Aramark Facilities Management has embarked this month on a conversion of its hand soap and sanitizer dispensers at client accounts that will improve efficiency while reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
If that sounds like a tall order for something as simple as soap, read on.
Reducing Waste, Improving Service
Most soap and sanitizer dispenser systems use ready-to-use (RTU) product in thin, non-recyclable, single use plastic (SUP) bags.
If the bags are empty or getting low on product, they are thrown out and replaced by a new bag by custodians as they service restrooms and common areas. Custodians must make a decision on whether the soap or sanitizer will last until another service. This results in either the product running out while guests are trying to use it—or in the bag being thrown out while still containing product.
“We calculate that about 15 to 20 percent of soap and sanitizer product is wasted when bags are discarded during service,” said Donald Pyles, Vice President, Program Development and Innovation, Aramark Facilities Management. “We looked for and found a solution that helps us reduce waste and takes the guesswork out of our associates’ daily routines at the same time.”
Concentrated, Refillable
In March 2023, the Aramark Facilities Management team announced the start of a conversion throughout client accounts of all hand soap and sanitizer dispensers to a unique hand hygiene program that features concentrated product and refillable cartridges rather than the traditional disposable bags.
Aramark Facilities Management experts and Ecolab have been in joint development on the Nexa Concentrates program. The system has been going through research and testing for the past year at a prominent university account managed by Aramark.
Cartridges are filled at designated filling stations where custodians gather their supplies for the day. The filling stations mix the soap or sanitizer concentrate with water to get the right mix. One two-liter bag of concentrate can supply enough product to fill 26 750-milliliter cartridges.
“Cartridges are filled for service and placed on custodians’ carts so they have what they need for their cleaning duties that day,” said Pyles. “When they service the dispensers, a used cartridge gets replaced with a full one—and the custodian will put the used cartridge back on their cart.” The used cartridges are then topped off with new product for the next service.
Environmental Benefits
In addition to reducing product waste, the new Nexa Hand Care system will reduce single-use plastics (SUP) packaging waste by an estimated 90%.
Aramark announced in 2018 a commitment to significantly reduce SUPs across global food service operations. In 2022, the company reported reducing the use of plastic straws and stirrers in U.S. operations by approximately 75%.
A new cross-company strategy is prioritizing additional innovations, actions, and partnerships to further reduce SUPs while promoting redesign, reduction, and reuse of materials across our food and facility services, a concept referred to as “circularity.”
The Nexa Hand Care conversion is a good example of Aramark’s drive to embed circularity throughout operations.
A Clean Conversion
Aramark’s longtime partner Ecolab is providing equipment, as well as employees to help change over the dispensers and provide training to Aramark managers. Beginning in March 2023, the conversion to the Nexa Hand Care system is expected to be finalized by or before the end of 2023.
“We put a strategy in place to make sure the conversion process goes effectively,” said Pyles. “Existing inventory won’t be thrown away. We will convert all but a few of the old dispensers at an account and use the product that has already been purchased.”
