15.04.2008, 09:00
The importance of cleaning work in terms of reducing the environmental impact of real estate properties is growing. L&T is launching a new cleaning service model designed to reduce the environmental impact caused by cleaning work. At the same time, cleaning staff working at customer locations will become important sources of information in environmental matters.
L&T’s new service model is the first cleaning service format in Finland to be granted the Nordic Ecolabel. To obtain the Swan Label, the service must fulfil extensive environmental criteria. In Finland, the label created by the Nordic Council of Ministers is granted by SFS Ecolabelling. This organisation is also monitoring that all conditions are fulfilled.
- Obtaining the Swan Label for our cleaning services is a natural addition to the long-term development work we have carried out for the benefit or our environment. Among other, we were the first to introduce the micro-fibre method in Finland, thanks to which the use of chemicals could be reduced. We believe that our cleaning competence will help us support real estate properties in their efforts to reduce their environmental impact, for example by way of encouraging them to sort their waste. At the same time, environmental competence among cleaning professionals is improving and cleaners’ jobs are becoming increasingly diverse, says L&T’s Anna-Maija Apajalahti, Vice President, Property and Office Support Services.
The new model involves more extensive use of eco-labelled detergents. Detergents containing chloride have been banned altogether. L&T also started a training programme focusing on improving environmental competence among its cleaning professionals in the autumn of last year. Within one year, the majority of L&T’s cleaning staff will have taken part is this programme. Having passed this training programme, cleaning professionals will be able to provide guidance at customer locations with regard to sorting waste materials, for example.
L&T will start offering its Swan-labelled cleaning service format to office cleaning customers within April. L&T aims at having the majority of its present office cleaning customers to transfer to this environmentally friendly service format in the course of this year.
Additional information:
Anna-Maija Apajalahti, Vice President, Property and Office Support Services, L&T, tel. +358 500 405 802
Katja Laitinen, Environmental Management Specialist, L&T, tel. +358 50 385 6858