This weekend, I was cleaning out the household cleaning products at home. There were several products that had been lying around for... years!!! Well, yes, the shoemaker has no shoes! So, in the end, I had several bottles to throw away either because they were expired, the bottom of the gallon transferred into its labeled bottle, etc. And I realized how much waste there was in household cleaning containers and others.
No container recovery
Not every container purchased can be recovered by the distributor or manufacturer. However, most companies with a bit of scope receive several pallets of products and sanitary supplies before redistributing them to their projects. And it would be easy to give them back to the delivery person when they make their next delivery. I can already see the face of the manufacturer, distributor, or delivery person who reads this message!! And at the same time, we really need to be aware of this plastic waste. We all have a share of responsibility in protecting our environment.
What to do with all those household cleaning containers?
Don't be mistaken, I fully appreciate this observation in my own training facilities or at home. The purpose of this article is not to criticize, but rather to open a dialogue and find solutions together. So, I'm thinking aloud with certain ideas. This doesn't mean they're the right ones, but only possible solutions among others.
Elimination of products harmful to the health of workers
Seriously, every distributor has an industrial quantity of neutral cleaner, degreaser, etc. Are we required to carry such a large selection of products? And what's more, what's the relevance of keeping products that are so harmful to the health of the workerWhy not eliminate all these products, which, when you open the cap, you choke on because the product is so damaging to the lungs!
For my part, I attach great importance to it. Especially because when I did housekeeping myself, ecological and biotechnological products simply did not exist at that time. So I know this type of product very well and I don't understand why these products have not disappeared from store shelves!
The concentrated format via ready-to-use
Very often, I see product buyers buying based on the price on the container. But this is so not the right thing to do. In fact, a ready-to-use product is very inexpensive. Less than $10.00 per gallon, if not below $5.00 per gallon. The problem is that it lasts a few days or at most a week.
While ultra-concentrated products, often in 1/2 to 1 liter format, can last you for months. Since these containers have a dilution of up to 1:256. That is, 256 parts water in ml and 1 part product in ml. That's nothing! Imagine the savings.
You will also notice that distributors already offer several formats of the same product. (205 liters, 20 liters, 4 liters, 1 liter in general). You will find a good article on this subject: Clean effectively at a low price
Ensure the correct understanding dilution.
Do you think employees in the field have a good grasp of this data? Think again. Very often, I realize that since a mathematical calculation is required, many employees panic and prefer to gurgle the product. This can therefore cause damage to surfaces while wasting too much product. Therefore, actions must be taken to make daily product preparation easier. This could involve putting up a wall chart with the number of liquids that should be in the boiler, with the dilution in products and water clearly identified.
The partnership between supplier and contractor
The fact remains that there are still entrepreneurs and employees who think that these are the products that work. They don't believe in ecological or biotechnological products. But, have we taken the time with the entrepreneur to demonstrate the irrelevance through the relevance of new generation products? And there, I directly contact the salespeople and technical representatives distribution companies.
Personally, my choice of suppliers is very limited. Simply because, for me, my suppliers are partners with whom the company grows. I expect a supplier to do more than just take my orders. I also expect them to share their innovations with me. And to share new ways of doing things with me. For me, that's the main role of the technical representative. It's this opportunity that allows me to do better year after year.
Annual review between contractor and supplier
Personally, I like to do an annual review with my most important supplier. In fact, having been in a company with ISO 9001 certification, I've retained some of the ideas behind this concept. One of them is to evaluate my suppliers every year. And after doing so, I meet with them and share the pros and cons. I especially share with them what I'd like to improve in the coming year with their help.
Refilling rather than buying new containers
You see where I'm going with this, right? During this annual review with the contractor, it would be a good idea to emphasize that selling products in new containers is a real waste. I'm not a product manufacturer. But I sincerely believe there would be an opportunity to refill containers rather than selling more containers.
While I understand that this solution may seem difficult for distributors to implement, I believe it is worth considering.
