Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Evogen Professional: changing perceptions and the industry
Global biosciences company Genesis Biosciences is aiming to change the perception of biological technology used in the facilities management industry, with its award-winning Evogen Professional product range.
The microbial range of cleaning products has been developed using eco-benign chemistry and specific Bacillus strains to create strong-performing and environmentally safe solutions for customers.
At last year's edie Sustainability Awards, Genesis Biosciences won the 'Sustainability Product Innovation' category for its Evogen Professional range, and now the company is hoping that the industry takes note of biological cleaning products and their advantages over harsher chemical alternatives.
Dr Emma Saunders, general manager of Genesis Biosciences, says: "Biological products have been available on the market for several years. However, feedback from the facilities management industry has been that the products are expensive, rarely live up to their claims and do not demonstrate a step forward to the customer.
"With Evogen Professional we want to change that perception.
"One of the biggest reservations regarding the use of biological cleaning products is price. Biological cleaning products are often perceived to be more expensive. However, while chemical based cleaning products are cheaper to purchase, in the long-term microbial cleaning products can provide a much more cost-effective solution.
"Chemical cleaning products offer short-term cleaning benefits, as a surface is only clean immediately after the chemical is applied. Evogen Professional products continue to work after being applied. The microbes cultivate in the area of application, producing an active bio-film and this ensures the products continue to be effective against organic material after application.
"This significantly reduces the frequency of cleaning and the labour costs of having to re-apply chemical cleaning products. "
Fig.1. Labour Saving example:
If an area takes 10 hours to clean every week, using a chemical product costing £2.40/litre (assuming a labour rate of £8/hr), the cost of the cleaning task would be £4,160/annum. Switching to Evogen Professional for the same cleaning task can result in cost savings of £1,664/annum. If the average cleaning personnel work 40 hours per week, this results in total savings of £6,656/ cleaner/annum.
Minimising the use of chemical products also carries the benefit of preserving asset value and reduces the impact of facility damage from harsh chemical cleaners.
"A crucial part of what we're trying to do at Genesis is change the perceptions that facilities management contractors have of biological cleaning products," adds Dr Saunders. "I think people are often put off at the thought of using bacteria-based formulations to clean facilities, but our research and results for clients proves that our products carry a huge number of benefits over harsher chemical cleaners.
"Fundamentally they're more effective. We engineer specific strains of Bacillus bacteria to achieve targeted, application-specific results, and the Bacillus bacteria continue to degrade organic matter long after being applied. Chemical products simply don't offer this level of protection.?
"In addition, our products are cheaper in the long-term. Yes, chemical cleaning products might be cheaper to purchase, but they're only effective for a short period which means they have to be reapplied time and time again, increasing labour costs, all while slowly damaging the surfaces on which they're applied. The long-term labour and building maintenance costs of larger facilities can be a huge burden for companies, but our products can help to alleviate those financial challenges.
"Safety is another huge benefit gained from using our Evogen Professional range. Evogen Professional offers greater protection to end-users in comparison to chemical alternatives and the products are safe to handle and apply for workers. Our products also contain patented eco-benign chemistry, which means our products have a minimal impact on the environment.
"We're confident in saying that Evogen Professional is a unique product range that delivers superior, documented, scientifically-validated and verified results, and is safe for the user and the environment.
"By offering a genuine eco-friendly and sustainable market alternative, we believe we can help businesses economically while also protecting the environment as well as their customers and employees."
1st September 2016