Coinciding with Earth Day 2012, an Abbotsford company, providing healthcare laundry services to hospitals and other medical facilities throughout B.C., learned its operations have been certified as Clean Green.
Ecotex Healthcare Laundry Services, became the first commercial laundry in Canada to earn this distinction for environmental sustainability.
“Being certified as a clean green company is an honour and recognizes our commitment to protect natural resources and the environment, which are so vital to our community,” said Ecotex president and CEO Randy Bartsch.
“Since 2007, we have reduced our water use by 65 per cent."
The Clean Green program provides third-party verification to linen and laundry service customers that the supplier they use meet high standards for water and energy conservation. Certified laundries demonstrate that they are applying best practices for reusing, reclaiming and recycling resources.
Joseph Ricci, president and CEO of the Textile Rental Services Association, the Clean Green certifying organization, noted that the program gives businesses committed to sustainability the confidence that their laundry services partner is, too.
Bartsch said achieving Clean Green certification is one of many environmental goals the company has established.
“We are committed to constantly improve our performance through new equipment, technologies and best practices,” he says. “We are fortunate to live and work in an area of great beauty. It is our responsibility as a member of the community to do our part to protect our environment.”
Ecotex Healthcare Laundry Services processes more than 50 million pounds of textiles each year out of its facilities in Abbotsford, Tacoma, WA; Lebanon, OR; and Albuquerque, NM. The family-owned business was founded in 1974 in Abbotsford and today provides linen and laundry services to more than 60 major acute care hospitals.