When we think of Earth Day, we like to think about ways that we can protect our environment.

by Steve Blumberg, Regional Manager, Spartan Chemicals

Using chemicals for cleaning and floor maintenance that are labeled as environmentally safe is the best way to clean sustainably for the environment, but it can be difficult to find or understand all the labels and classifications of “green cleaning products.” A strong distributor partner such as Colker Janitorial Supplies should be willing and able to develop a program that will keep your facilities clean without a negative impact on the health of the occupants, cleaning staff or the environment.

To begin, there are many myths that the more environmentally friendly products may not work as well as others, which simply is not true. The two things to consider when looking at environmentally friendly options are the manufacturer’s sustainable initiatives and the actual product certifications. Keeping the environment in mind during the manufacturing process is a difficult yet necessary action when evaluating a product's sustainability, such as recycling, packaging, energy, water, wastewater, land fills and other sustainable actions in the manufacturing process. Products themselves can contain certain certifications to help identify them as “Green” or as environmentally safe which is indicated by various label certifications. 

Three leading examples are the Green Seal Certified Products, EPA Safer Choice Products and USDA Certified Biobased Products. When considering your cleaning or floor maintenance products, selecting products with one or more certification is a great solution when being conscious of the environmental impact and here's what you need to know: 

Green Seal represents compliance with a rigorous set of criteria that achieve great levels of sustainability. 

EPA Safer Choice helps identify products with safer ingredients without the sacrifice of performance. 

USDA Certified Biobased Certification identifies products derived from plants and other renewable resources. 

There are floor finishes, strippers and daily cleaners that contain one or more of these certifications. Spartan Chemical has created this useful Sustainable Cleaning Program due to our commitment as an environmentally conscious company and we are proud to partner with Colker Janitorial Supplies to help bring these and many other "green" cleaning products to you. Contact them today at 888-4-COLKER to learn more and to schedule your free sustainable cleaning consultation.