CHICAGO — Though they have many things on their minds at any given point, laundry/linen managers polled in November’s American Laundry News Your Views survey say that environmental considerations are among the things that weigh on their minds; in fact, a little more than 60% say considering the environment is “highly important,” while nearly 32% say it’s “somewhat important.” Small shares of respondents don’t see the need to put environmental considerations high on the priority list.
When it comes to the most significant action an operation can take to have a positive impact on the environment, the majority of respondents (nearly 31%) point to reducing the consumption of energy. Other highly valued actions are reducing water consumption (22%), using NPE-free detergents and other biodegradable chemicals (15.4%), and promoting the use of reusable linens (15.4%).
Ensuring proper treatment of wastewater (8.8%) and installing heat-reclamation equipment (1.1%), however, do not rank high on the list of significant “green” approaches for laundry/linen managers in this survey. Close to 7% of respondents point to “other” efforts.
“I believe an area that does not get enough attention is textile innovations,” says a respondent. “The development of textile products that are lighter-weight, high-performance and use less energy to process and manufacture would have [a] significant effect on our industry’s environmental impact.”
What drives efforts by managers to be more conscious of the environment is the rising cost of resources, according to 43% of respondents, followed closely by a general desire to be more eco-friendly (35.2%). Industry rules and regulations provide the impetus to carefully consider the environment for almost 19%, while a small percentage (3.3%) admit that their operations are not currently undertaking any special eco-friendly efforts.
“Space is a problem with our operation, so we spend a lot of time trying to maximize our production, [while] still trying to achieve our goal of making the department as green as possible,” says a respondent.
“I think it is the responsibility of each operation to promote the most green approach by reducing water and fuel consumption, to not only curb costs, but to be more eco-friendly,” says another respondent.
And when new equipment and products are purchased at their facilities, more than half (57.1%) of those polled say that considering green features (energy efficiency, reduced water usage, etc.) always comes into play in the decision. Nearly 29% report that such considerations are “frequently” on the table, while a little more than 12% report that the impact of equipment and products on the environment only “sometimes” factors into the equation.
A small percentage (2.2%) say eco-friendliness “never” influences their product decisions.
“As an industry, we are very slow to adapt to new technologies or see the benefit of new products,” a respondent comments. “We do what we must to stay one step ahead of the EPA and other regulatory agencies.”
“Can we begin to get real with marketing [and] expectations, and stop stretching the truth about what can and can’t be done?” another respondent asks. “Let’s not put half of our industry out of business in an effort to be green. Our business is to clean and sanitize and be as conscientious as we can about green [efforts].”
Overall, nearly half (47.3%) of managers polled say they are “somewhat satisfied” with their operations’ efforts to be “green.” Nearly 30% are “highly satisfied” with the actions already in place. But 16.5% say they are “neither satisfied nor unsatisfied,” while equal shares of 3.3% say they are “somewhat unsatisfied” and “highly unsatisfied.”
When it comes to additional efforts that could be adopted to make operations more eco-friendly, managers point to replacing equipment, especially dryers; educating customers on the benefits of reusable textiles; using eco-friendly chemicals; and reducing water consumption, among other actions.
“We are always looking for more eco-friendly washing products, and continue making changes as newer products are developed,” a respondent comments.
While the Your Views survey presents a snapshot of readers’ viewpoints at a particular moment, it should not be considered scientific; due to rounding, percentages may not add up to 100%. Subscribers to American Laundry News e-mails are invited to take the industry survey anonymously online each month.
All managers and administrators of institutional/OPL, cooperative, commercial and industrial laundries are encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define operator opinions and identify industry trends.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].