Sustainability is clearly a goal that is worth pursuing. As such, businesses are falling all over themselves to give the impression that sustainability is important to them. But actions speak louder than words.
Here at Alsco, we do not merely claim to pursue an agenda of sustainability. We back up our claims with action. When you choose us to provide your uniform and linen rentals, you are choosing a company that is already intentionally sustainable and seeking to be even more so.
To be as concise as possible, we value the natural environment. As such, a big part of our business model is working to make everything we do more sustainable. From sourcing our materials to the laundering processes that we use, we prioritize sustainability at every level.
The Choices We Have Made
Pursuing sustainability is a choice. Companies must intentionally decide to do so regardless of the cost. And yes, the cost can be a bit more initially. But over time, sustainability pays for itself. For example, we have chosen to work with a floor mat vendor that recycles more than 1 million pounds of rubber annually. Recycling ultimately saves money and contributes to sustainability by keeping old rubber out of landfills and requiring less virgin rubber production.
Here are some of the other sustainability choices we have made:
We have chosen to work with chemical suppliers to create NPE-free formulas for our laundry facilities. These formulas increase efficiency without sacrificing our commitment to hygienically clean linens.
We have invested in American-made fabrics with life cycles up to 80% longer than imported linens.
last longer and reduce the amount of energy needed to manufacture new linens.
We have invested in
made with 80% recycled material.
We have chosen uniform suppliers that use eco-friendly fabrics for new uniform manufacturing.
We obviously realize that we are not yet where we want to be in achieving all of our sustainability goals. There are additional decisions to make as standards evolve and technologies improve. We will continue to make those decisions in ways that improve our sustainability without sacrificing the quality of our uniforms, linens, and floor care products.
The Results We Have Seen
Has pursuing a sustainability agenda proved beneficial? Absolutely. Just over the last 10 years alone we have reduced the amount of water we use in our laundry facilities by 50%. With the number facilities we have worldwide, that is an awful lot of water to save. This means that we are putting less stress on municipal water systems by not using so much.
What else have we achieved? Check out the following:
We have redesigned our delivery routes to reduce fuel consumption, thus reducing emissions as well. We’re also introducing electric step vans to our fleet in California.
We have developed a number of reusable products over the years, products that reduce landfill waste. Our linens and uniforms are reusable and by nature more sustainable than disposable products like paper napkins, disposable wipes and disposable face masks.
We have eliminated paper waste by implementing our online account management system, known as A-Track.
Every time we make a decision to do something that increases our sustainability, we are having an impact on the local environment. Our collective impact around the world is making a difference; we want our customers to know that. We also want to help them achieve their own sustainability goals.
It is one thing to claim that a business believes in sustainability. It is another thing to make the choices necessary to actually achieve it. We are here to help. If you have any questions about our uniform and linen rentals in relation to your sustainability goals, do not hesitate to reach out for more information.