The product uses biochemical technology within the paper which is said to solve the problem of maladours and blockages in septic tanks.

"The toilet tissue system is particularly suitable for use in environments such as hotels, restaurants, on cruise ships and in motorway service stations," said Sofidel's AFH marketing manager Fabio Vitali.

"We are now Europe's exclusive supplier of toilet tissue using BATP technology." BATP - or biologic active tissue paper - is said to result in cleaner toilets while also helping to keep pipes and septic tanks clean.

The toilet paper has been dermatologically tested and will not harm the skin, says Vitali.

Also new was the company's Dry Tech range of through-air-dried hand towels and wipers, and the HyTech line of washroom dispensers. These are said to be both stylish and easy to clean.

www.sofidel.it

He says recent scandals involving lead poisoning in children - and the Chinese Government's reaction in closing down battery factories - will have a major impact on that country's battery sales.

"Many companies have been buying batteries from China because they are cheap," said Chambers. "But China is coming to the end of its day."

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of lead for batteries, but over the past few years the Chinese government has closed down hundreds of battery factories following reports of lead poisoning in children living nearby. Excessive amounts of lead in the blood can cause damage to the digestive, nervous and reproductive systems and can also impair brain development in children.

Trojan offers a range of deep cycle flooded batteries that can be used to power cleaning machines. The company has recently expanded its range of sealed batteries, which Chambers claims to be a growing market.

According to Chambers although price matters to most customers, run-time tends to be the most important consideration when buying a battery.

"We are a premium brand at a premium price," said Chambers. "If it was all about price, then we wouldn't be in business."

www.trojanbattery.com

The Activa Method Control System incorporates a micro-computer that allows the operator to choose how much liquid to use with the mop.

"The operator has five options from 20ml to 100ml depending on the type of floor you need to clean," said product manager Johann Storbjork. "In an entrance where there is heavy soiling, for instance, you might require more liquid whereas on a less heavily-soiled floor that needs to be able to dry quickly you would use less liquid."

Spray nozzles within the mop box spray the detergent into the box ready for use with the mop. The system can be used with all kinds of mops including flat mops, pocket mops, microfibre mops and pocket mops, says Storbjork.

He adds that the patent-pending system is particularly easy to use since it only has two buttons - dose and spray. In environments where a choice of liquid levels is not required the "intelligent" function can be switched off. And it can also be immobilised in situations where it could be abused, such as in a school.

"The system will be very attractive to customers since it can reduce working hours by between five to eight per cent compared with traditional wet mopping systems, while also saving around 15,100 litres of water a year," said Storbjork.

He says the system will be particularly useful in environments such as offices, shops and healthcare.

www.hygienteknik.se

To achieve this status, the cloths have been manufactured without the addition of any chemicals, they have a production process that uses minimal quantities of water, high dust and direct reduction, and they are not abrasive on surfaces.

"We are very proud to have achieved this Nordic Ecolabel licence, and it is proof of the focus our company has on environmentally sound, high quality products," Nada Handane, marketing and sales coordinator at Greenspeed told ECJ.

"Function, quality and life-cycle perspective are all part of the Nordic Ecolabel scheme. We are very happy to welcome the Dutch brand Greenspeed into the Nordic Ecolabel family," commented Nancy Holm, market communication manager at Ecolabelling Sweden.

www.greenspeed.eu

This year's visitor number was 28,001, compared to 23,415 at the last event in 2010. And there were 669 exhibitors this time, compared to 651 two years ago.

Project manager for the show Rob den Hertog said the quality and quantity of visitors made for a "vibrant and busy four days".

The next ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam takes place from May 6-9 2014, when it will celebrate its 25th anniversary.

www.issainterclean.com

And once a dirty surface has been cleaned, the average surface bacteria count rises by an average 1,827 per cent - tests by the Australia cleaners' trades union United Voice found.

The group found this happens because cleaning sponges and utensils are not rinsed properly when in use. The typical cleaner's kit of sponges, wipes, buckets and sanitising fluids were all found to be harbouring and probably spreading contamination.

Toilet seats actually came out top for cleanliness - with 43 per cent of surfaces increasing their bacteria count after cleaning.

The audit of seven anonymous shopping centres also found more than 25 per cent of tested surfaces showed visible soiling and contamination after cleaning.

Testing company Getex said inadequate sponges, wipes and physical action during cleaning may be contributing to the spread of bacteria.

The country is said to be at such high risk because of its densely-packed cities, highly mobile population and popularity as a global travel hub.

The study, by UK analysts Maplecroft, ranked Britain as second only to Singapore for its vulnerability to the rapid spread of an influenza outbreak. The report concluded that the Olympics in July and August will increase the danger of ‘flu spreading because an extra 5.3 million foreign tourists - many from countries where any pandemic is likely to emerge - are expected to visit Britain.

Other countries said to be at "extreme" risk in Maplecroft's influenza pandemic risk index are South Korea, the Netherlands and Germany.

However, Britain was also judged to be one of the 10 countries best placed to withstand any outbreak thanks to its strong governance, effective health infrastructure and good communications networks.

The H1N1 swine flu outbreak in 2009-10 claimed 457 lives in the UK. Experts believe more severe pandemics may occur in the future, possibly as a result of a mutated bird flu strain.

The Maplecroft report found that South East Asia was most likely to see a new flu pandemic emerge, with the region containing six of the 10 countries at highest risk. The authors expressed particular concern about China whose growing prosperity has led to higher consumption of meat and therefore a rise in livestock numbers.

And president and ceo Joergen Jensen claims this to be a major potential growth area.

Nilfisk-Advance recently set up a new Outdoor Division and in January launched the CY5000 high pressure machine for cleaning outdoor surfaces.

"Outdoor cleaning is definitely a growing market - particularly in emerging countries such as Mexico, Turkey and Asia," he told ECJ. "These markets are beginning to recognise the value of presenting a clean outdoor environment to show visiting Western companies and to help drive tourism."

"Over the past 18 months we have acquired two outdoor cleaning companies - one French and one Danish - and we are now investing in this division with new products."

The Nilfisk CY5000 is a compact ride-on high pressure cleaner for deep cleaning concrete, asphalt and other hard surfaces. The machine uses Nilfisk's Cyclone surface cleaning technology - a self-contained system that creates its own heated water - to clean stadiums, car parks, amusement centres and pavements without the use of chemicals.

Another growth area for Nilfisk is the industrial vac market in which there has been a growing interest following the 2011 explosion at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China, says Jensen. "The explosion was caused by dust and we are receiving increasing interest in our dust control systems from China and other emerging markets," said Jensen.

He says 2011 was a fantastic year for the company with record sales and 10 per cent growth. "The first quarter results for 2012 have shown a four per cent growth which reflects the fact that the outlook is tougher than it was a few months ago," he said.

"Our current outlook is that there are going to be tough times ahead and it would be optimistic to expect us to show the same growth as 2011. However, we are aiming for a five per cent growth by the end of 2012."

www.nilfisk.com

The Tork Easy Handling system of boxes and plastic packs is claimed to help prevent stress injuries since it is easier to lift and handle than conventional packaging, according to SCA.

"Around one million Tork packages are delivered in Europe every week," said Kristian Grennfelt, packaging development and industrial design centre manager for Tork. "These products arrive at end-customers' premises in packages that must be received, lifted, transported, carried, opened, folded and discarded - and handling the packages can be heavy work.

"Muscular disorders are common among cleaning workers due to repetitive movements, heavy lifting and carrying."

SCA carried out an observational study over a period of four months involving cleaning workers and customers from four European countries. The company then looked at where improvements could be made regarding the cleaning workers' handling of packages.

Tork Easy Handling introduces a number of functions that improve efficiency and ergonomics. New handles allow the cleaner to carry two cardboard boxes at a time - one in each hand - which is more ergonomically sound.

The containers are also easier to open without the use of sharp tools such as scissors or knives and include features for different finger sizes. All the functions have been designed to be as intuitive as possible so that cleaners can easily see and understand them.

"Our analysis of each task has produced a solution that helps to ease the strain on cleaning personnel's backs while also saving them time - which is a good long-term investment as well," said Grennfelt.

www.sca-tork.com

11.00-12.30 - Certification, training and labelling in the cleaning industry: how effective accreditation can yield a high return on investment. Room D201-202
Three experts will make the link between the training and certification of ‘entry level to supervisory employees', company accreditation and the continuing emphasis on ecolabelling in the sector, with a high ROI value.

Stan Atkins is the chief executive officer of the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc), and he has been in the cleaning industry since 1974 working as a contractor, a client and a consultant.

Marcello Manca is the vice president and general manager of UL Environment, which works to advance global sustainability, environmental health and safety by supporting the growth and development of environmentally preferable products, services and organisations.

Dan Wagner is ISSA's director of Facility Service Programmes, responsible for leading the association's Cleaning Industry Management Standard and CIMS Green Building Certification Programme.

To register at this seminar go to: http://europe.issa.com/?id=seminar_programme