Is sustainability achievable when running a care home?

Environmental sustainability is now a quality statement under the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Single Assessment Framework. This makes reducing waste, cutting carbon impact and developing greener processes an even higher priority for care providers. 

However, with busy teams and tight budgets, it can be difficult for homes to develop and deliver a sustainability strategy. To help, this guide will set out the steps care homes can take to minimise their laundry’s environmental impact. 

Importance of sustainable practice in care homes

The impacts of climate change are on the minds of care home colleagues, residents and their families. Out of those born between 1946 and 1964 (known as the boomer generation) 74% say these environmental issues justify big changes to lifestyles. 

It’s also a priority for their children, with around 70% of Gen X and Millennials agreeing with the above statement. This means sustainability may be a priority or a contributing factor in deciding which care home to choose. 

Now, sustainability also forms part of the CQC Single Assessment Framework. The quality statement from the CQC states, “We understand any negative impact of our activities on the environment and we strive to make a positive contribution in reducing it and support people to do the same.”

This means when care homes are reviewed by the CQC, their sustainability strategy will form part of the final assessment report. Again, this may affect the overall service rating and whether potential residents and their families choose a care home or not. 

More than this, taking steps to improve sustainability can also make a business’s operations more efficient and cost-effective. So as well as minimising environmental impact, having a sustainability action plan can help an organisation make time savings and reduce costs. 

How can care homes become greener?

There are lots of steps care homes can take to improve their sustainability, many of which require little investment of time or money. 

Calculate your carbon footprint

Understanding your impact is the first step to reducing it. There are online tools available which can help calculate your care home’s carbon footprint, or you could get a third-party organisation to run a full assessment. This will give you a benchmark to set targets from and highlight key areas for improvement that you might not expect or have thought of. 

For example, your assessment might show that your laundry processes are generating a large proportion of your carbon emissions. With this insight, you can take steps to make washing, drying and ironing tasks more sustainable. 

Evaluate laundry equipment

Washing, drying and ironing laundry is one of the most energy-intensive processes in care homes. As such, if laundry equipment isn’t working efficiently or best suited to your needs, then this can quickly add up to higher energy bills and consumption. 

Installing energy monitors and having a usage display can help you track which appliances are consuming the most. From this, you should be able to work out if the amount of kWh an appliance uses matches its original efficiency ratings. If it doesn’t, then this is an indication it isn’t running efficiently and needs replacing. 

Plus, choosing large machines can be inefficient if your loads weigh significantly less than the appliance’s capacity. Some machines have auto-weighing features that adjust the water and chemical dosing levels to the load, helping you ensure that every wash is as efficient as possible.

Cut down on waste

Waste going to landfill or excessive use of finite resources like water and energy is one of the most environmentally impactful behaviours. It’s also one of the easiest to resolve:

• Water can be wasted through equipment being used inefficiently. For example, if extra or incorrect washing cycles are used to clean items, instead of choosing the right programme and chemicals first time.
• Energy can be saved by small changes, like turning appliances fully off when not in use (instead of leaving them on standby) or choosing a tumble drying cycle that’s not too long or hot for the items.

Minimise the use of toxic chemicals

When disposed of, certain cleaning chemicals can be toxic to waterways and the surrounding environment. Making sure you’re using the correct type and amount will ensure you’re not overusing toxic products. For example, make sure you use the right detergents for your needs and measure the correct dosage for the load (or use a machine’s auto-dosing function). 

Reduce single-use plastic where possible

Lots of single-use plastics are used in PPE and personal care items to help meet the high hygienic standards needed. However, there are some switches care homes can make to reduce their plastic waste, including:

• Sealing and sorting items into water-soluble or reusable bags.
• Following best practice guidance for gloves and not using them for unnecessary tasks.
• Using washable products such as bed pads, underwear and mop heads or cloths.

Engage and educate your teams

Making swaps and developing more efficient processes is a good starting point for making your care home more sustainable. However, the way your colleagues perform daily tasks can have a cumulative effect on your business’s environmental impact. Plus the CQC’s quality statement sets out that both staff and leaders should be aware of sustainable goals and best practices. 

Running education sessions, putting out informative leaflets and posters and asking for volunteers to become Green Champions in your team can all encourage team involvement.  Example steps include training teams on how to select the best washing or drying cycles and chemicals and putting up information posters in laundry rooms.

Make your laundry more sustainable 

Your laundry equipment, chemicals and processes need to meet your care home’s hygiene requirements as well as being sustainable. Getting professional advice can help you achieve this balance and get maximum efficiency from your setup. To find out more about how our team can help, contact WASHCO’s specialists on 08000 546 546 or email info@washco.co.uk.