Cleanology Appoints First ESG Director

Multi award winning UK commercial and office cleaning company Cleanology has promoted Kate Lovell to take on an influential new director level role.

Kate, who joined Cleanology as Head of Marketing two years ago, and who was recently promoted to Marketing Director, has been appointed as Cleanology’s first ever ESG Director (Environmental, Social and Governance).

The talented marketeer will now play a pivotal role spearheading Cleanology’s drive to maintain its position as a market leading business with outstanding sustainability and social impact credentials.

“Heading up Cleanology’s push to be a champion of sustainability is a privilege and one of my most treasured career highlights,” enthused Kate.

“Sustainability is a subject close to my heart and is hugely important to our customers. We acknowledge that our impact extends beyond delivering exceptional cleaning services to fostering a positive influence on our community, ensuring fair treatment of our staff, and promoting sustainability and inclusivity”.

This summer Cleanology has been awarded The Planet Mark sustainability certification while later this year it is set to be certified as carbon neutral. It has also been working with one of its sustainability partners, which aims to make a positive social and environmental impact through tree planting by Armed Forces veterans, assisting them on a pathway to meaningful employment.

Kate’s full in-tray will include steering Cleanology towards B-Corp status and achieving Eco Vadis medals that demonstrate a strong management system that addresses sustainability criteria and meeting Scope 3 emissions targets, which occur in a company’s value chain.

Cleanology is also aiming to be Net Zero by 2035 which will also entail meeting strict sustainability criteria. Cleanology CEO and Co-Founder Dominic Ponniah has joined the international ISSA (International Sanitary Supply Association) Sustainability Committee, with the goal of driving the family-owned company’s sustainability vision not just in the UK, but across the globe.

“We focus our effort on areas which achieve the greatest environmental impact, being thefirst to market in several key areas with the hope that our environmental innovations will become industry norms,” explained Dominic.

“We are proud that 45% of clients choose Cleanology for our sustainability record. We don’t see any value in partnering with companies unless they are like-minded and similarly ambitious on sustainability. I am so excited that Kate has agreed to take on this hugely important new role and look forward to supporting her on our ambitious sustainability journey.”

Cleanology has been demonstrating a commitment to sustainability for some time. It has been a pioneer in eco-friendly initiatives such as being the first in Europe to introduce portion-controlled biological cleaning sachets as well as being the first cleaning company in the UK to issue staff uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles. These schemes have resulted in saving 46,800 litres of cleaning solution and 62,400 plastic bottles annually.

Furthermore, the introduction of uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles prevents 7,000bottles from entering landfill each year. From June 2023 to July 2024 Cleanology saved 143,648 pieces of plastic from being used, marking an impressive 78% increase from the previous year.

Cleanology also prioritises fair pay and employee well-being, ensuring 99% of its employees receive the Real Living Wage, a massive increase from just 18% in 2017. Cleanology has also invested in a fully electric van fleet at its London headquarters in Vauxhall, south west London. This saves 5,000 litres of diesel per year – equivalent to 13.5tonnes of CO2. There is no road tax or London congestion charge to pay, which saves £8,500 per vehicle, and a £51,000-a-year cost reduction overall.

All energy used to power the Head Office is from 100% sustainable sources – including 48% wind, solar 24%, 16% bioenergy and 12% hydro.

In October, Cleanology will be bidding to win the Sustainability – Best Practice (Service Provider) category at the 2024 European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards in Lisbon, the same award it won last year in Dublin. Last year Cleanology picked up six national and international trophies for its contribution to the cleaning sector and its approach to sustainability.

Additionally, Cleanology has won the Best Small to Medium Business award at the Lloyd's Bank British Excellence Awards for its strong ESG successes and credentials. We are also proud to be finalists for the Diversity in the Workplace award at the European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards, further underscoring our commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse working environment.