Greener days are dawning

Micronclean powers up with mega solar array at Louth

UK

Micronclean has successfully commissioned its recently installed solar panels on the roof of the company’s plant in Louth, Lincolnshire. The solar array of 577 panels was installed by NerG of Lincoln and over the course of year will supply 20% of the Louth plant’s annual electricity requirements.

Micronclean employs over 400 people across the UK with most of these being based at the three main production sites in Lincolnshire. The Louth site is home to one of the most technically advanced ISO Class 6 (GMP Grade C) cleanroom laundries in Europe, with the capacity to process more than 120,000 items a week.

The Micronclean environmental and sustainability strategy sets out Micronclean’s ambition to be “the most sustainable specialist textile and cleanroom consumable business on the planet. This ambition is supported by three pillars: our climate, creating our circular economy, and; our people and communities.

In Year 1 of the strategy under ‘our climate’ Micronclean committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 5%. As part of this the company has built on its recently signed Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) electricity supply contract by funding its own solar array on the roof of the Louth facility.

Luke Worral, business development manager at NerG said: ”NerG has been providing innovative Heat and Power Solutions to commercial clients since 2009. We are really proud to have worked with Micronclean on this large Solar PV project, helping to mitigate over 42 tonnes of CO2 annually which is a great way to contribute to their MicronGreen Strategy.”

Sophie Harris, associate director QHSE at Micronclean, added: “We take our commitment to the environment very seriously and the successful completion of this project is another sign of this.”

Electrolux Professional draws new targets to address climate impact

INTERNATIONAL Electrolux Professional Group has revealed its target to reduce indirect use phase emissions of sold products by 27.5% by 2030. This target, together with the target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its industrial operations by 70% by 2030, has now been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi*).

“We are committed to leading and transforming our industry towards a more sustainable future. Setting these science-based targets was an important step for our Group´s climate ambition. With the support of the SBTi framework to verify and enhance our progress towards science-based targets, our Group´s climate journey and progress are clear to all stakeholders,” said CEO Alberto Zanata.

Electrolux Professional said its new target to reduce emissions from product use is a response to its customers’ wishes to use less energy and have lower emissions from the use of its products.

“For our laundry customers, water and detergent savings combined with heat pump dryers can result in much lower emissions. Tests within our own labs as well as certified third-party institutes are underlining the results of our investments for the benefit of the user and the planet.”

*SBTi is a partnership between the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Twenty years of TRSA Clean Green Certification

USA

TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services providers, celebrates its Clean Green certification as the programme embarks on its second decade. The certification is earned by companies that demonstrate leadership in environmental sustainability and meet certain benchmarks for water and energy conservation and emissions reduction.

Over the past decade, 34 companies with 111 plants have shown their commitment to sustainability by meeting the requirements of the Clean Green certification. These companies have implemented water, energy, and fuel conservation measures in order to reduce their facilities’ environmental impact and shrink their carbon footprints. The commercial laundry industry, led by Clean Green certified operators, proudly saves 30 billion gallons of water annually and uses 160 % less energy compared to in-house or at home laundries.

As the first commercial laundry company to earn Clean Green certification in 2012, Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supplycontinues to be a leader in this space. Dempsey has a long history of partnering with TRSA to develop sustainable laundry initiatives, including in their role as founding members of the Laundry Environmental Stewardship Program (LaundryESP®), the industry’s first voluntary conservation program.

“Most green initiatives make good business sense in our industry, so both our business and the environment benefit from our efforts,” said PJ Dempsey, Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply President and TRSA environmental committee chairman. “It was only natural that we would be the first to pursue certification for Clean Green.”

The TRSA Clean Green certification requires laundry operators to meet high standards for water, energy, and fuel conservation, undergo independent third-party inspections and implement established best management practices. Qualifying companies successfully reduce water and fuel consumption, reuse water from rinse cycles, and recycle laundry supplies and wash water.

Two larger output VSRT boilers steam in from Fulton

UK

Claimed by Fulton to be the most radical change to vertical steam boiler design since it first pioneered the vertical tubeless boiler in 1949, Fulton’s VSRT model since its launch in 2018 has become classleading and a symbol of efficiency, with many users benefiting from generous savings in gas and water consumption in addition to CO2 and NOx emissions.

With demand increasing for an energy efficient boiler with larger outputs like those of horizontal reverse-flame steam boilers, Fulton is now expanding the range and introducing two new re-designed VSRT models with outputs of 1565 and 1956 kg/h to swell the existing the sevenmodel VSRT range with outputs from 160 to 960 kg/h.

Fulton managing director Carl Knight explained: “These new models are ground-breaking for their output range. When you consider the VSRT-100 and VSRT-125 models, there are no truly efficient tubeless vertical steam boilers in the marketplace with similar output ranges.

“The VSRT is the only tubeless boiler available with the capability of efficiently producing nearly two tonnes per hour of steam.

“In short, what we are delivering with these new models is much higher output versions without compromising efficiency.”

Texcare France focuses on topical industry themes

FRANCE/INTERNATIONAL The first edition of Texcare France fast approaches on 25-27 November at the Porte de Versailles exhibition halls, Paris, will focus on two major topical themes: employment and training on the one hand, and the environment on the other.

A series of round tables and events has been planned for the event, with an eye on ecological best practice

Ecological transition

Our industry has long been committed to environmental issues. Despite economic crisis and tougher regulations, it continues to invest and innovate in order to make the inevitable ecological transition. Experts at the event will take a look at the current state of play, with a view to gaining a better understanding so the indiustry can take action and, above all, speed things up.

Logistics ­fleet

Between regulatory constraints and environmental imperatives, the choice of environmentally-friendly commercial vehicles is obviously more than just a matter of conviction. Deate.

Water and energy

The energy crisis, the increasing scarcity of fossil fuels, the climate emergency... Water and energy management are at the heart of the drive to reduce energy consumption. It’s possible to work together to find practical solutions. The speakers will present perspectives.