ISS impacts the cleaning industry
ISS Sweden's cleaning services have been Nordic Swan Ecolabelled since 2014 as they have met the Nordic Ecolabel's tough requirements time and time again. Requirements that are continuously tightened to reduce environmental impact.
ISS is a global company with over 360,000 employees worldwide, of which about 6,000 are in Sweden. The company is present in over 30 countries.
The cleaning company has the opportunity, mainly due to its size, to influence the cleaning industry and set the standard for competitors and subcontractors to make sustainable choices through the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is an acknowledgment
– We are nothing without our employees and it is of the utmost importance that they feel safe and proud in their workplaces. The fact that we meet the strict criteria of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel makes us safe and proud - yet it proves that our cleaning service and the products we use are the best on the market when it comes to the environment and health. We have ambitious goals to become a leading company in environmental issues that can transform the facility management industry. Our Nordic Swan Ecolabel is proof that we are doing the right thing, says Andreas Thorling, Managing Director of ISS Sweden.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel, which is a third-party label and the official ecolabel of the Nordic countries, creates credibility and shows serious environmental work. For ISS, however, it is not only about the environment, the ecolabel has also been helpful in the design of quality systems, training and something to lean on when it comes to ethical aspects.
Sustainability is integrated into the business model
ISS takes the vast and ongoing climate and environmental crisis very seriously. One goal is to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions globally by 2040, including the entire supply chain, and they are well on their way. An active and focused effort to test and evaluate products and cleaning systems is important to reduce environmental impact.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel makes us think twice, a guide when it comes to environmental sustainability, ethics and in the design of educational materials. Our Nordic Swan Ecolabel has meant that we, both internally and externally, stick to risk-assessed, evaluated and tested standard items that contribute to the work being both safe and ergonomic for our employees," says Andreas Thorling.
Important requirement in public procurement
A Nordic Swan Ecolabel cleaning service is proof of a sustainable cleaning service, it is a quality label. Having the Nordic Swan Ecolabel has become an evaluation criterion in procurements, especially in the public sector. Being able to show a third-party certification is beneficial, especially when it is a widely recognized and recognized certification. In public procurement, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is an important advantage as the customer feels secure in a third-party certification with a high reputation.
"We also communicate the Nordic Swan Ecolabel in articles where we talk about our sustainability work and the enormous reduction in the consumption of chemicals that we have made. The Nordic Ecolabel's own campaigns have increased awareness of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, which has led to internal pride and that more people understand what it actually means that we have the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. The broad exposure externally has strengthened confidence – that we are a supplier you can trust," says Leif Persson, Service Developer, and project manager for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel at ISS Sweden.