The Hows and Whys of Eco-Packaging for Jansan Distributors

by | Dec 9, 2015

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wilson-michaelThe jansan industry, also known as the professional cleaning industry, has been moving in a green and sustainable direction for more than a decade. Because of this and its experience with green and sustainable issues, many refer to the industry, including distributors in the jansan industry, as leaders in the green movement. Over time, the jansan industry has shown other industries essentially how to “go green,” which includes the actual cleaning chemicals, tools and equipment, along with the distribution and eventual use of these products in facilities.

In all fairness, we must say the move to go green was not because the industry necessarily wanted to go green or thought it was the “right thing to do.” It was market driven.

In the early 1990s, when then President Bill Clinton signed an executive order requiring the use of environmentally preferable cleaning products in all Federal government owned or operated facilities around the world, the industry simply could not refuse such a huge buyer of cleaning supplies. While estimates vary, it is believed that the Federal government purchases around $200 million of cleaning related chemicals, tools and equipment annually — an amount that cannot be ignored.

In time, schools, hotels, commercial office buildings and other types of facilities jumped on the green bandwagon and in the process, further “greened” the industry. However, in the past few years, jansan distributors have made green and sustainable moves on their own. This involves finding and developing ways to be more environmentally friendly and more sustainable when it comes to packaging and delivering materials throughout North America.

Some in the industry refer to this as “eco-packaging.” The two key objectives of an eco-packaging program are to avoid the depletion of nonrenewable resources and reduce waste. Beyond this, an eco-packaging program looks for ways to use fewer materials, along with materials that are recycled and recyclable, made from renewable resources, and can be reused. Further if the packaging is made from a material that must be disposed of, it is made with materials that decompose quickly. The initiatives are also designed to lower pollution, energy and water consumption, and through these actions, lessen distribution’s impact on global warming and climate change.

There is also a greater emphasis on finding methods to reuse materials in new ways. A perfect example of this is “PET” plastics, often used to make bottles and plastic containers especially for food items. Polyethylene terephthalate can be recycled and made into fibers, and from this, packaging materials used for a number of different packaging needs can be created.

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