If your organisation has environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals—whether that’s a full-scale sustainability strategy with detailed reporting or simply a push to improve your overall environmental and social impact—you’re probably tracking every detail. You’re measuring emissions, cutting down on single-use plastics, and putting serious thought into waste management.
Your commitment to ESG shapes your brand reputation, influences your operational efficiency, and (often) directly impacts your ability to remain compliant. So, if your supply chain—including your commercial cleaning company—isn’t aligned with these values, it puts your organisation at risk.
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Your commercial cleaner plays a bigger role in your environmental, social, and governance impact than you might think. For more than 30 years as the co-founder of In-Tec Commercial Cleaning, I've worked closely with forward-looking organisations that are serious about their ESG goals, and I’ve seen firsthand how the wrong cleaning company can wreck them—sometimes without the client even realising.
Now, I want you to ask yourself, do you know if you and your commercial cleaning partner on the same page when it comes to your ESG initiatives? If not, your cleaner could be undoing all of your hard work behind the scenes. From waste stream management and chemical use, to employment ethics, your cleaner is either helping you move forward or setting you back.
But how do you know if your cleaning company actually understands ESG and is helping you meet your goals? That's the question we will explore together in this article. By the end, you'll have a clear understanding of the real impact a commercial cleaner has on environmental, social, and governance standards—and how to make sure the one you choose actually aligns with your values.
But first, a story ...
A while ago, a client came to me with a box of expired COVID-19 tests and asked ...
“Paul, what do we do with these?”
Now, she came to me because she knew I cared about ESG and would actually find a way to deal with them properly. And at first, I thought, "Yeah, no worries. Should be simple enough." However, once I started breaking everything down, I quickly realised I was wrong.
In fact, the whole process was quite complicated.
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Every part of the test kit needed different handling:
I checked with all my usual recycling contacts, but every single one of them came back with the same problem: “We can take the cardboard and soft plastic, but the medical waste has to go to landfill.”
That didn’t sit right with me.
I started thinking about alternatives. And then I remembered—I had a client that ran an X-ray clinic, and they generated medical waste all the time. I reached out and asked how they disposed of it, and she told me their waste was picked up, incinerated in a zero-emission facility, and the ash was repurposed into concrete.
That was the answer.
I asked if I could add half a bag of COVID test waste to their collection, and they were more than happy to help. So in the end, not a single piece of that waste ended up in landfill.
And that’s the point.
A cleaner who actually understands ESG doesn’t take the easy way out. It would’ve been simple to just throw everything in the bin and call it a day—but that’s not how we work. ESG is about finding the best solution, not just the easiest one.
This story is just one example of how a commercial cleaner can directly impact your ESG goals. Whether it’s waste management, chemical use, water consumption, or employment practices, the choices your cleaner makes every day affect your company’s ability to meet its sustainability and ethical commitments.
Your cleaners can impact your environmental goals in a number of ways. For instance, some organisations have detailed waste stream management plans—separate bins for recycling, organics, and landfill. But if your cleaners aren’t properly trained or just don’t care, they may be throwing everything into the same bin at the end of the night. You think you’re meeting your sustainability goals, but in reality? It’s all going to landfill.
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Chemicals are another example. Your company might have strict policies around environmental responsibility, but if your cleaners are using cheap, outdated chemicals full of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), they’re affecting indoor air quality and leaving behind residue that your employees are breathing in and touching every day.
The cleaning industry also has a huge footprint when it comes to resource consumption:
A client once asked us how we could help them cut their environmental impact. We audited their site and found their previous cleaners were using 30 liters of water per night just on mopping alone. That’s over 10,000 liters a year—per site. When we switched them to an i-mop system, we cut that down by up to 90 percent. Same with power—energy-efficient vacuums and battery-operated scrubbers slashed their electricity use while actually improving cleanliness.
When you think about social initiatives for your organisation, you’re likely focused on your own employees. And that makes sense. Your team’s well-being, safety, and fair treatment are a natural priority. So, you roll out policies to support fair pay, health, and safety—but again, only for your employees.
However, you also need to consider those same standards for your external partners, such as your commercial cleaners. Because if your cleaner isn’t treating their workforce ethically, then your ESG commitments may already be compromised. And this is something you need to be hyper-aware of given trends in the commercial cleaning industry.
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While there are certainly reputable commercial cleaning operators out there, there are disturbing trends when it comes to employment practices. Many commercial cleaning companies engage in a hiring practice called "sham contracting" to avoid paying wages, benefits, and job security. Some provide little to no safety training, leaving cleaners exposed to harsh chemicals without proper protective gear.
And low-cost providers? They often cut corners somewhere, and it’s usually wages, conditions, or both. I once transitioned a site to chemical-free cleaning, and it made an immediate difference—not just for the client’s employees, but for my own team. One of my cleaners had been dealing with chronic skin irritation for years and had just accepted it as part of the job. The moment we removed those chemicals? Her symptoms disappeared.
Another area where you’ll want to evaluate your commercial cleaning partner is governance. Similar to your social initiatives, you may mostly think of governance as it pertains to your own internal processes. But again, you need to take your entire supply chain into account. Because when you don’t? Well, let's just say you don’t want to wait for an audit to find out your cleaner doesn’t have the ISO certifications they need or can’t provide the proper documentation.
Yes, this does happen.
I’ve had clients come to me in a panic saying, “We just found out our cleaning company doesn’t have the right accreditations. Can you help?” By the time they ask, they’re already in trouble. One manufacturing client of mine needed a cleaning company with the right certifications to meet compliance standards. Without it, they would have failed their audit, lost contracts, and put their entire operation at risk.
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And this isn’t just about certifications—it’s about transparency. If your cleaner can’t prove compliance with basic industry regulations, what else are they cutting corners on?
At the end of the day, your ESG commitments are only as strong as the weakest link in your partnerships. The right commercial cleaning company won’t just help you meet your ESG goals—they’ll make sure you’re not accidentally working against them.
So, if you already have a commercial cleaner, it’s time to take a closer look. Are they following proper waste management? Are they using chemicals that align with your sustainability goals? Are they treating their employees ethically? And if you’re in the market for a new cleaner, don’t just assume they understand ESG—make them prove it.
Here are specific questions to help you guide these conversations:
By asking these questions, you gain a clearer understanding of whether potential cleaning partners have robust ESG practices in place.
If you're interested in learning more on how to choose the correct commercial cleaning partner for your organisation, you can download our guide, 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Commercial Cleaning Company. Or you can contact us at any time with your questions, or to start a conversation about how we may be of service to you.