Think outside the bogs
June 23rd 2008

Although early days, Gillespie says take-up of the eco-clear solution is positive, from individual end users to FTSE 100 companies, which is the reason Rentokil Initial was attracted to the business in the first place: “Most organisations, public and private, are scrutinising their environmental credentials. Sustainability and the whole CSR agenda is increasingly important to them. Our advantage (in a competitive marketplace) is that we have broad national coverage and capability from 10 different branches. [The acquisition] gave us the opportunity to take Enviro-Fresh’s products and combine them with a service package to provide customers with a long-term sustainable solution.”

It’s a straightforward proposition: save water, reduce chemical use, prevent blockages, neutralise odours, save money and lessen environmental impact. But do customers want bottom line benefits or to improve their environmental credentials? According to Gillespie, it depends on the organisation and its decision maker. “One key route is through CSR personnel, another is through those responsible for managing utility usage. Then there are the facilities people, who want the tangible benefits of buying in a solution that maintains their urinal systems.”

However, Gillespie agrees that for the fledgling green market to be sustainable in the long-term, there has to be a cost benefit. “With the best will in the world, organisations want to do the right thing environmentally, but cost is very important, particularly at the moment when all markets are under pressure. The organisations we deal with want to cut overheads. Our system gives them the opportunity to do both: a fast net payback against their water utility bills and an environmentally-sound washroom solution. Hopefully they see it as a win-win situation.”

The current financial turbulence is an opportunity for all suppliers and manufacturers of energy/water/waste/consumable reducing products.

From Rentokil Initial’s perspective, Gillespie says the savings are persuasive: “In simple terms, a single washroom with a 9litre cistern can save 300,000litres of water per annum. That’s a saving of £600 per annum based on average UK water prices. The savings for a large, multi-site customer quickly add up. We have a customer expecting to cut utility bills by £400,000- £500,000 based on our calculations.”

Naturally, savings differ from one customer to another, dependent on the washroom set up, existing urinal flush controls and water authority.

There is also the cost of the service package to add to the equation. But Gillespie says “more often than not we can give customers payback within a year”. And while water savings are most easily quantifiable, there are also direct cost savings from a reduction in blockages and the removal of chemical cleaners.

However, although the devices save water and reduce the need for harsh chemicals, the sleeves need to be replaced every three months, and manufacturing them must use significant resources. There is also the question of the fuel used to service them. According to Gillespie Rentokil Initial has examined water used in production, “ensuring there is a clearly definable benefit from using our system and that the benefits aren’t cancelled out by manufacture”. He says the company already ensures efficient route planning when servicing customers’ systems – and is now recycling all products when they are changed.

“Recycling wasn’t done by Enviro-Fresh of old and certainly isn’t done by a number of other competitors,” says Gillespie. “The sleeves are not cleaned and re-used (although that is something we are looking into), but they go back to our recycling facility to be reprocessed, and that’s a resource not available to smaller competitors. It’s one of the benefits of being part of a big group.”

Another is product investment. Rentokil Initial has several new developments in the pipeline, but Gillespie remains tight-lipped as to what these might be. However, it’s safe to assume the market will see some new tricks up the company’s sleeve in the not too distant future.

More articles from Rentokil Initial Services Limited: