Clean up the cleaning business

Clean up the cleaning business

By Gary Fage, Council Member of the CHSA & a Director of the Jangro Group

When Jangro recently announced that each of its 40 outlets had joined the Cleaning and Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA), it was just one of many ways in which our Membership of independent janitorial suppliers could actively show its desire to clean up the cleaning business and kick out the cheats.

 

The janitorial supplies industry is under the microscope by buyers and users of its products.  Our profession has been riddled with unclear product explanations and downright untruthful claims on packaging, in literature, on websites and verbally in presentations.  I am not knocking the responsible organisations that clearly label everything, provide full technical information sheets etc but some of the ranges that have traded for too long on vaguerisms and a lack of specific, necessary information.

 

I believe that manufacturers can be dishonest in two ways – by what they say and what they don’t say.  (Copy in red is optional cuts) Too many firms have made products and stated all the good features and benefits but have, in my view, been dishonest by not providing the full picture as to what it does not do, its environmental downsides, some of the possible hazards and by implication that the product is a ‘cure all’ when it is not. The one sure way to lose customers is by making false claims, good reputations are everything, lose them and you may never get it back.

 

 

The CHSA has for years joined with the leading manufacturers of paper tissue, plastic refuse sacks and cotton mops and agreed specific product standards in three accreditation schemes.   They cover product labelling, which in the case of soft tissue has to contain details of the roll length and width, number of sheets (on a roll, or number of individual hand towels) and several other mandatory pieces of information.  This means that all reputable manufacturers work on an even playing field and buyers get precisely what it says on the pack.   There continues to be manufacturers and converters supplying ‘Jumbo’ toilet rolls often containing less sheets or smaller rolls – but how do you know if you are comparing apples with apples, if the pack simply describes it as Jumbo roll?    Many supermarkets state on their shelf strips, the number of sheets per roll, cost per sheet etc, so that consumers can compare one brand with another.  This is fair-trading and is precisely what I want to see in other areas of our business.

 

In a world where cost is king, we must look at the real ‘cost in use’ or cost per metre not cost per roll. The CHSA’s Soft Tissue Accreditation Scheme ensures that the best interest of end users is served.  Paper manufactures signing up to the scheme regularly undergo audits by independent inspectors. Roll lengths, sheet count and number of towels per case are thoroughly checked.   Manufacturers found to be selling products that do not consistently conform are expelled from the scheme.

 

Recent trends have seen roll lengths on things like Jumbo’s, Mini Jumbo’s and Centrefeed rolls decrease dramatically.  Traditionally Centrefeed rolls came in 2 lengths - 150m for 2ply rolls and 300m for 1ply.   Recently Jangro members have received many customer complaints claiming that Centrefeed rolls are much cheaper at the local Cash & Carry.   Paying 20% less for a product that contains 25% less paper doesn’t save money, but how is the end user to know?

 

 It’s bad enough that some manufacturers try to deceive by not putting roll lengths on products (there are no legal requirement to do this) - but what the CHSA has found this year is that some manufacturer’s blatantly promoting false information.  In one case it found a Centrefeed roll purporting to be 150m that was in fact less than 113 meters.  This was reported to Trading Standards and a prosecution is pending.

 

We have been through very tough economic times and this has encouraged the less scrupulous in the supply side of the industry to cut corners.    This action could have dire consequences for their customers.   If you are a contract cleaner supplying products to your customers, you probably don’t know or care much about roll sizes, as you are too busy focusing on the cleaning. If your supplier changes the roll size and doesn’t inform you, you could be charging out for full size rolls when in fact you may be supplying a product containing 25% less paper.  If this is realised by your customer you could lose the contract through no fault of your own.

 

Smaller roll sizes are invariably pro-rata more expensive and mean more packaging per square metre, which has an environmental effect.  The only reliable way you can ensure that you and your customer are getting what you believe you are paying for is to make sure that your distributor only supplies paper products that display the CHSA Soft Tissue Accreditation.

 

So, having had my rant, here is my proposal.  All trade associations and business groups of manufacturers and users (contract cleaners, FM companies etc.) must insist that manufacturers individually list all their product features (positive and negative).   They must illustrate all the real ‘costs in use’ and the ‘environmental costs’ against an Association measure. This data must be used on all packaging, literature, websites, advertising, sales presenters etc.

 

For more information on this subject or to submit your own views please visit my blog at www.garyfage.wordpress.com

 

Jangro is the largest network of independently owned janitorial supply companies with 40 branches across the UK, Ireland and the Isle of Man. Jangro fully supports the CHSA Soft Tissue Accreditation Scheme.

 

For a copy of the 2011 Jangro product catalogue containing a wide range of environmentally aware products please contact Jangro on 0845 458 5223, email centraloffice@jangrohq.net or www.jangro.net