Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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The cleaning industry isn't often much admired by those outside of it, so I really enjoy those occasions where we can show that we're one step ahead of the game.
Stories about excess packaging being used to fool buyers into thinking they have more of the product inside than they actually have, are featuring in the press this week, having been highlighted in The Sunday Times last weekend.
Despite the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2015 stating that: "Packaging must be so manufactured that the packaging volume and weight is limited to the minimum adequate amount to maintain the necessary level of safety, hygiene and acceptance for the packed product and for the consumer," it seems that unscrupulous manufacturers are still using more packaging than they should, to dupe us into thinking we're buying a product that's of higher value than it actually is.
It pleases me that our industry is doing its best to ensure that what it says on the box, reflects what's inside the box - and I applaud the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association for its growing portfolio of accreditation schemes which forces members to be completely honest about the products they're supplying.
I also like the fact that we're advocating the use of dosing systems and chemical concentrates to prevent users from using too strong a cleaning solution. This helps the environment since less chemical and less packaging is used and it also reduces unnecessary transport and storage costs, which cuts pollution and keeps costs down.
Excess packaging makes a mockery of recycling. As consumers, we're being forced to separate and recycle our waste through what can be complicated and confusing schemes that take up far too much of our time and energy, while manufacturers are getting away with flouting the law and polluting our planet with millions of tons of needless packaging. A manufacturer that has policies in place which aim to prevent damage to the environment, that doesn't take its customers for fools, will also promote brand loyalty.
I'm sure I'm echoing everyone's feelings by saying that if I'm not disappointed with what I've bought once I've removed it from the packaging, I'm likely to buy that product again. Surely even the manufacturers guilty of attempts to dupe us feel the same way, so why do they keep on doing it?
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Yours,
4th May 2017