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After years of spurts, stops and stalls, one of the high points many Jan/San industry experts note about the Green Cleaning movement is that, by most counts, it has been customer-driven. Instead of being mandated by government entities and imposed upon businesses, industries and private citizens, it has been adopted for the most part because of its many health and environmental benefits.
One of the major reasons this has occurred is because of the development of certification organizations, such as EcoLogoM and Green Seal®. These independent, third-party organizations establish guidelines and standards for consumers, distributors and manufacturers and identify environmentally-preferable cleaning products. This has helped eliminate much of the confusion surrounding Green Cleaning products.
Even Executive Order 13101, signed by then-President Bill Clinton — which many believe was one of the major driving forces in the adoption of Green Cleaning — does not necessarily mandate the use of environmentally-preferable products. Instead, the gist of the order is to encourage their use and only in federal government-operated facilities.
Where mandates were ordered
However, this is not to say that some states and localities have not ordered the use of environmentally-preferable products either by statute, policy or executive order. As far back as the early 1990s, the city of Santa Monica, California, ordered that custodial cleaning products used in its facilities contain "low-toxicity" substitutes as part of a program to make its custodial operations safer for the environment and for its workers. Today, Santa Monica prohibits carcinogens, aerosols and ozone-depleting chemicals to be used in its facilities. The city also established strict standards for volatile organic compound (VOC) content and biodegradability.
States, such as Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Pennsylvania, have also mandated that Green Cleaning chemicals and products be used in their facilities. Massachusetts, for instance, has instituted an extensive green procurement program involving a number of product and service categories. And, Pennsylvania has implemented similar green procurement actions as well as related programs that specifically address not only the use of environmentally-preferable products, but building sustainability as well.
And, in what has become one of the most significant, and sometimes controversial directives, New York State now requires that all state agencies and authorities as well as the state's schools use only environmentally-preferable cleaning products and supplies. The New York State initiative has very specific requirements regarding the types of cleaning products that may be used by state agencies and authorities as well as when the switch to Green Cleaning products will occur.
"When a large, and highly influential state like New York transfers from conventional to environmentally-preferable cleaning products, it prompts many others to take notice," says Mike Sawchuk, vice-president and general manager of Enviro-Solutions. "It puts Green Cleaning on center stage, and what often follows is that other states will begin to adopt all or parts of the New York laws and regulations regarding the use of environmentally-preferable products."
Are mandates good or bad?
Some industry professionals are wondering if after so many years of being customer-driven if government mandates bolster or hinder the Green Cleaning movement. For instance, the New York initiative has caused considerable controversy, as mentioned earlier, because it encourages the use of cold water when cleaning. The reasoning behind this decision, according to the New York State Office of General Services, is that "hot water more easily melts and spreads soils that are dissolvable by water, and those soils are likely to cling to the colder surface being cleaned."
"It is also likely another reason it promoted the use of cold water is because when mixing chemicals, hot water and their vapors can cause more fumes and VOCs to be released, which can be potentially harmful to the user," says Sawchuk. "However, many cleaning professionals, especially when performing carpet extraction, believe that heat improves the effectiveness of cleaning chemicals and this has even been supported by studies going back more than one hundred years."
Indeed, such organizations as the Carpet and Rug Institute, The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and several of the largest manufacturers of carpet and floor products recommend the use of hot water when performing carpet extraction. The result of differing recommendations, opinions and guidelines is confusion and disagreement, which were one of the factors that hindered the growth of Green Cleaning for many years.
Additionally, the initial New York State initiative on the use of environmentally-preferable cleaning products did not require that they be certified by EcoLogo or Green Seal. Instead, the New York Department of Education was to review and define Green Cleaning products.
The initiative also indicated that products used in the state facilities must meet the criteria established several years ago by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which are, according to many Green Cleaning advocates, outdated and much less stringent than those adopted by the recognized certification organizations. "Adhering to these old standards, many experts believed, could have potentially moved the Green Cleaning movement backward," adds Sawchuk. "Fortunately, the more stringent, up-to-date standards developed by EcoLogo and Green Seal were adopted in the final law."
Their potential positive impact
On the other hand, government mandates enforcing the use of environmentally-preferable cleaning products can play a significant role in encouraging their adoption. One reason for this is because government mandates essentially recognize the importance and benefits of Green Cleaning products. "No longer just for those with alternative lifestyles or seen as a 'fad,' mandates help institutionalize green products, spreading the word that these products help promote health as they protect the environment," says Sawchuk.
Additionally, mandates usually set timetables for when a certain product, procedure or system must be implemented. For instance, Green Seal worked with California in 2002 to develop a green procurement program. However, the program was never mandated by law, executive order or policy initiative. Because of an energy crisis in the state and changes in government leadership, the procurement program was put on hold for several years.
According to Sawchuk, if the laws and mandates regarding green specifications and Green Cleaning products are written carefully, without the controversies and disagreements, such as those that initially greeted the New York initiative, they can ensure clarity and help promote the transfer to environmentally-preferable products.
"For the most part, mandates do work and can help our industry," he says, "as long as an implementation timetable is enforced and the green criteria are clear to all parties. However, if there is a 'moving target,' in the sense that one government entity defines green in one way and another in another way, it will hamper the development of green products and the adoption of Green Cleaning. Everyone will take a 'wait and see' approach until the differences are resolved."
Indeed, Sawchuk adds that when mandates are successful, they help create a single, commonly accepted, national and/or international environmental standard for manufacturers, distributors and facility service providers to follow. "This will help promote a better and healthier environment without causing confusion," he says, "and will likely also help make Green Cleaning products more cost-competitive and effective."
Dawn Shoemaker is a writer for the cleaning and building industries working with AlturaSolutions Communications, Chicago, Illinois.
author: BY DAWN SHOEMAKER