Over the past few weeks, we have all been thinking about our industry’s mission to put cleaning and sanitising processes on a path to becoming even more sustainable and eco-friendly.
We have seen how ozone can be a very valuable ally on this journey.
For this analysis, we want to carry on the conversation about ozone because it leads us towards another very interesting concept in sustainability, which is: sustainability alone isn’t enough – we also need effectiveness.
Obviously, we all believe that it’s better to use a non-polluting product rather than a polluting one, but it must be at least as effective, otherwise the choice is not sustainable. Here, we mean sustainable in the broadest sense, i.e. not only in terms of its environmental impact but, also about its more general long-term usability.
Just think about it: in the long run, a non-polluting but inefficient product has no hope of being used and of becoming a virtuous habit; it will soon be jettisoned and replaced with something else.
This is why, in the search for sustainable alternatives, we must reject solutions that compromise cleaning effectiveness, because in the long run the environment suffers the consequences. And in the short term, our business suffers because the use of ineffective products means substandard work.
Ozone: effective and sustainable
Cleaning with ozone is a good example of a solution that is effective and sustainable.
The benefits of ozone
First of all, it is a sanitising substance, so there is no worry about compromising the standard of cleaning we want.
Also, the use of ozone means there is no need for detergents, which means lower operations costs.
Finally, ozone is completely eco-sustainable, because it naturally converts back into the common molecular oxygen that we breathe.
But there is more to ozone use than these “general” benefits.
For some of our customers, cleaning with ozone has proven to be the best choice for their needs, not just for environmental reasons, but also because of the efficiency and benefits for their business.
Below are three examples of ozone use in specific situations.
State-of-the-art cleaning: ozone in the museum
The natural environment is not the only setting harmed by aggressive traditional chemicals; other delicate environments can also be damaged.
A case in point is the French art gallery that chose our machines and ozone system to clean its various spaces.
The gallery houses valuable exhibits that can be damaged by gases and substances released into the atmosphere during the use of chemical cleaning solutions.
But Adiatek's ozone cleaning does not undermine the integrity of the works on display because there is no leakage of reactive gases into the environment.
Brighter, more lustrous marble with ozone
Now we move to a shopping centre in northern Europe. In this case, it was ozone’s whitening effect that made it the key choice for cleaning. Our customer was also won over by the sheer brilliance and brightness of his marble floor after the treatment.
Our R-Quartz floor scrubbing machine, which combines mechanical work with the reactivity of ozone, took less than 30 days to bring the brightness score measured on the surfaces from 3.9 up to 21.8.
Cleaning without waste disposal worries
Another customer went over to ozone cleaning to cut out all the work and costs of floor-washing water disposal.
The main problem with disposing of this water is not that it contains the dirt from the cleaned surfaces (except in some cases), but the fact that it still holds residues of the cleaning chemicals used.
Disposing of this water is costly, because it must go through a dedicated chain of purification processes before it can finally be disposed of with ordinary wastewater.
This problem doesn’t exist with ozone cleaning: the ozone completely dissipates and turns back into oxygen.
These examples show that it is important not to make approximate choices, even when we have the best of intentions. We absolutely have to be careful and forward-looking when choosing the best means to achieve our twin goals of efficiency and eco-sustainability.
Let us know what you think: it's important to discuss and debate these issues. We’ll keep talking about cleaning and sustainability (in the broadest sense) in the coming weeks... don't miss the next session!