For their gold project, the Sport & Exercise Sustainability Awards office team addressed their cleaning products, to reduce plastic waste, release less harmful chemicals and improve staff wellbeing.

A Clean Sweep for Eco-Products

Sport & Exercise’s successful trial of eco-friendly products at our facilities has led to the rest of the Central Area campus embracing the environmentally friendly alternatives.

Innuscience products were introduced by Cleaning Supervisor George Whittaker and have been used by our cleaning team since the start of the year. They are currently in use at the Pleasance, Peffermill, St Leonard’s Land and Firbush, as well as some other University facilities. The roll-out across Central Campus began on 16 October at the Edinburgh College of Art, and continued into November, taking in the Main Library and David Hume Tower, among other buildings.

The trial has had a very positive impact, notably reducing plastic waste, releasing less harmful chemicals into the drains and improving staff wellbeing due to the reduction of powerful chemicals.

Positive feedback from cleaning staff

The results have been extraordinary. For example, we can use just one bottle of Innuscience instead of 180 bottles of the previous product. It has been a great way to reduce waste and improve the efficiency of our business. My staff also has a better working environment, which is great to see. George Whittaker, Cleaning Supervisor

The new products have made a huge difference to my working experience. I am now able to work without having to wear protective clothing, including face masks. These products have absolutely changed my wellbeing at work, I am much more comfortable now being able to work unrestricted. These products have also made my nightly tasks easier and as a team we are all delighted to have been the first team in the University to trial these products. Steven McLaren, Nightshift Deep Cleaner