Trading Ethically in the Cleaning and Hygiene Sector:
By Lorcan Meikitarian, Chair of the CHSA
The world is changing, becoming more complex and challenging. It’s easy for business ethics to be a casualty but at the CHSA, we argue they have never been more important.
Ethical businesses operate with integrity, fairness and respect for people, communities and the environment. Rooted in the oganisation’s publicly stated core values, an ethical approach provides a framework for decision-making that brings with it reliability and accountability. These businesses are transparent in their dealings. They do not mislead, and they provide evidence that justifies the claims they make. This approach also fosters integrity and fairness, which inspires confidence and loyalty. It can also be a powerful motivator, attracting new talent and fostering commitment amongst the existing workforce. Ultimately, it underpins long term relationships, which in turn generate a better financial performance.
The words are meaningless if not backed up with the right action. For us at the CHSA, putting the talk about ethics into practice means five things:
1. adhering to national and international laws;
2. respecting human rights;
3. treading lightly environmentally;
4. cutting no corners when it comes to giving the customer what they believe they are paying for; and
5. and finally, being truthful, meaningful and transparent in all sales and marketing claims.
Adhering to the law is a given. Respect for human rights may be more complex. UK businesses in our sector are likely to have it baked into their day-to-day operations. The challenge may come when examining their supply chains. In response we introduced a preference for an ethical audit for all CHSA manufacturing members. For CHSA Accredited Product, the manufacturer, whether based in the UK or overseas, must provide a copy of their most recent official ethical audit report. The report must meet the CHSA’s minimum requirement, and encompass labour standards, and health and safety. Compliance will be compulsory by the end of 2027. It will be a requirement of membership for those who fall within the Scope.
We all need to tread lightly environmentally. In 2022 we developed our Roadmap to Sustainability. It provides members with a framework for moving to sustainable solutions. Key to making a substantive, long term change is a thorough assessment of the corporate environmental impact. This requires a detailed understanding of carbon emissions at the product and corporate level. Calculating these emissions is complex. To support members, we delivered a webinar with a panel of experts able to provide guidance on overall approaches and the pros and cons of the different methodologies.
An ethical business supplies what it sells, without cutting corners. Setting and maintaining standards is in our DNA. We set up our Accreditation Schemes to tackle the problem of businesses selling product short or not fit for purpose. The Schemes have been incredibly successful. The logo for each Accreditation Scheme is a formally registered Trademark. It means every company displaying one must comply with the relevant standard and technical regulations. We audit accordingly and act wherever we find an infringement.
The fifth and final strand of our approach to ethics in business is honesty in sales and marketing. Our members do not play fast and loose with their sales and marketing messages and product claims, and they want their suppliers and the wider industry to know and understand this.
This is why they introduced a commitment to ethical marketing. It has four ethical principles:
1. All statements and claims are truthful.
2. Supporting evidence, such as data sheets, reports and certificates is available on request to substantiate all product and service claims.
3. All statements and claims are transparent. For example, it is clearly indicated if the claim applies to the product, the packaging or both.
4. All statements and claims are meaningful. For example, the term eco-friendly must be defined in relation to all aspects of the product and substantiated across the full lifecycle.
We are in the process of getting every member to sign this commitment.
Our Code of Practice underpins our entire ethical approach at the CHSA. Every member joining the CHSA makes a commitment to live by the Code; signing it is a requirement of membership. At its heart is a commitment made by every member to “maintain a high standard in the conduct of its business”.
In more detail it requires every member to conduct business dealings ‘in an open honest, fair and proper manner’, to ‘ensure all public statements made by and on behalf of the member are decent, honest and truthful’, to ‘hold and provide evidence on request for product and service claims’, and to ‘refrain from making inaccurate, misleading or malicious statements’. In essence it demands members trade ethically.
Our goal at the CHSA is always to advocate an ethical approach. Over recent years we have introduced many initiatives designed to bring this approach to life in very practical ways. This means our members’ customers and suppliers can trust them to trade honestly and fairly.
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