Environmental sustainability means using resources wisely to reduce negative impact on the planet and ensure future generations can meet their needs. Achieving sustainability requires efforts and actions aimed at helping maintain a balance between ecological, economic, and social considerations to support a healthy physical world and society over the long term. The need for environmental sustainability applies to all industry sectors, to promote and implement more ecologically responsible operations.
As businesses and organizations strategize to minimize their impact on the environment, they are creating policies and protocols to reduce their carbon footprint and meet growing expectations for ethical sustainability practices, including fostering sustainable facility management. Surprisingly, many of these changes can also lower operating costs.
Sustainable facility management has become essential to achieve both environmental responsibility and operational efficiency for companies of all sizes. It involves a wide range of strategies aimed at reducing energy consumption, conserving water, optimizing waste management, improving indoor air quality, and implementing environmentally safe cleaning procedures.
Key Focus Areas In Sustainable Facilities Management
Environmental Impact – Reducing energy use, water consumption, waste production, and carbon emissions. Employing eco-friendly cleaning methods and products.
Social Responsibility – Improving health and safety for employees and occupants.
Economic Efficiency – Lowering operational costs; improving resource utilization.
By adopting best practices and innovative technologies and embedding eco-conscious choices into operations, facility managers can develop smart, adaptive buildings to support achievable sustainability goals—while also gaining significant savings for cleaning budgets.
While changes required to attain sustainability in facility management can be extensive, depending on the industry sector and specific operations, some basic modifications are not out-of-reach for most, and can include the following basic practices.
Facilities Management – Basic Sustainable Practices
Eco-friendly Cleaning Methods and Products
Ensure that your commercial cleaning providers use eco-friendly cleaning products accredited by recognized environmental standards agencies. Request that they implement sustainable cleaning processes, such as low-moisture and encapsulation carpet cleaning systems, which lessen the need for frequent hot-water extraction and contribute to a greener facility management approach.
Preventive Maintenance
Schedule regular inspections and maintenance for equipment and appliances to extend their lifecycle and avoid premature replacement and unnecessary waste.
Energy-Efficient Equipment
Purchase energy-efficient equipment, appliances, and systems with Energy Star certification that consume less electrical power and significantly reduce energy bills.
Sustainable Lighting Systems
Switch from traditional and inefficient incandescent and fluorescent lighting to LED, which is more affordable, lasts longer, and consumes less power.
Recycle Materials and Equipment
Streamline recycling systems to make it easy for employees and building occupants to recycle approved materials properly. Create relationships with equipment recycling agencies to collect obsolete or broken equipment to reduce waste accumulation in landfills.
Guiding Principles for Environmental Responsibility
As a leading janitorial services and commercial cleaning company for over 70 years, ServiceMaster Clean recognizes that environmental sustainability requires a strong commitment from all parts of society, including businesses. If you believe, as we do, that our actions today can positively shape the course of tomorrow, we offer the following guiding principles for environmental responsibility:
- Establish sustainability objectives
- Adhere to environmental regulations
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions whenever feasible
- Actively pursue energy efficiency innovations
- Develop and enhance environmental management systems
- Educate stakeholders and networks about environmental initiatives
ServiceMaster Clean is committed to proactively improving our protocols and practices toward the goal of a sustainable commercial cleaning future, and to providing clean and healthy environments for businesses and industrial facilities of all types and sizes.
Efficient, high-quality, sustainable cleaning with close attention to detail is what distinguishes us in the industry. We offer customized service plans to meet our customers’ specific cleaning needs, scheduling requirements and budgets. By switching to green cleaning with ServiceMaster Clean, we can help you rack up those needed points to help your facility reach the highest certification level of for BOMA BEST or LEED®.
Contact us today for a complimentary assessment of your commercial cleaning requirements. We can help you reach your sustainable facility management goals—and save you money over the long term.