If the past couple of years has taught us anything, it’s that the old supply chain model was not the right way of doing things. Just in time delivery, lean manufacturing and that ceaseless drive for efficiency left everyone dangerously exposed when interrupted by the pandemic.
The good news is that we have an opportunity to change.
As we continue to reset, rebuild and restart, businesses have an opportunity to do things differently this time.
We still want value for money, efficiency and as little waste as possible, but on a more sustainable level.
Sustainable in terms of resilience but also of being green, kinder to us and kinder to the planet.
Benefits of an environmental, social and governance policy
For businesses and corporations with a strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) policy it’s important to ensure standards don’t fall when it comes to the supply chain.
For any outsourced services, including office cleaning, you want to choose a supplier who adheres to the same set of values and standards as you would in your own business.
As an environmentally aware cleaning company, Swift Cleaning has spent a lot of time and effort researching, developing and mastering office cleaning that helps clients with their own environmental, social and governance (ESG) policy.
No cleaning company will ever be 100% green as the technology doesn’t currently exist.
But we do strive to be as sustainable as possible! Through initiatives, such as our Pledge to Plant, and ISO 14001 certification we’ll help maintain the integrity of your supply chain.
During our own research, we discovered these key benefits an ESG policy can help any business.
1. Increased trust and profitability
A business with a strong ESG policy shows itself as forward looking and aware. Our increased appetite for living more sustainably and the drive towards a greener, cleaner future means any company that embraces that will generate trust and new business.
From suppliers, all the way up the chain, any business that includes sustainability in its practices benefits those in the chain above it.
Most importantly, those that practice sustainability as well as talk about it will make a genuine difference!
According to one major study, companies that are socially engaged with sustainability were viewed much more positively.
You don’t need us to tell you how that can benefit your business!
Working with an EGS-aware cleaning company may be a small step in that direction, but it’s something that benefits you, us, the environment and perhaps even your bottom line!
2. Resource efficiency
A sustainable supply chain forces businesses to be more efficient with resources. For example, a business or supplier that focuses only on the bottom line is less likely to worry about wastage, excess carbon emissions or other resource inefficiencies.
Sustainable suppliers with a clear ESG policy in place will need to consider a wider range of factors. Factors such as ethical procurement, excess wastage, carbon capture or offset and operational efficiencies.
That means we can provide bona fide sustainable cleaning services that keep our ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2015 certifications, provide environmentally-friendly cleaning and help you with your own ESG policies.
3. Better public perception
While customers or the buying public wouldn’t stop working with you just because of the cleaning company you use, the opposite is not true.
Sharing the fact you are building a more sustainable supply chain with an insistence on sustainability will very likely help attract new businesses and deliver positive PR.
We all take an interest in what business does what, who pollutes, who dumps waste and who embraces green initiatives.
We are also aware of what news is greenwashing and what is a genuine change.
Swift Cleaning can help with that genuine change.
Not only do we work sustainably, use environmentally friendly cleaning products and practices wherever possible, we also have our own ESG policies and a strategy of being a force for good.
If you use us to clean your office, you reap those rewards too!
4. Attracting investment and stakeholders
If you’re looking to grow your business and will need investment, partners or stakeholders, having an ESG policy in place will help.
It’s one less thing for an investor to consider and is seen as a required element of doing business.
Investors know sustainable businesses are good businesses right now and will actively seek them out.
All other things being equal, an investor would be more likely to invest in an organisation seen as sustainable and has a solid ESG policy than one without.
“ESG has become shorthand for investment methodologies that embrace ESG or sustainability factors as a means of helping to identify companies with superior business models. ESG factors offer portfolio managers added insight into the quality of a company’s management, culture, risk profile and other characteristics” (Source)
Little things make a big difference
We aren’t going to pretend that using Swift Cleaning will transform an inefficient business into an efficient one, or a polluter into a green machine.
However, we will say that we can play a small part in the larger picture. We play a minor, but important role in your own supply chain and help contribute to your own ESG policies.
In the end, we can help you benefit from all four of the ESG benefits we outlined above while ensuring your workplace is sparkling clean at the same time.