Following a deal signed with Nissan last autumn, UK cleaning firm Cleanology has taken delivery of its brand new all-electric London fleet.
“This move reduces emissions and lowers our carbon footprint, significantly improving our environmental sustainability credentials, and the financial savings really add up,” said Cleanology CEO and founder Dominic Ponniah.
“We save over £3,000 a year per vehicle on fuel, there’s no road tax to pay, and there’s no London congestion charge, which saves close to another £5,500 a year per vehicle. That’s a massive £8,500 a year cost reduction per vehicle.
“There are so many advantages in swapping over to a fully electric fleet, from the environmental gains to costs savings, but it’s also about how our clients see us, and they expect us to demonstrate best practice in everything we do,” said Ponniah. “It’s about taking a leadership position and setting a good example.”
Cleanology has managed the change to electric vehicles without any real issues, and the staff report that the vehicles are quieter and smoother to drive.
Ponniah continued: “Five years ago, these vehicles simply did not have the range to make their use viable. But now that aspect is considerably improved, and I would recommend any business which operates vehicles across London 24/7 to look into changing over to electric.
“The range for cars has improved dramatically, but less so for vans and there is a lot less choice when it comes to commercial vehicles, which are still at an early stage of development. That seems odd to me, as commercial vehicles are on the road more than cars. Although I can see that range and options are only going to get better.
“We recharge back at base, but also make use of street-side charging points across the city. In Westminster and central London there are plenty of charging points, but in the outskirts, while the infrastructure is still developing, many supermarkets provide a good service. One thing that makes it unnecessarily complicated is that there are too many different types of charger. When it comes to paying for parking, there are only one or two different apps, but when it comes to recharging there are around ten different companies providing the service and we need accounts with all of them. If electric vehicles are really going to become the future, this needs to be simplified.
Delivering a sustainable future
This is just the latest move in Cleanology’s ongoing environmental sustainability journey. Moving over to a fully electric fleet for its London operations reduces emissions and lowers the company’s carbon footprint. Over 5,000 litres of diesel per vehicle each year is saved – equal to 13.5 tonnes of CO2.
Cleanology achieved a European-first with its portion-controlled biological cleaning sachets which save 16,092 litres of cleaning solution and cut plastic bottle use from 21,600 to 600 every year.
“Cleanology has advocated chemical-free cleaning for over 10 years and is now almost chemical-free across its entire portfolio, said Ponniah. “The impact of portion control is hugely significant – imagine the global impact of a 99.4% chemical usage reduction!”
In another UK-industry first, Cleanology cleaning operatives now wear sustainable uniforms made from a total of 7,000 recycled plastic bottles and organic cotton. Combined with the savings from using portion-controlled sachets, the company saves 28,000 plastic bottles from landfill every year.
There has also been a focus on reducing paper use, resulting in a dramatic fall of 33,000 sheets of paper each year, by switching to e-invoices for clients, and e-payslips for staff.
Ponniah concluded: “Cleanology aspires to be a truly sustainable business, innovating and considering the whole lifecycle of every product, material or fuel it uses, while ensuring that employees follow its environmental practices and policies. The move to electric vehicles is just one more piece in our environmental sustainability puzzle.
“Seeking sustainable solutions, from recycled uniforms to electric vehicles, produces immediate and visible gains which not only benefit the planet but also sets a good example and reassures our customers.”
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