Clean Green Services: 10 Ways We’re Weaving the Future of Sustainable Laundry
As a commercial uniform and linen service company, we understand the importance of conservation like no one else. Our entire industry is based on reuse and recycling of textiles, materials, fabrics, and precious natural resources.
According to National Geographic, almost 22% of water use in residential homes comes from doing the laundry. That’s why, in addition to providing efficient services, we do everything we can to conserve water.
But we don’t stop with water. We look for ways to become more sustainable in every aspect of our operation, from green laundry detergents to conserving fuel use to reducing paper usage.
Here are just 10 ways we’re weaving the future of sustainability with our Clean Green Services.
1. We use detergent and laundry chemical choices that are environmentally friendly.
We get all of our detergents and and laundry chemicals from Washing Systems Inc., which won the Platinum award from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2017 for demonstrating environmental excellence.
2. Our washing processes reduce water use.
Water is the lifeblood of the laundry industry. Our washing processes are designed to reduce water usage while keeping our uniforms, linens, and other textile products hygienically clean. The SITEX laundering system allows us to reuse about 30% of the water used in the first step of the process – the gentle soil and stain removal cycle.
3. We’re constantly monitoring our waste-water contents.
Detergents and other chemicals used during the laundry process can damage the environment. So, we monitor our chemical detergent use and waste-water contents to ensure safe deposit back into our water streams.
4. We design our washing processes to conserve energy.
It’s not just about saving water. We use a heat reclamation process that takes away the need to constantly reheat our water using traditional energy sources, ultimately saving energy and minimizing environmental impact.
5. We optimize our delivery and pick-up routes to reduce fuel consumption.
Conservation doesn’t stop with our plant. We plan our routes with the environment in mind, aiming to reduce the amount of fuel that our trucks use each day. We are also studying hybrid and alternative fuel delivery vehicles to determine best practice for our environment.
6. We replace paper with tech.
The average American uses about 700 pounds of paper each year. We’re trying to save trees with electronic billing, bill paying, banking and payroll systems.
7. We recycle our hangers.
An estimated 8 billion hangers end up in landfills each year. We aim to reduce that number, which is we recycle the hangers we use at SITEX. By providing hanger racks at our customer’s locations, and utilizing the services of a local developmental training center, The Hugh Edward Sandefur Training Center, we are able to recycle and reuse more than half of the hangers we buy. We are particularly proud of this because we are helping the environment while also helping an important local organization.
8. Instead of throwing them out, we refurbish lockers, racks and bins used for uniform and linen storage.
Although replacing them would be easier, we understand that the path to sustainability isn’t always convenient. Instead, we take the time to refurbish damaged storage containers, racks, lockers, and bins.
9. We use Green Seal materials and other eco-friendly products.
Green Seal recognizes environmentally responsible products. We use certified paper towels and tissue, along with other products and materials that are recyclable, reusable and eco-friendly.
10. We’re affiliated with the Laundry Environmental Stewardship Program (LaundryESP)
Our charter involvement with LaundryESP is just another way that we work to improve sustainability efforts in the commercial linen and uniform industry.
Interested in learning more about our sustainability efforts?
Visit our website or give us a call today at 270-631-2231. We’d love to share more about how we’re weaving the future of sustainable laundry, one load at a time.
