IT’S EASY BEING GREEN
SUSTAINABLE TIPS ON PPE AND
CLEANING DURING COVID-19
BEING AN ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS BUYER is a sign of leadership during
this time as PPE is introduced to the workplace and out on the streets. Each month,
Pulse will offer tips from Noel Asmar of Noel Asmar Uniforms and the Hospitality
Lifecycle Initiative on going green. This month, we’re featuring tips focusing on
the hottest topics in sustainability right now: eco-friendly PPE and cleaning supplies.
HERE’S WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY:
1. PPE: There is a debate around what form of PPE—a disposable mask or a
cloth mask—is more cost-effective and sustainable for you and your team.
The average disposable mask costs US$1 each, and if one were to assume
that each staff member used two per day for 250 days of the year, that
totals 500 masks in the garbage per year per person and a total cost of
US$500 per person per year. If you source re-usable cloth masks at a cost
of US$5 each, with each mask being washed 50 times, you would need to
order ten masks per person per year. That results in a total cost of only
US$50 per person for the year, in addition to being a more eco-friendly
choice. The sustainable option—for both the planet and your budget—
are cloth reusable masks.
2. CLEANING FOR A HEALTHIER WORLD: Sourcing EPA-certified cleaning
products saves both you and the waterways from contaminants and
toxins. Every sector has mandated new, elevated sanitation guidelines for us
to return to work and resume our daily lives post-COVID-19. The mandatory
shutdowns and stay-at-home orders of COVID-19 have brought some
wonderful, positive impacts on the environment, such as cleaner air, fewer
cars on the road and cleaner oceans. We can help to preserve these
improvements with a mindful approach to cleaning toxin-free.
3. CONCENTRATES VS. READY-TO-USE: Sourcing cleaners sold as
concentrates is a brilliant way to save on unnecessary packaging, and
a pre-mixed product is often more than double the weight and expense
to ship to you. There are also considerably fewer plastics used when you
use reusable, refillable bottles and concentrates, rather than single-use
pre-mixed cleaners. n
HAVE A QUICK, EASY TIP FOR SPAS LOOKING TO GO GREEN? An outside-the-box idea
for reducing waste? An environmental fact that you think Pulse readers should know?
Share them with the Pulse editor at [email protected].
52 PULSE ■ JULY 2020