ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The European Rental Association (ERA) has outlined its plan to promote the sustainability of rental, focusing on engagement with EU policymakers and highlighting opportunities for small and mid-sized rental companies.

The association argues that equipment rental offers enormous benefits for sustainability, including higher efficiency through the intensive use of modern, rented equipment with high quality maintenance, and the buying power of rental companies, which makes them well-placed to discuss sustainable design with original equipment manufacturers.

ERA's Sustainability Committee plans to focus its work on two areas over the coming year. First, to highlight the opportunities in sustainability to smaller rental companies, working with national equipment rental industry associations. Second, it aims to increase engagement with EU policymakers around relevant areas of legislation and highlight the benefits of the industry.

Michel Petitjean, secretary general of ERA, speaking at the association's annual convention in Rome, said: "Sustainability is a real opportunity for our industry. It can play a vital role in helping customers operate more efficiently, with better environmental performance, and improved health and safety measures. It is vital that rental companies and their customers see this potential, both as a business opportunity and to help wider society.

"However, we need to take practical steps to help rental companies do so, especially smaller ones. We also need to ensure that policymakers grappling with economic and environmental issues see the potential of our industry to support growth, increase efficiency and increase sustainability at the same time. These benefits of our work have not in the past received the recognition they deserve."

www.erarental.org