Telling Cleanology’s ever-evolving sustainability story

For many years, Suzanne Howe Communications (SHC) has helped leading London-based commercial and office cleaning company Cleanology to tell its wide-ranging and ever-evolving sustainability story.

The journey begins in 2016, with Cleanology’s entry into the market with Europe’s first pre-portioned biotechnology sachet solution, before moving on to using uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles, a fleet of electric vehicles, support for The Hygiene Bank, and commitment to fair pay with the Living Wage Foundation.

As a long-term PR partner of Cleanology, SHC is tasked with achieving targeted and high-quality media coverage for a range of announcements and stories highlighting Cleanology’s sustainability journey.

Key goals and achievements that SHC has communicated to the media have been:

• 2016 saw Cleanology’s entry into the market with Europe’s first biotech wipe for tablets and mobile phones, and pre-portioned cleaning fluids and floor cleaner in sachets.
• In 2017, we talked about how Cleanology had been shortlisted in the Workforce category of the European Cleaning and Hygiene awards, recognising excellence in employee relationships, training and diversity.
• 2018 saw Cleanology winning the Environmental Awareness category in the biennial Kimberly-Clark Professional* Golden Service Awards. CEO Dominic Ponniah described the win as a testament to the hard work of the whole company, saying: “We are thrilled to have been recognised in this way. Our environmental strategy runs across the entire operation, from head office to each site that we manage. We scrutinise every area of the business and make sure that all staff and suppliers adhere to our policies. As a family-run SME business, we never expected to beat larger players, but it just shows that we can all make a difference.”

• In 2019, Cleanology revealed research into real attitudes to rates of pay, with almost two-thirds of employees concerned that cleaners should be paid fairly. Cleanology is a passionate advocate of the Real Living Wage and initiated the research to explore the attitudes both to wage levels and to perceptions around cleaners’ pay.
• In 2020, Cleanology become the first to kit staff out in uniforms made from 7,000 plastic bottles.
• Later that year, Cleanology gave 20,000 people the chance to alleviate hygiene poverty by teaming up with The Hygiene Bank for the UK’s first National Hygiene Week – to raise awareness about hygiene poverty and distribute personal hygiene and cleaning products to those in need.
• Closing the year, Cleanology’s Christmas Appeal collected a tonne of donations for The Hygiene Bank.
• 2021 was when Cleanology went electric, when following a deal signed with Nissan, it took delivery of its brand new all-electric London fleet. “This move reduces emissions and lowers our carbon footprint, significantly improving our environmental sustainability credentials, and the financial savings really add up,” said Cleanology CEO and founder Dominic Ponniah.
• Later in 2021, Cleanology’s long-term commitment to fair pay in the cleaning industry has resulted in a win at the prestigious Living Wage Champion Awards.
• In 2022, Cleanology then joined the Living Wage Foundation’s Recognised Service Provider (RSP) Leadership Group. The group acts to encourage wider take-up of fair pay, and to make the accreditation scheme more effective.