Clean For Good is one of the first office cleaning companies in the UK to become B Corp certified. Since our inception 6 years ago, the vision, informed by our Christian faith, to be a completely different kind of cleaning company, has always been at our core. So we are thrilled to be the very first Living Wage employer and B Corp certified commercial cleaning company in the UK.
Yenny Satizabal, a cleaner at Clean For Good remarks: “It is an excellent company and I can say that it is the best I have been able to work for. I have received good treatment from my managers. They have been very correct and punctual with the payments, they are very generous because they pay for sick days, at times when I was very sick. They were very understanding with me and immediately sent me home until I got better and could return to my job. In a few words, it is an excellent company.”
The B Corp certification celebrates our unique position as an ethical office cleaning company. It has certainly demanded a lot of of work by many people at Clean for Good and will continue to do so, but we are thrilled to get this widely recognised accreditation.
One of the reasons we went for the B Corp accreditation was its commitment to having goals and aims outside of shareholder profit. This aligns strongly with our own values. We strive each day to be good news to our cleaners through fair pay & dignified work, to our clients through an excellent service, to the planet by ensuring we use sustainable products and materials. The accreditation requires you to “lock in” to your articles consideration of your staff, suppliers, community and the environment, when decisions are taken by the Directors. We were very happy to lock this in, and legally commit ourselves to this action.
But what does that look like in practice….?
Well, at Clean for Good it looks like paying people fairly, correctly, on time, running an occupational sick pay scheme, administering annual leave to all of our staff, not overloading our managers with masses of clients, contributing above the statutory minimum (5%) into a staff pension scheme are just some of the practical ways we do this. Small things aren’t they?
Take a moment to step back and read that list again, these really are very normal, standard things in many sectors, but we know these policies and practices are rare in the cleaning world. We are determined to safeguard them, and to improve them where we can.
Moreover the B Corp accreditation process looks across our supply chain to assess what environmental as well as social standards we meet. From the uniforms we use, which are sourced ethically and free from any human rights abuse, to our cleaning products which are environmentally friendly, down to our mobile phones which are sourced from the only telecoms co-operative in the UK
The B Corp certification process is rigorous. It covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The applicants are required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 (we scored more than 90!) whilst providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency.
We hope that this accreditation provides confidence to our customers, joy to our original founders and investors that the vision is working, and a continued commitment to our staff that they matter and are deeply valued.
