A naturally responsible business model
Our rental maintenance service, which offers bespoke solutions to Irish companies, has sustainability at it's core. We are committed to delivering a quality service while minimising our environmental impact and striving to ensure the developments to our services are respectful to the environment, our employees and our stakeholders.
Our experience, our employees’ pride in the company, the trust of our shareholders is key to pursue the sustainable development of our business.
What is sustainable development at Elis?
Our rental maintenance service enables our customers to benefit from our services without having to invest in the purchasing of those items. Without the requirement of upfront investment our customers can choose the ranges that best suit their company’s values, knowing that these ranges offered by Elis on rental have been designed to last and will be maintained and repaired as required for the duration of their contract.
This circular economy approach maximises the use of products, encourages their recycling, reconciling economic growth with environmental impact.
We are passionate about developing the sustainability of our products and services. We use eco-designed products to promote alternatives to disposable products, and we work with our suppliers to minimise waste at the source. We optimise every kilometre travelled when it comes to logistics – an essential part of our strategy to be closer to our customers. We have introduced an eco-driving box placed in the service agent’s vehicle that calculates fuel consumption and advises the driver in real time. We have initiated CMMS within our sites which not only increases the life of our plant machinery but also reduces the consumption of water, energy and laundry products through more efficient operations.
Our objectives are to:
- reduce our consumption of water, energy and laundry products by 25%
- work towards zero waste
In 2019 Elis defined new ambitious objectives for 2025, regarding a more efficient use of resources (water, energy, chemicals), textile recycling, product sustainability and employee well-being.
Our commitments
-
Circularity and exemplarity to reduce our impact on the planet
-
Empower our employees and support their development
-
Make a positive impact for society
Our objectives for 2025
-
80%
of textiles recycled
-
-20%
of CO2 emissions in Europe (compared to 2010)
-
-45%
of chemicals consumption in Europe (compared to 2010)
-
-35%
of energy consumption in Europe (compared to 2010)
-
-50%
in lost time accidents
-
95%
of our preferred suppliers covered by a CSR assessment
Eco-friendly product lines
Sustainability is embedded in our business model and is core to our strategic vision. We develop innovative, durable, repairable and recyclable items. By 2025 we aim to offer at least one workwear collection made of 100% sustainable materials for each of our product groups.
-
Fair trade industry
Our Bio’s Fair bathroom linen is made from 100% organic fair trade cotton.
-
Eco-designed mats
Our floor mats are made from Phoenix fibres that are 100% produced from recycled water bottles.
-
Cradle to Cradle certified®
Our FUSION washroom collection is Cradle to Cradle Certified®. Assessed for its environmental and social performance across five critical sustainability categories, this certification is recognised globally as a measure of safer, more sustainable products made for the circular economy. It is a preferred product standard for responsible purchasing decisions for a growing number of brands and organisations across the globe.
-
Ecolabel for washrooms
Consumables in the Natur’Elis line carry the EU Ecolabel, certifying reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle.
Real results
-
-36 %
of water consumption since 2010, per kg of linen treated (Europe)
-
34%
of new managers are women
-
26%
of new managers are promoted internally
-
3,367
tons of linen recycled in 2020
Innovation
Every year since 2008, we have set targets to reduce our water, energy and detergent consumption by 3-5%, following a proactive investment policy.
Our processing sites are equipped with high-performance technologies. Heavy-duty washing tunnels have been deployed across all sites. They process batches continuously, allowing optimal energy consumption by increasing how much linen is washed. Air to air and water to water heat exchangers are installed to save energy, while recycling systems are automated to recover water from one stage for use in another, where possible.
Clean water from the rinsing stage is reinjected into the pre-wash compartments, allowing water, laundry detergent and energy to be saved.
On the logistics side, delivery routes are optimised with the help of dedicated software to reduce the kilometres travelled.
An increase in the number of clean vehicles
Our objective for 2025 is to significantly increase the number of eco-friendly vehicles while seeking to reduce fuel consumption within our existing fleet. We are constantly improving our fleet management tools, we promote eco-driving and maximise the filling rate of our trucks.
