Retail Cleaning and Net Zero Goals

Drapers, the UK’s leading authority on fashion retailing for almost 150 years, published its Sustainability and the Consumer report at the end of 2023 sharing valuable insights into the evolving priorities, preferences, and views of consumers, with a focus on how sustainability fits into their buying decisions. In our latest blog, Lisa Laird, Excellerate Services Chief Commercial Officer takes a look at consumer shopping habits, how sustainability impacts purchasing decisions, and the responses of some of the UK's leading retailers.

Growing Consumer Interest in Sustainability
Two key findings from the report that stood out to me focused on the growing consumer interest in sustainability and the role of the retail supply chain:

• 82% of respondents now consider sustainability when buying fashion, either all the time or sometimes, a significant increase from 77% in 2022.
• 49% of shoppers believe that retailers, rather than consumers or the government, should take the lead on sustainability, a reflection of the rising expectations placed on businesses in the sector.

It’s clear that fashion retailers, along with the wider retail industry, not only understand the importance of sustainability but are increasingly committed to addressing the environmental impact of their operations. This shift is driven by consumer demand as well as a broader corporate responsibility.

M&S
Since launching its industry-leading Plan A programme in 2007, M&S has continued to evolve its sustainability efforts and remains committed to becoming a net-zero business by 2040, aligning with the UK government's target but aiming to achieve it a full decade earlier.

Planet Earth at Selfridges
Luxury retailer Selfridges launched its 'Planet Earth' initiative in 2020, outlining a vision to reinvent retail through sustainability, which includes Selfridges Rental, a service offering a curated range of designer clothing for hire. This year, Selfridges reported that it is on track to meet its goal of generating 45% of its transactions through circular business models—such as resale, rental, and repair—by 2030. Following suit, John Lewis expanded its partnership with the rental platform Hurr, providing a similar rental service that has been well-received by eco-conscious consumers.

Give Up Clothes for Good from TK Maxx
Through its ‘Give Up Clothes for Good’ initiative, TK Maxx has recycled over 2.5 million bags of clothing since the programme began in 2004. By the end of 2023, the company diverted 95% of its waste from landfill, continuing its strong track record of waste reduction.

These examples showcase only a few of the consumer-facing sustainability initiatives that retailers are undertaking. However, equally important are the efforts taking place behind the scenes within retail supply chains, impacting areas like raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, waste disposal, and workforce welfare.

At Excellerate Services, maintaining close relationships with our clients and staying up to date on changes in the retail landscape has enabled us to implement several sustainable practices within our own business. As one of the UK’s leading retail cleaning specialists, we have examined our operations and placed sustainability at the core of our decision-making processes.

Sustainable Cleaning
For many years, we have collaborated with several of our key retail clients to successfully roll out sustainable cleaning practices across their UK estates, introducing a raft of sustainable cleaning measures.  To illustrate, we’ve worked with our suppliers and clients to introduce new cleaning products that are 100% biodegradable, use 90% less packaging, are ISO-accredited, and approved by the Vegan Society.  In partnership with another retail client, a switch to concentrated, pre-dosed cleaning products prevented over 30,000 single-use plastic bottles from being sent to landfill, clearly demonstrating the tangible impact these changes can have.

Our proprietary management information technology, Velocity, also allows us to reduce our carbon emissions by delivering paper-free scheduling, data-led cleaning and a host of other features with sustainability as a key influencer.

Excellerate's 5 Core Sustainability Promises
Looking ahead, we remain committed to supporting our retail clients pursue their own sustainability goals whilst staying focused on our own five core sustainability promises, which cover:

• The Excellerate Services’ supply chain for consumables and machinery
• Continuous improvement in relation to our environmental accreditations (we currently have Gold NCZ Accreditation,  Bronze EcoVadis and ISO 14001.
• Technology and digital cleaning solutions delivered via Velocity
• Staff onboarding and training delivered through our digital team app
• Team transport and promoting active travel options

While the role of a cleaning company may seem small when compared to the wider retail supply chain, the cumulative effect of reducing plastic waste, carbon emissions, and other environmental impacts shows that every contribution counts.

As Greta Thunberg so aptly put it, “you are never too small to make a difference.”  I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved so far in collaboration with our clients, and I look forward to continuing to build on these successes this year and beyond.