Sandeep Kumar, Co-Founder, BR Cleaning Solutions
Here’s what Sandeep Kumar, Co-Founder, BR Cleaning Solutions has to say.
How would you define what is and isn’t a green chemical?
The European Commission has stated that some chemicals ‘can severely damage our health or the environment’, while the World Health Organization has previously estimated that exposure to certain chemicals can even result in the loss of life.
It’s against this backdrop that the notion of ‘green chemistry’ comes into play. In relatively simple terms, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has defined it as ‘the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances’.
Are there any cleaning tasks for which green chemicals cannot be used? What are they?
Today, we can perform all the general cleaning tasks with green chemicals. But when there is a specific requirement for certain special applications like drain cleaning, grease removal, wooden surface cleaning etc, we are not able to find the required green chemical in the market.
Which client segments have been slow to adopt green chemicals, and why?
It is difficult to talk about the adoption of green chemicals by different client segments, because there is a lack of green alternatives for various cleaning applications in the market. I think we all want to use green products, but the issues that are inhibiting more widespread uptake are availability, cost and effectiveness.
I hope the industry manufactures more green products soon, as the FM sector requires them greatly.
For a given facility and time period, how does the consumption of green chemicals compare to non-green chemicals?
The consumption of green chemicals is 1/25 against non-green chemicals. However, the green chemical industry is growing at around 11% per year.
For a given facility and time period, how does the cost of procuring the required amount of green chemicals compare to that of non-green chemicals?
Cost is the number one barrier. Conventional chemical companies have worked for decades to optimise their supply chain; developing new ingredients or finding new suppliers can be very costly for green products.
In case the cost of green chemicals is higher, are clients prepared to spend more as well?
Quality and price remain top consumer concerns, creating a challenge for FM service providers to use eco-friendly products at minimal additional cost. According to a survey, 26% of customers are prepared to spend more for green products to be used at their facilities.
Practically speaking, do you use green chemicals in your operations? How and why?
We are not using green chemicals for commercial purposes currently.
How do you view the future of green chemicals?
There is increasing concern about the safety and health impacts of conventional cleaning chemicals. As innovative green chemicals, supported by government initiatives and mandates, will flood the market in the coming years, the adoption of green cleaning chemicals is sure to rise.