44 | Clean Planet SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS Kelly Deeks Cleaning up the cleaning industry Clean Planet CEO Tony Pattison says Clean Planet franchisees can expect 24/7 support to achieve their business goals. Leading New Zealand life services partner Clean Planet started out cleaning up the cleaning industry, with its focus on health and well-being laying a strong foundation for everything the company does every day – from the products and equipment it uses, to the people on its team, and in its commitment to caring for the planet. “It’s our commitment and we take it very seriously,” says Clean Planet CEO Tony Pattison. “We are pursuing the health of our people and our customers, along with the health of the planet.” Clean Planet delivers healthier, environmentally kinder workplaces and homes by picking up an expanding suite of life’s services including domestic and commercial cleaning, eMowing and grounds care, and vehicle grooming, as well as its most recently launched pest elimination services. In 2008, organic farmer and pioneer of sustainability in business, Mark Houghton Brown, who has pushed the health of the planet for decades, wanted to see the cleaning industry, which is essential but in those days also highly destructive to human health and the environment, clean up its act. He and other like-minded people started Clean Planet to turn the industry around and show there was another way of doing things, first by developing and using naturally-derived and ecologically benign yet effective cleaning products which are kind to people and animals and biodegrade rapidly, and then by bearing down holistically on every aspect of the business. “We want to help our clients be green as well as clean,” Tony says. Clean Planet grew quickly as it began to satisfy its customers’ preference for environmentally sustainable suppliers. Today, even more companies are developing sustainability strategies and they look for suppliers that are going to help them ‘walk the talk’. “We had such a huge response so we knew we are on the right track, that more and more people could see there was a better way and wanted to support it.” As more Clean Planet franchises popped up around the country, the company started producing its own commercial cleaning products, locally manufactured by the organically accredited AWS Group. These products which went on to achieve independent Environmental-Choice accreditation, and all are classed as non-hazardous. “We now have 10 different products in our range, which vary from the most benign, environmentally friendly, fragrance free, and naturally effective liquid hand soap that contains quality skin conditioners from natural sources to leave hands feeling soft and smooth, to heavy duty, toilet cleaners that are “We had such a huge response so we knew we are on the right track, that more and more people could see there was a better way and wanted to support it.” environmentally friendly, certified organic, Sensitive Choice approved, and designed to clean toilets without damaging waterways and aquatic life.” All of the raw materials that make up Clean Planet products are sustainably sourced and their packaging is made out of recycled milk bottles, straight from New Zealand feedstock to keep that carbon footprint as low as possible. Packaging is kept to a minimum with all products supplied in five litre containers. Clean Planet franchisees use a variety of eco-friendly equipment, including electric lawn mowers, specially filtered vacuum cleaners which clean the air as well as the carpet, and an environmentally friendly floor scrubber with the technology to convert plain tap water to perform like a powerful detergent and save thousands of litres of water every year. Many of these are of course carried around in EV transportable vans. Clean Planet’s people all live and breathe a sustainable philosophy in their own personal lives. “It’s not something we make our people do,” Tony says. “One of our interview questions is ‘what are you doing personally to save the planet’ and for us, recycling is seen as a bare minimum. We provide a number of incentives for our people to be more sustainable in their own homes with composting and worm farms, and we all do a quarterly clean up of our business park here in Penrose.” With Clean Planet now expanding into pest elimination, this creates more franchise business opportunities nationwide, whether a regional franchise which represents Clean Planet with the divisional specific services in each region, or an individual franchise performing commercial or domestic cleaning services, grounds care services, car valet, or pest elimination. Demand for these services is constantly increasing nationwide and consequently, they provide recurring revenue. Tony says Clean Planet franchisees can expect 24/7 support to achieve their business goals. “Success is a team effort, so we provide ongoing training, mentoring, and administration support to grow our franchisees. We’re in it together.”
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