Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 1st October 2026 Issue no. 1228
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 International News
Products Clean Pro Expo: a successful debut
ISSA Housekeeping Olympics returns to Las Vegas following ‘ESPN8: The Ocho’ Debut
New advanced surface reset initiative combats facility depreciation across hospitality sector
Joe Thomas of PuroClean named IFA Franchisee of the Year
Robotic floor equipment plans double in 2026 as labour pressures persist, review finds
Hydrachem’s solution to 54% rise in hospital-onset MRSA rate
Tunley Environmental’s free webinar will make sustainability reporting more manageable
2Pure Products launches ‘game-changing’ OdorBac Air
University biotech researchers patent wastewater filtering device that reduces potable water demand
Actabl's AI Insights cuts overtime share of hours by 13% across 100-plus hotels
SOAPBOX: The compliance problem no one is talking about: What happens when AI makes the decision?
“Artificial intelligence is moving steadily from helping businesses make decisions to making more of them. It can assess applications, prioritise cases, identify unusual behaviour, score risk and determine which customers, suppliers or transactions require further scrutiny.
For businesses under pressure to make faster decisions at scale, the appeal is obvious. But as AI takes on more responsibility, a difficult compliance question is emerging: who is accountable when the machine gets it wrong?
For manufacturers, managing personal protective equipment (PPE) is a necessary expense, but replacing gloves and other protective gear after every use can quickly drive-up costs and generate significant waste. |
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Hundreds of workers and their trade unions from across Europe demonstrated in Brussels last Thursday against the controversial ‘EU Inc’ law. They are concerned that the law - based on the European Commission’s claims that “innovative” companies struggle to operate across member states because of differing tax, labour and company rules - would allow companies to tackle these hurdles by opting out of national labour standards. “This proposed legislation will set workers back 100 years,” argued UNI Europa regional secretary Oliver Roethig. “There is nothing innovative or progressive about handing companies a way to bypass labour laws, collective bargaining agreements, union rights and social protections that were all hard fought for.” Oliver’s team explained the thinking behind this claim, citing a small Danish company paying Danish wages and taxes, already struggling to compete with large competitors’ economies of scale. Under the proposed legislation, it is believed that large organisations could, potentially, opt out of national labour standards and pay lower ‘European’ wages instead. Unfair competition would deepen and pressure to cut local workers’ conditions would follow – with companies gaining new EU-level rights that workers won’t get in return, since no European ‘right to strike’ exists. The unions claim that this proposed law would create an entirely new set of rules independent of any member state – a ‘28th regime’ if you like, as if a virtual 28th EU country existed. A legal analysis by the European Trade Union Institute found that the law could let companies register in member states with low social standards while their workers are employed elsewhere; offer stock options instead of wages or an employment contract; sidestep co-determination and board-level worker representation; avoid obligations to inform and consult workers on decisions, and fast-track liquidations in ways that could leave wages unpaid. European Trade Union Confederation general secretary Esther Lynch warns that allowing this kind of ‘regime shopping’ would “inevitably start a race to the bottom in pay and conditions across the continent”. The unions are calling for the law to be rewritten with real safeguards or be scrapped entirely, saying that the Commission has neglected to build in binding protections against misuse. They want EU institutions to adopt a strong ‘Quality Jobs Act’ that tackles the real problems facing today’s workforce. The way I see it, this legislation – its pros & cons, the thinking behind it and how it could pan out in reality - isn’t just about those ‘at the sharp end’ of our sector, such as cleaners working for global contractors, but something that could affect every part of it, such as manufacturing, distribution and even equipment servicing centres. I like to think that companies automatically look after their workforces, but this isn’t always the case, is it? What are your thoughts on this proposed law? Are the unions wrong to oppose it or are their concerns justified?
This Week's News
Call to action: help shape future skills landscape for England's cleaning & hygiene sector
The figures provide context for facilities managers evaluating how floor-cleaning work is staffed, measured, and supported by equipment. 
Cleaning product companies are the cornerstone of a supply chain connecting manufacturers, distributors, service providers and consumer-facing businesses nationwide, with the industry’s broader supply chain impact reaching $103 billion in total economic activity and supporting 125,000 US jobs. This far-reaching impact reflects the essential nature of cleaning products to public health and thriving communities across the country. Urbanest highlights value of long-term partnership with P-Wave
Urbanest, a leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation in London, has reaffirmed its commitment to P-Wave Hang Tags following several years of successful collaboration. The partnership has seen thousands of P-Wave Hang Tags installed across Urbanest residences as part of annual summer room preparation programmes designed to ensure accommodation is ready for incoming students.  ABZ Innovation opens one of Europe's largest civilian drone manufacturing facilities
The new facility is approximately four times larger than ABZ's previous production site, supporting a targeted threefold increase in production during 2026 alone, with a further doubling planned for 2027. This significantly expands the company's capacity to meet accelerating global demand for drone-based automation. Its drone systems are currently deployed in more than 40 countries across six continents, supporting industrial cleaning, precision spraying, seed and fertiliser spreading and cargo operations. North East waste company’s new fleet will enhance customer service
This £820,000 investment forms part of the Hartlepool-based ongoing programme of investment in its fleet and operations, strengthening the infrastructure behind its waste management and recycling services across the region. The new vehicles will support both customer collections and the movement of significant volumes of waste and recyclable materials between the company’s sites and processing facilities.  PuroClean's franchise development momentum accelerates thanks to a new generation of entrepreneurs
"Growth like this doesn't happen by accident,” says Steve White, President of PuroClean. “It happens because we've built the operational infrastructure to support it. “Whether it's a franchise owner adding additional territories or scaling towards record-setting sales, our job is to make sure the systems, training, and support behind them can grow just as fast as they do." Cleaner & Greener programme reaches every ward across Caerphilly County Borough
CCBC is now six months into delivering targeted environmental improvements in every ward across the county borough. The programme forms part of the Council's wider commitment to creating cleaner, greener and more attractive communities. The Cleanzine Archive Search We keep an extensive archive of news stories and product information that have featured in past issues of The Cleanzine. If you would like to run a search of the The Cleanzine web site using the search tool below please just go ahead by entering in the name of the person, product or company or any other key words that you are looking for. How to contact us at The Cleanzine:
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Our weekly updated Hospital Hygiene features current developments and product solutions cleaning and hygiene industry manufacturers are coming up with. Read More. Recent UK News
BICSc Awards 2026: the winners!
Why do people need to be trained to clean?
“For decades, when I have told people what I do for a living, one question has followed me: ‘Why do you need to teach people how to clean?’ Paper industry to converge in London in November: three huge events in one!
CHSA's 2026 Bursary winners: Four young people to receive £6,000 during their university career
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Events & Exhibitions Cleantex Interclean Shanghai CleanEurasia 2026 ISSA Cleaning & hygiene Expo Paper & Tissue Show London 2026 ISSA Show North America WFBSC Global Executive Congress The Workplace Event CMS Asia |
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