ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Jacco Vonhof, chairman of the Association of Cleaning Research (VSR) is the new Dutch reporter for ECJ. He explores how cleaning companies can add value in this age of robotisation and digitisation.

The world is changing and so is the cleaning industry. Robots are taking over tasks and digitisation allows those working in the industry to be employed more efficiently. This means that cleaning staff are still employed but there is increasingly less work.

It is time for employers to prepare themselves. And before you now conclude that you need to go and make some people redundant, just remember that your cleaning company together with its staff can offer plenty of additional value besides carrying out cleaning tasks.

Giving advice on waste is one such example. Indeed cleaning staff are involved with it every day.

Waste pioneer Edwin ter Velde and professional adventurer Wilco van Rooijen know exactly how valuable waste can be as a raw material. In 2017 they will be using solar power to drive a vehicle which is partly made from waste all the way to the South Pole in Antarctica. Zero waste, zero emissions. In other words: Clean2Antarctica.

The two adventurers are calling on schoolchildren to gather up their waste plastic for it to be turned into printer thread. This thread is converted by a simple 3D printer into small hexagons which in turn are used to build the Solar Voyager. With the aid of solar panels the Solar Voyager will travel around the world using the power of nature, with zero emissions. In this way children learn that plastic is not waste, but rather a raw material.

Each building block receives a certificate. Companies can sponsor a certificate for €250. They can also become more sustainable at the Zero Waste Center.

But what opportunities does this create for cleaning companies? Some companies wish to become more sustainable through waste management, but are reluctant to find out exactly how.

Therein lies the opportunity for cleaning companies. As a cleaning company you can act as an advisor and help provide information and guidance to your clients. The Zero Waste Center owned by Ter Velde can help you to do so. As he says himself: “You involve the client in ownership of the problem. You do not clear up the waste, but help your client. ‘In the future you will cease to have any waste. I am going to help you with waste management.’ A role that you can be proud of as a cleaning company. You add value.”

Van Rooijen adds: “The waste cleaning companies collect is valuable. Waste is a raw material, use it!”

With the initiative Clean2Antarctica Ter Velde and Van Rooijen wish to focus attention on the continent. They want to demonstrate that we can live in a circular manner if we truly want to. Just like mother nature, who we depend on so heavily. Cleaning companies can adopt a key role in this.