Why are sustainable laundry services important for hospitals?

Explore the vital role of carbon-neutral laundry services in healthcare linens. Beyond cleanliness, these practices ensure gentle linen treatment, reduce environmental impact, and align with sustainability goals. Hospitals adopting such services save on long-term costs, stay compliant with regulations, and prolong linen lifespan. Advanced technology streamlines operations, offering transparency and stress-free management.

Freya Gutteridge

18th December 2023

Business & Insights

In the world of healthcare linens, considerations extend beyond conventional wash cycles and detergents. Dedicated laundry service providers emphasise sustainability and responsibility in their operations.

This blog explores why the integration of carbon-neutral laundry services is important for hospitals themselves, but can also serve wider sustainability goals that impact everybody.

Maintain standards with carbon-neutral practices

Hospitals need very clean environments since they treat sick and injured people. The shift towards carbon-neutral laundry methods involves the exclusion of harsh chemicals, ensuring a gentle treatment of linens, and reducing the chance of any harsh chemicals reacting badly, or unclean linens infecting vulnerable patients.

This environmentally conscious approach not only fosters a healthier atmosphere for patients but also aligns with responsible management of environmental resources.

Reducing water and energy usage

Beyond the laundry room, the commitment to carbon-neutral practices manifests in reduced water and energy consumption, which usually consists of using biodegradable detergents, energy-saving processes and advanced technology.

Using the hospital laundry services of a carbon-neutral laundry provider goes a great way to reducing a hospital’s impact on the environment. Cambridge University Hospitals trust alone cleans 5.2 million pieces of linen a year, cleaning them in an sustainable manner contributes greatly to national and global sustainability targets.

Save money and the planet

Contrary to popular misconceptions, adopting sustainable practices does not necessarily equate to paying more. Incorporating sustainable laundry technologies, from revolutionary ozone cleaning methods to water recycling systems, not only benefits the environment but also translates to long-term cost savings. We completely forego the use of PERC and similar cleaning chemicals, which are often thought of as an industry standard.

By reducing energy and water usage, laundries are able to pass this cost saving onto their clients, meaning hospitals will be able to reduce their long-term spend and keep to budgets.

Stay on track with targets and remain compliant

As environmental regulations become tougher, carbon-neutral laundry services can help position hospitals on the right side of compliance. Beyond avoiding penalties, this compliance demonstrates a commitment to thoughtful, sustainable healthcare practices, aligning with the evolving standards of an environmentally conscious era.

The NHS has its own targets set for sustainability, and this could go a great way towards meeting them. The sophisticated tech stack carbon-neutral hospital laundry service providers use can more easily provide data to hospital managers, letting them prove that they’re making sustainable choices and hitting targets.

Prolong linen lifespan

Durability is a linchpin in the world of healthcare linens. Sustainable practices, anchored in the elimination of harsh chemicals contribute to the extended lifespan of linens. With the quantity of linens used in hospitals across the UK, it’s essential that hospitals elongate their life to save money during a difficult period for the NHS.

This not only mitigates the frequency of replacements but also ensures the consistent provision of high-quality, comfortable linens to hospitals. The best way to save money is by avoiding the need to spend it in the first place.

Tech removes the stress

Managing a large linen cleaning operation can be extremely stressful and difficult, and in-house teams tend to be small and under pressure. Offloading responsibilities onto a hospital laundry service provider means that hospitals only need to take delivery of fresh linens and make sure delivery of dirty linens is arranged.

Sophisticated laundry service providers remove the stress with their technology. Using online databases and RFID tracking systems, customers have full transparency with their stock, and can better organise linen use across facilities. Laundry service providers want to create a smooth process for customers and themselves — and technology is central to making this a reality.

Save money, protect patients and help the planet

It’s a no-brainer; using a sustainable laundry service provider isn’t just about ‘doing the right thing’, it’s about saving money, making sure patients are never exposed to anything they shouldn’t, and making the world a better place for all of us.

Our sustainable laundry practices are borne out of the desire to use less energy and water — and we’ve developed techniques to do just this. Using less energy and water has reduced our bills, and we make sure to pass these savings onto our customers, who should also monetarily benefit from the savings.

Patients will enjoy spotless linen that isn’t just visibly clean, but has been stripped off any nasty chemicals, bacteria or viruses. We have been awarded the EN 14065 accreditation, which means we meet the stringent demands required to perform laundry services for healthcare facilities.

Ultimately, the greatest benefit of shifting to a carbon-neutral hospital laundry service is felt by all. A more sustainable world is one everyone is working towards, and this is just one of the ways that the hospital industry can play its part.

Learn more about how we can help reduce your environmental impact and costs within the healthcare sector.

How does a commercial laundry service work?

Step into the intricate world of commercial laundry services, where efficiently cleaning and managing extensive volumes of linens and textiles takes centre stage. Across various industries, from hospitality to healthcare and food and beverage, these operations rely on sophisticated processes and advanced technologies to consistently deliver clean, sanitised, and professionally pressed fabrics. From the initial intake to the final delivery, this blog unveils the carefully orchestrated stages that define commercial laundry, offering insights into the systematic methods that underpin this crucial service.

What Trends Are Affecting Commercial Laundry Operations?

Commercial laundry operations are undergoing a transformative period driven by trends such as increased automation for efficiency, a shift towards sustainable practices, and the adoption of digitalisation for optimised workflows. The industry is embracing outsourcing and managed services, customised solutions, and advanced textile technology to meet evolving customer expectations.

What is the difference between commercial and household laundry?

Both commercial and household laundry services aim to achieve textile cleanliness, but they differ significantly in terms of scale, equipment, and processes. Commercial laundries operate on a much larger scale and use specialised equipment. They prioritise efficiency, have advanced quality control measures, and take environmental factors into consideration. These commercial laundries play a significant role in many industries by providing customised processes, adhering to regulations, and offering cost-effective solutions.

What are the benefits of commercial laundry services?

In order to maintain the highest quality standards while reducing costs and streamlining operations, businesses of all sizes, including hotels, restaurants, healthcare facilities, and spas, can benefit from outsourcing their laundry needs to commercial laundry services. By doing so, they can efficiently manage the large volumes of laundry produced daily and improve overall efficiency and productivity, which is crucial in today's fast-paced world.