Environmentally Sustainable Criteria for Cleaning Products and Services

On January 1, 2022, Regulation No. 35 of the Minister of the Environment, titled “Environmental Criteria for Products and Services Subject to a Procurement Contract and the Conditions to be Established in Public Procurement Documents Regarding Them,” entered into force. The regulation focuses on the provision of environmentally sustainable cleaning services.

The regulation is available here.

The following is an overview of the requirements for cleaning services specified in the regulation:

  • Experience in using substances with the European Union Ecolabel or other Type I ecolabel according to standard EN ISO 14024, recognized in the European Union
  • Increasing staff competence through training that covers potential environmental impact factors, including the correct dosing of cleaning agents, wastewater disposal, and separate waste collection.
  • When providing cleaning services, an operating procedure must be established for monitoring the criteria specified in the regulation for at least one full working day every four months. These criteria include:
    • Quantities of cleaning agents used
    • Supplies used
    • Quantity of water used for cleaning and the water disposal location
    • Quantity of solid waste generated during cleaning and its separate collection

Furthermore, the regulation mandates the following to ensure minimal environmental impact:

  • To use cleaning agents according to instructions
  • Where possible, to use eco-labeled cleaning agents
  • To minimize the use of single-use supplies
  • To ensure optimal water usage
  • To reduce the amount of waste generated during cleaning
  • To ensure separate waste collection

Additionally, the contracting authority may establish requirements for the paper used and, for instance, a requirement to use microfiber cleaning textiles.

The goal of all this is an environmentally sustainable cleaning service. Looking at the bigger picture, the purpose of cleaning is cleanliness. Cleanliness has different meanings in different places; it is important to first define clearly for all parties what cleanliness means and what condition the space must be in after cleaning. Then, it is important to define how often cleaning is required, i.e., how long it takes for dirt to accumulate to an extent that it interferes with the main activity. During cleaning, dirt that should not be present in the given space must be removed, and the agreed-upon level of cleanliness must be achieved.

Dirt removal must occur using as few resources as possible, easily and with minimal time. This is conscious cleaning, which is also environmentally sustainable cleaning.

For example, when comparing washing cloths/mops in a water bucket during cleaning with cleaning using pre-moistened cleaning textiles, the latter offers the following benefits:

  • 10 times less water consumption
  • 20 times less cleaning agent consumption
  • At least 25% less working time
  • Resulting in cleaner surfaces
  • Reduced need for special cleaning tasks
  • Inhibited development of microorganisms
  • The work is aseptic; no dirt is transferred from one surface to another

Therefore, conscious cleaning helps save the environment, reduces costs, and is sustainable.

We help our clients optimize cleaning while fulfilling environmental requirements, to achieve the desired cleanliness with optimal resources.