by Katy Coleman, news editor
A recent CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online® survey showed that few respondents believe they will consider certification under Green Seal, Inc.'s Environmental Standard for Green Cleaning Services. The CM B2B Trade Group's online surveys are not scientific: The results simply reflect the opinions of those visitors to the CM B2B Trade Group websites — CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online, CM/Cleanfax Online, and Cleaning & Maintenance Distribution Online — who respond to the poll question on the sites.
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Of the nearly 400 respondents, over 90 percent said they will continue to operate without Green Seal certification.
Only 5.3 percent said they will immediately pursue certification when it becomes available; and approximately 4.5 percent said they would consider certification based primarily on cost, time and effort required, or how many competitors sought it.
However, the apparent lack of interest doesn't concern the initiative's proponents.
Allen Rathey, president of InstructionLink/JanTrain, Inc. — which will assist with fundraising and marketing for the program — said that 9 percent was not a bad number, given that respondents hadn't seen the standard and marketing has yet to begin.
"One of the concepts that's important for building service contractors (BSCs) to understand is that green and cost-competitive need not be an oxymoron," said Rathey. "The more educated BSCs get it."
Arthur B. Weissman, president and chief executive officer of Green Seal, agreed with Rathey and added that the survey results are reflective of the organization's enrollment goals.
"Because our environmental standards are leadership standards, they are meant to reflect or capture the top 15-20 percent of a category in terms of environmental performance," he said.
"In other words, if the standard is set correctly down the line, initially only about 15-20 percent of cleaning service providers are likely to qualify to meet it," said Weismann. "So having around 10 percent interested at some level in certification — before the standard has even been developed — is definitely within the ballpark."
The CM B2B Trade Group's online surveys are not scientific. The results simply reflect the opinions of those visitors to the CM B2B Trade Group websites — CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online, CM/Cleanfax Online, and Cleaning & Maintenance Distribution Online — who respond to the poll question on the sites.
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