CSR offers laundries massive opportunities

When the great and the good of the global commercial textile services industry met in Bruges for the World Textile Services Congress last October, all with an eye on growing business in their particular sector, they were keen to hear the expert panel give their views on CSR issues.

Sylvie Thonnerieux, manager of ACTE International, a French company specialising in global supply chain management believes we have long gone past what she referred to as ?soft law’. “It relied on goodwill, which was encouraged by all kinds of labels, certificates, codes of conduct drawn up by the United Nations, international standards (ISO) and codes of conduct of the companies themselves. But we are increasingly seeing that a ‘hard law’ now applies. CSR is no longer an option, it has become an obligation.

“We must capitalise on the increasing flow of immigrants. We must also refuse to do business with companies that we know are guilty of modern slavery, for example in the form of forced labour, child exploitation and human trafficking.” She said that the industry needs to move away from minimum wages and pay fair salaries instead. “We should listen to the recommendations of NGOs such as Greenpeace and Human Rights Watch. And we must respond to the concerns of customers - both B2B and B2C. If we do, then the competitive advantage will be greater than the risks we take by changing. The quality is increased, the ambience within the company will only improve and we will become attractive for the millennial generation.”

Brian Keegan, vice president of safety and sustainability at Ameripride, discussed the situation in the USA. There, in many cases, filling out a CSR questionnaire is part of the contract negotiations, he said. “You cannot afford to rest on your laurels and remain in your office if you want to make sure you have the right answers.”

The safety of Ameripride’s own staff is also a priority, he told delegates, which is why the company has developed its own safety-driven programme, resulting in an “amazing” drop in the number of accidents. He reported that Ameripride’s CSR vision has also resulted in an upgraded truck fleet (trucks are now taken off the road after eight years instead of 10) using non-fossil fuels and driving behaviour is also monitored. The company is also subject to an environment audit that is conducted by third parties “and the plant’s roof is full of solar panels,” Keegan said.

Martin Swierzy, the managing director of Alsico Germany, strongly believes in CSR and sustainability: “We do not sell any property. We are a recycling company. The entire industry should actually uphold this value. Because many (potential) customers do not know the difference between textile products and textile services, we can offer a solution to many of their problems.

“The opportunities for our industry are enormous if only we can make managers understand how they can implement our service actively, consistently and sustainably in their own activities. We really don’t need any greenwashing for this. But the economy, ecology and social responsibility must always be perfectly balanced.” Nagore Marco, group risk manager at Berendsen UK, is tasked with implementing the company’s CSR strategy. “Nowadays the views of the business community have changed significantly, compared with 10 years ago. You can no longer afford to merely respond, you have to anticipate. This requires flexibility. As entrepreneurs you must manage both the risk and the opportunities. If you succeed, you can create a competitive advantage that can benefit your customers and stakeholders alike.”