company that makes environmentally friendly cleaning products. Although the elderly woman’s death continues to haunt him, he can now see the dark cloud’s silver lining.

“You sometimes have to have a reality check before you realize the harm you are doing,” Rochon says. “You really don’t comprehend what you are selling until something like that happens.”

Rochon wants distributors to know that there are many reasons to add these environmentally preferable products to their line, including price, performance, liability protection and customer demand.

A Tough Sell
Despite Rochon’s enthusiasm, distributors are right to be weary. Green products are not always an easy sell.

The environmental movement is still relatively young, beginning in 1962 with the release of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring. And while public concern for the environment has had great peaks, such as after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, it presently seems to be in a valley.

Lackluster interest in saving the environment could be a response to past botched attempts at producing quality green products.

“The whole idea of going green was always really popular but there was no meat — or tofu, as it were — on the bones,” says Bert Bellison, president of Tangent Industries, Atlanta, who has been selling environmentally friendly products for 11 years.

The problems with environmentally friendly products have always been price, performance, and availability. All are, or were, valid complaints.

“In the old way of making environmentally friendly products, to reduce environmental impact they would simply reduce the amount of the toxic ingredients in the cleaner. The overall effect was watered-down cleaners that didn’t work,” Rochon says.

Additionally, many products make environmental claims even though there is little or no evidence to support the environmental benefit.

“Challenge any environmental benefit claim by requesting full disclosure of ingredients and evidence of the benefit, such as independent validation of the claims,” Rochon says.

The environmental movement has not caught up to traditional science yet in many areas. There are still no environmentally friendly alternatives to floor waxes and strippers, heavy alkaline cleaners, and acid drain openers.

“There are examples where the science is not yet available to replace existing products,” Rochon says.

Changes For the Better
Given these problems, it may seem smart to steer clear entirely of green products, but that could be a mistake.

Things have dramatically changed for the better in the “green” world. Today’s products are actually no more expensive than brand name products and typically only slightly more than generic items.

Plus, there are other costs that may actually make green products less expensive, says Roland Millar, general manager of Best Pak Co., Worthington, Ohio. The cleaning industry is facing increasingly stringent demands to limit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the environment by the government and environmental groups, so their use and handling may become even more expensive. Government fines for offenders are also becoming more common.

“Petroleum-based products are generally less expensive to purchase, however, proper storage, safe handling, disposal, and government requirements drive up the overall cost,” Millar says.

Today’s cleaning agents work just as well as traditional methods, without any of the harm. And as the movement grows, so does the list of available environmentally friendly cleaning products. New products include advanced slip-resistant floor cleaners that offer an alternative to acid-etched products and low-odor or no-odor floor finishes.

“The good news is that all daily cleaning tasks and complete maintenance of carpets can now be done with sustainable cleaning products.”

The Bottom Line
The products work, are readily available, and are competitively priced, but is that enough to make them sell? End users have been using traditional products for many years, and are, in most cases, satisfied with their results. Suggesting they switch to green products could be met with resistance.

If these customers aren’t worried about saving the environment, perhaps they’ll be swayed by their impact on the bottom line.

Even Rochon, a tree hugger at heart, says saving the environment is not the best reason for distributors to add “green” products to their line. In fact, he says, there is a far more practical reason — reduced liability.

As concerns about indoor air quality continue to swell, Rochon says distributors need to have a safe product in their line to limit their exposure to worker’s compensation claims and other lawsuits.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor air levels of many pollutants may be two to five times, and occasionally, more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels. Cleaning products are among the many culprits.

As public awareness of these statistics grows, so will the number of lawsuits against companies by people who have come into contact with toxic products. The issue is even more pressing now that so many non-English speaking individuals are joining the workforce who are unable to read product labels.

“Having a product in your line that anyone can use without harming themselves or building structures is a really good idea,” Rochon says.

Silvia Maciborski, of American Chemical and Sanitary Supply in Anaheim, Calif., says her customers fear such litigation and are thrilled to learn that her green products are safer to use and are easier on the eyes, skin, and lungs (not to mention the air and water).

Customers Care
Another bottom-line benefit of selling “green” products is there is a growing market for them.

Many states are beginning to set high standards for the environment and punish those who do not meet them. In fact, some states are so serious about the environment that they will only hire contractors who use eco-friendly products.

For example, the state of Minnesota recently added environmental specifications to its cleaning supplies contracts. Vendors are now asked to include information about the environmental performance of their cleaning products.

The state avoids products that are highly toxic, cancer-causing, flammable, or prone to cause skin irritation, respiratory problems or allergic reactions. In addition to concern about human safety, Minnesota chooses environmentally preferable cleaning products because the chemicals end up in local wastewater systems, and can eventually pollute the state’s rivers and lakes.

Many businesses have a mandate to use environmentally friendly products, including Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in New Jersey. In recent years the facility has begun a concerted effort to go green. It has switched many of its cleaning products to safer lines, and it now purchases in drums that can be refilled rather than disposable quarts and gallons.

“Hospitals should be responsible for their contributions to the environment,” says Roberta Enright, environmental project manager at HUMC. “We need to take care of our patients not only when they are inside our walls, but also when they leave our building.”

Into the Future
With more and more customers like HUMC, eco-conscious suppliers believe the future is bright for “green” products. The key to continued growth is education.

“As cleaners and building managers come to understand the reality that safer, environmentally sustainable products perform well and cost no more to use, the majority of the market will transition to these products. Cleaners, as well as the general public, understand that we have to change the way we do things if we are going to have a sustainable future for generations to come,” Rochon says.