Driving change in the cleaning sector

A sign that we’re all very much back in business was attendance at the recent The Cleaning Show at London’s ExCel, which saw more than 6,700 people  arrive over three days.

Many of the industry’s leading cleaning and hygiene suppliers demonstrated their latest products, with a big focus on sustainability and technology.

This year’s theme of ‘The Cleaning Sector in 2023 – Driving Change’ provided keynote presentations exploring topics including recruitment pressures, post-Brexit training and education. The show was opened by Nigel Mills MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cleaning and Hygiene, who stressed the ongoing efforts for recognition as an industry that is critical to the UK economy. He issued a call for delegates to lobby their local MPs to help enact change, acknowledging that there is more work to be done on all fronts.

Jim Melvin, Chairman of the British Cleaning Council (BCC highlighted how cleaning operatives are seen as the first required but last acknowledged, despite their proven value and importance to the general public. He recapped on the BCC’s strategic objectives and ongoing work on the Apprenticeship Levy, reminding attendees that professional cleaning and hygiene operatives are no longer an invisible army, but instead a pre-requisite.

Addressing the problems facing young people looking for employment within the cleaning sector.

Across the show floor, exhibitors from all corners of the industry promoted newly launched products. For example, BioVate Hygienics launched one of the world’s first plastic-free paper bottles for commercial cleaning products and their ‘Zero Compromise’ range.