COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Green Cleaners Council (GCC) has named Swan Cleaners, with 31 locations in the greater Columbus, Ohio, area, its first fully Certified Green Cleaner, with four “leaves.”
“This certification is not only an important step for Swan Cleaners, but for our entire industry,” says Paul Gelpi, president of Swan Cleaners. “We’re proud to be the first cleaner in the world to win this prestigious award. Many other cleaners claim to be ‘green,’ but they’re just green with envy!”
The Green Cleaners Council performs an in-depth analysis of cleaner’s operating practices, including products, water use, electricity, delivery vehicles, alternative energy sources, energy conservation, hanger recycling and the use of recyclable bags. The council verifies the information, adds up the “eco-points” associated with each issue and rates the cleaner on the environmental sustainability of the business.
Applicants are rated on their total commitment to environmental sustainability programs, responsible solvent use, recycling efforts, and smart energy and water conservation as practiced throughout the entire operation.
“We’ve been concerned about lack of government oversight in environmental claims regarding drycleaning, and the resulting ‘greenwashing’ by many cleaners,” says Ann Hargrove, director of special projects at the National Cleaners Association (NCA) and board member of the Green Cleaners Council. “We knew it was time to focus on all the areas of environmental sustainability and to give consumers a way to judge how genuine and wide-reaching their cleaner’s commitment was to creating a greener world. We weren’t in the least bit surprised to find that Swan Cleaners was among the most proactive and responsible cleaners in this regard.”
The Green Cleaners Council is comprised of a cross-section of disciplines with an interest in environmental sustainability in the drycleaning industry, including drycleaning customers, attorneys, engineers and waste-management experts, as well as NCA, which was also instrumental in the Council’s formation.
Watch the mail for American Drycleaner’s Green issue!
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