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Cleaning franchise throws down environmental gauntlet
The success of the Clean Planet franchise has thrown down a gauntlet to companies sticking to cleaning products that contain potentially damaging chemicals
So says Robin Taylor, general manager of Environmental Choice New Zealand which operates the New Zealand Ecolabelling Trust. The Trust is a voluntary, multiple specifications-based environmental labelling programme, initiated and endorsed by the New Zealand Government.
‘The commitment that Clean Planet has made to adopt and advance the cause of less harmful cleaning products marks a new momentum in care for the environment, in an industry which works at the coal face of balancing clean with green,' Robin Taylor says.
He says it has been six years since the trust assessed and passed the first company to say ‘enough' to pollutant cleaning materials. ‘That's too long. However, Brigid Hardy and her team at BEE are to be congratulated for creating and holding the high ground on their own until this year. Family-owned Qualchem recently produced acceptable formulations for their car wash, window cleaner and other specific and general household cleaners. Now Clean Planet, motivated with a passion by its founders Russell Werry and his wife Glynis, have committed their burgeoning cleaning franchise to the cause of more benign cleaning - from their choice of vehicle fleet to the fabric of their uniforms, to their products which are locally made at their Mangere Bridge factory.'
Russell Werry says the Clean Planet franchise, which appointed 25 franchisees in its first year, is the country's first truly sustainable cleaning company. ‘Our clients range from some of Auckland's cleanest workplaces such as Labtests NZ to some of its dirtiest such as Fletcher Steel. The fantastic results we achieve blow the whistle on those who says they have to pollute in order to clean - that's madness. Our vision is simply that a clean human environment does not need to compromise the pristine integrity of nature. Our mission is to provoke a green revolution in New Zealand's dirty old cleaning industry .'
Although holding other certifications, Clean Planet chose to go for the most robust standard available in New Zealand, one recognised internationally, says Russell Werry. ‘Our customers rightly demand a high level of efficacy and Clean Planet is benchmarked by Environmental Choice New Zealand certification, one of the world's leading environmental certifiers. Many successful and responsible companies here, across a huge range of products and services, seek out products with Environmental Choice certification, and we are currently looking to get more of our Clean Planet produced products certified to this standard.'
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