Prime objectives
June 29th 2009 For suppliers, buying responsibly with care of the environment is not an easy task. Joanne Gilliard, operations director of Jangro, discusses the stategies that make a difference
Jangro distributes over 3,500 janitorial products on a local basis throughout the UK, Ireland and the Isle of Man. Wherever possible, products are manufactured in the UK, but the priority is goods that have the minimum effect on the environment.
We ask our suppliers a range of questions about their environmental policies from sourcing of raw materials and the damage they may cause, information on transport and distribution and – probably most important to our end users – what damage can product usage or disposal of its packaging cause.
We must keep things in perspective. We believe it is often ‘greener’ to use something slightly ‘less-green’ like a toilet cleaner containing chemical, rather than an inefficient product that has none, but cannot remove limescale. We would argue that the environmental damage from transporting larger volumes of potentially inefficient product outweighs the environmental benefits of using a chemical based product.
When buying toilet cleaner, washing up liquid, hand and body wash products, liquid cleaners and degreasers we apply the WEIR rating – the Wright Environment Impact Rating – which includes monitoring the raw materials used, their effect on the environment when used and the energy used in production. If it doesn’t meet our strict criteria it will not get into our Enviro range where the products are accredited by BSI under ISO 14001.
Jangro comprises 37 member organisations who have agreed to ‘minimise the potentially harmful effects of their activities wherever and whenever possible’, and that is the first item on our Environmental Policy which is on our website.
As part of Jangro’s social responsibility and continuing drive to promote a positive and caring contribution to the protection of the environment, our Environmental Policy enables us to set the targets by which our efforts towards sustainable environmental improvements can be measured and monitored on a regular basis. In doing this, environmental regulations, laws and codes of practice are regarded as the minimum standards for our environmental performance. We are committed to minimising the impact of our operations on the environment by means of a programme of continuous improvement.
There are currently eight objectives in the Jangro Environmental Policy and these will grow as we further refine it.
• We meet, and where appropriate, exceed the requirements of all relevant legislation. Where no regulations exist we will set our own exacting standards.
• Wherever possible we use recycled packaging or provide a returnable system to our customers and reuse the raw materials once recycled.
• We minimise waste, especially hazardous waste, and dispose of all waste through safe and responsible methods. We have a systematic procedure to cope with accidental spillages.
• Suppliers ensure that products bought by Jangro are carefully formulated to minimise environmental impact. Our range has been developed and is regularly monitored to ensure effectiveness and economy in use, while complying with all current European Regulations concerning biodegradablility and protection to the environment.
• We ensure that our partner suppliers are committed to environmental improvements and where necessary compare
them with the performance of alternative suppliers.
• Reduction of fuel consumption and lower exhaust emission through route planning and delivery schedules is high on our agenda. Simple changes to deliveries such as reduction of small drops and running with half loads can largely be eliminated without reducing service levels.
• All member organisations use environmentally safe and sustainable energy sources.
• The final issue in our Environmental Policy is the most important – we annually monitor our performance in implementing these principles and in complying with all applicable laws and regulations. There is no point in any organisation having a policy if it is not regularly policed.
We encourage end users to contact us to discuss their green needs and we are always interested to hear from manufacturers of eco products and machines.
The cleaning industry has previously had a dreadful reputation for washing chemicals down the sink or into rivers and disposing of toxic materials within regular waste. Thanks to media attention, there is increasing co-operation of manufacturers, trade associations, training organisations and professionals in the cleaning business; and we are beginning to have some impact on saving our environment
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