Do your bit for the environment while reducing overheads and improving your brand image with these sustainable approaches.
As we put increasing pressure on our planet’s resources, it is vital that every individual and business take steps to become as sustainable as possible.
When it comes to a laundry business, new developments and technologies can help us ensure the appliances we use are as efficient as possible, but we also need to implement sustainable laundry habits.
Here are four sustainable commercial laundry tips to help you make your business more efficient, more sustainable, and even save you money along the way.
1. Upgrade your machine
Researchers found that typical commercial washing machines use anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 gallons of water per pound of laundry. This can translate to as much as 1,400 gallons of fresh water per load. With this amount of water and how much energy it takes to run the machines, you’re looking at enormous costs for each machine. How can you resolve this issue? By upgrading your equipment to a more sustainable model.
An energy-efficient machine doesn’t just help the environment and save you energy, it also saves you money. Electrolux Professional Line 6000 commercial washers are designed for the lowest possible energy, water, and detergent consumption, saving you up to 40% on water and energy, and 25% on detergents.
Line 6000 machines feature Intelligent Dosing, adding the precise amount of detergent needed in relation to the load’s weight. With the Integrated Saving function, the load is also displayed on the screen and water levels are adjusted accordingly.
With their Power Balance embedded technology, Line 6000 high spin machines improve water extraction in real time, ensuring the lowest possible water retention for each load. This proves to be very effective for a quick and cost-savvy drying process.
To keep your commercial washing machine in top form and running at optimum energy levels, it’s essential to take care of your equipment and adopt a more mindful approach to consumption, helping to prevent damage and maintain energy levels.
2. Use eco-friendly detergent
Conventional laundry detergent can be made from petroleum-based ingredients, dyes, synthetic fragrances, and other chemicals that don’t degrade and can go on to pollute our planet’s waterways and ecosystems. Some can even be harmful to human health.
On the other hand, eco-friendly detergents can be broken down and leave little to no trace behind. The ingredients within these sustainable laundry detergents won’t alter natural habitats or harm the environment.
The ingredients are usually natural or derived from natural ingredients that are safe for the environment and humans. The detergent is usually in sustainable packaging or made from recyclable material such as cardboard, reducing pollution to the planet.
Eco-friendly detergents, such as those available from Electrolux Professional, are just as effective as conventional detergents. Here’s a quick recap of their benefits:
- Ingredients biodegrade, and do not harm waterways and the eco-system
- Hypoallergenic and mild on your skin, with less chance of causing irritation
- Just as efficient, if not more effective than conventional laundry detergents
- More concentrated cleaning power, meaning you use less product per wash
- Sustainable detergents work well at lower temperatures, where natural enzymes are most effective, helping you save money on energy costs
3. Choose sustainable packaging
After washing and drying your garments, opt for eco-friendly packaging rather than plastic packaging. Many laundry businesses send items home in plastic wrapping; however, there are several ways to make this practice more sustainable.
- Encourage a reusable bag program
- Ask customers to use their own bags to bring their items back with them
- Use eco-friendly packaging made of sustainable material that’s easy to recycle
Eco-friendly packaging is material that is sourced, developed, and used to ensure minimal impact on the planet and doesn’t contribute to the depletion of the earth’s natural resources. Sustainable packaging often uses renewable energy or innovative materials to create less impact on the planet and is free from harmful ingredients. It’s also usually easy to recycle or biodegrade so that it doesn’t contribute to pollution.
By choosing sustainable packaging, you are deciding to minimize the waste and pollution harming our waterways and ecosystems. Not only are you choosing to be environmentally friendly, but it may also improve brand image and reduce overheads.
4. Monitor your energy use
To get a good idea of how much energy you’re using and how sustainable your laundry business is, start tracking the number of chemicals, water, and energy you use on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Our commercial washers come equipped with software to help you track these metrics, giving you an overview of water and energy usage, load size, and more.
Take note of where you’re using the most energy and how you could improve. Based on your results, design a roadmap to reduce this energy usage while improving efficiency.
We can all do our bit to keep our businesses as sustainable as possible. And by improving efficiencies and introducing robust sustainable laundry practices, we can benefit both our planet and our business.