UAE-based total facilities management company Farnek, said it has partnered with Swiss environmental protection foundation myclimate and the Dubai Carbon Center of Excellence (DCCE) to launch the first carbon neutral cleaning programme in the Middle East region.

The initiative now accommodates environmentally-conscious businesses in the UAE, that want to offset their carbon footprint, neutralising the environmental impact of their cleaning operation, by investing in a range of projects that replace the use of fossil fuels with renewable energy, said a statement from Farnek.

To initiate the programme, Farnek’s management team closely assessed its own carbon footprint, in accordance with ISO standard 14064 and myclimate tools, the results of which were independently-verified by the DCCE.

The assessment took into consideration and accounted for any activity, direct and indirect, that could generate CO2e, during their cleaning process, said the statement.

This covered every relevant aspect of Farnek’s operation, areas such as staff accommodation, transportation, cleaning equipment, uniforms and chemicals, electrical equipment and associated waste disposal, it stated.

The analysis concluded that the Farnek cleaning operation produced 1,637 tonnes CO2e per year, equivalent to almost 11 kg of CO2e per cleaner per working day, or close to 3.5 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

That’s the same amount of energy used by an average household over two and a half years. The same carbon footprint calculation can be applied to any external cleaning operation that Farnek carries out for its customers, said the statement.  

Farnek CEO Markus Oberlin said: "Like many industry operations, a cleaning process can make a significant impact on the environment, especially when large areas are cleaned on a daily or regular basis."

"And the effect of cleaning doesn’t end with the chemicals used in the cleaning process, rather it cascades through the production and disposal of the mops, uniforms, shoes and plastic used by cleaning technicians, transportation and the management of our cleaning operations, including recruitment and staff accommodation," he added.

"Carbon neutral cleaning, measures all these factors to provide the client with an accurate picture of the true environmental impact of the cleaning services we provide," he added.

Oberli said it was the first scheme of its kind in the Middle East region, which helps customers to engage with their supply chain and reinforce their commitment to the environment.

"We believe the awareness generated by carbon neutral cleaning heightens the level of climate change awareness and responsibility, among all stakeholders, indeed we already have the backing of the EWS-WWF which is fully supporting this concept," he added.-TradeArabia News Service