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::: LET'S TALK ABOUT professional laundry
market by Chiara Merlini
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Updated machinery
and services: better
performance, energy
saving and respect
for the environment.
Some current issues ...
The industrial and professional laundry
sectors have made great efforts recently
to identify and then improve – through
a growing range of machines, products and
systems – both its customer service and the
environmental impact. This, by introducing
new processes and control systems.
While their market demands may well appear
similar, they actually vary considerably as a
result of the different environments where a
particular service is requested and provided.
In addition to basic hygiene requirements, a
professional laundry wants guarantees that fabrics will be protected, minimal chemical and
mechanical wear, minimal shrinkage and warping,
colour fastness, a pleasant fragrance…
Customers in the industrial sector have different
needs: overalls and protective clothing
are often very dirty and stained by various substances
that require special types of detergents
and stronger cleaning programs. Moreover, the
waste water may also contain pollutants as a result
(mineral oils, heavy metals, etc., depending
on the type of industry concerned).
Materials used in health facilities need to be
washed in various ways: from lightly soiled fabrics
(bedding, clothes...) to very dirty materials
that are potentially capable of transmitting
infections if contaminated, for example, with
blood, pus, secretions…
And again: protective aprons and overalls used
in the catering and food industries are often
highly soiled with substances notoriously diffi
cult to remove (animal and vegetable fat, food
colouring…), whereas fabrics used in the hotel
industry are not generally very dirty, but are
used by a large number of people: therefore
optimal hygiene and perfect aesthetic results
are a must!
We will look at the different types of machines
capable of meeting these needs another time:
for now we want to stress just how important
this sector is in terms of its environmental impact. The results of the LCA — Life Cycle
Assessment — conducted by the A.I.S.E. (Association
International de la Savonnerie, de la
Détergence et des Produits d’Entretien) show
that washing has the highest impact in terms
of energy, as most of the energy is consumed
to heat water. After washing comes the production
or extraction of the raw materials used.
Washing is also responsible for producing the
most solid waste and air emissions. The production
of electricity leads to solid waste and
polluting gases, such as carbon dioxide, sulphur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The main impact
on water is associated with biological oxygen
demand (BOD), since washing products are
disposed of through the sewage system.
The variables and their values are similar for
both industrial and domestic laundry: however,
if we compare the data, we find that professional
laundries use significantly less water
(-50%) and detergents (-56%).
::: Environmental awareness
Faced with such complex issues, the professional
laundry industry makes a lot of effort to ensure innovation. All their customers – no
matter how highly diversified – demand the
same high standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
Industry faces many challenges: the
need to follow legal rules and pass inspections
and controls, which often vary from country to
country; the use of different machinery, doses
and textiles; changes in raw materials and different
types of packaging.
Professional laundries are not content simply
to buy a product: they demand a full service, the solution to all their laundry problems. And
the suppliers, in order to offer a good service,
have to offer complete systems: plant, control
systems, metering equipment and other hardware.
As well as having to meet the needs for
staff training, advice on effl uent control and
monitoring of results…
This means “total service”: only in this way can
the industry provide a real solution, by monitoring
cleaning requirements and minimising
any environmental impact.
::: Optimal use of resources
The importance of energy and water in the
washing process has meant that, in recent
years, producers in this industry – especially
the machine manufacturers – have been committed
to fi nding ways to reduce consumption
levels. This has led to new machines and systems
offering effective low-temperature washing
and the reuse of rinse water.
Products are being designed to meet the specifi
c needs of individual users, while processes
are being designed to minimize the release of
waste products.
Dose instructions are more detailed and automated
systems are often used for liquid detergents
and additives. Moreover, most large
industrial laundries are now equipped with
centralized water softening systems, while
waste packaging levels can be reduced by
specifi c programmes for delivery, storage and
the use of more suitable reusable packaging.
Not to mention greater care taken over environmental
impact monitoring and assessment
procedures.
::: New systems
Generally speaking, the industry has helped
develop the sector for water and energy saving
equipment and monitoring, control and
recycling systems. It has also played a role in
creating new textiles that are easier to handle
and longer lasting, new cleansing products and
new ad hoc delivery systems. In addition, the
wide range of dispensers on the market for automatically
dosing liquids, powders, pastes and
even solids help control the actual amount of
product being delivered. Then there is a rise in
the use of sensors (a central control unit stops
the equipment when the required amount of
product reaches the machine): this avoids
both overdosing and underdosing. These are
equally important factors: the former means
more pollution, whereas the latter often means
having to resort to rewashing, thus cancelling
the effect of any pollution prevention (quantities
of chemicals and energy used) and causing
further wear to the fabrics.
::: Management control systems
The most advanced way to protect existing resources
is to adopt an effi cient management
information system (LMIS): this makes it easy
to receive and process data on important processes
and machines (such as loading, water
and energy consumption, etc.). In fact, the
consumption of chemicals, water and energy
depends heavily on making optimal use of the
machine, i.e. ensuring correct loads.
In other words, coherent operational plans –
covering all levels – are needed to optimize
resources and protect the environment.
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