TSA and EcoVerify partner to strengthen sustainability support for members
TSA’s partnership with EcoVerify helps its members get EcoVadis accreditation to future proof their business and improve on sustainability goals
Increasingly companies, in particular from the hospitality and healthcare sectors, are looking for sustainability credentials from their commercial laundry service providers. One of the highly sought third party accreditation organisations is EcoVadis, a globally recognised sustainability rating platform. Receiving an EcoVadis rating can be a complex business and now TSA has teamed up with EcoVerify, one of the approved UK training providers of EcoVadis, to offer its members help in achieving this important accreditation.
Steve Bland is head of EcoVerify and he explains the relationship. “We are here to offer specialist help in achieving an EcoVadis rating,” he says. “Our normal practice is to manage the whole process, developing relationships with our clients and taking the lead on the questionnaires. However, the TSA wanted to provide a more supportive and comprehensive approach for their members. So we help members with the process, offering advice, with the option for them to manage the questionnaire submission.”
Steve says this is a refreshing approach to the accreditation. “I was really impressed by the TSA’s attitude. This way it can make a real difference within a member’s business, as they are fully involved in the process, and not be just a tick box exercise, so that’s really positive.”
For TSA’s managing director Emma Kiviniemi Wilson, EcoVadis is becoming more important for TSA members. “On the one hand, it’s an important resource that can help a business build a sustainability strategy and show evidence of their sustainability progress,” she says. “At the same time, more and more of our members’ customers are specifically asking about EcoVadis ratings.
“The support package with EcoVerify includes a help desk service as well as top tips webinars. It is designed to help commercial laundries of all sizes, from independents to multinationals.”
One TSA member that has already worked with EcoVerify is Clean. Chris Bell is Clean’s director of safety and sustainability. “Achieving a silver EcoVadis rating places us in the top 15% of companies globally,” he says. “EcoVerify’s expertise in sustainability benchmarking and guidance on EcoVadis requirements helped us align our policies, processes, and reporting with best practices. Through their support, we strengthened our approach to responsible procurement, environmental management, and social governance—ensuring Clean not only met but exceeded the standards required for Silver status.”
County Linen has also achieved a silver EcoVadis rating. “I’m happy to talk to other members and to pass on our experiences,” says Karl Bueggeln, the company’s finance director. “As with everything they do, the TSA has put their heart into this initiative with EcoVerify to help members achieve an EcoVadis rating. I think most members will want to jump on board. I’m really glad that we did it internally – our staff know our business and that helped us achieve our rating. I think with the TSA’s and EcoVerify’s support, we could achieve an even higher score going forward.”
Steve Bland says partnering with the TSA has been his first foray into the commercial laundry industry. He admires the TSA’s approach of encouraging its members to collaborate with EcoVerify and believes the long-term benefits to this are mutual. “While we do love handling EcoVadis questionnaires for companies, I think it’s also rewarding to work this way,” he says.
To find out more about TSA’s partnership with EcoVerify, email tsa@tsa-uk.org.
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TSA aims to support the laundry industry in adopting AI
New webinar will explain the opportunities and look at the potential offered by government AI training programme
The Textile Services Association (TSA) has announced an educational webinar looking at the opportunities offered by generative AI systems. It will also consider how the laundry industry can benefit from a new government funded training programme, aimed at non-technical staff, on how to use AI technology.
The TSA webinar takes place on the 10th February 2026. Its agenda includes a look at how AI delivers returns on investment, along with a practical adoption playbook and live demos. It will also give a more detailed exploration of the training and funding available in the government course, which is delivered by AICore, an AI skills partner for the Department for Education. Two of AICore’s directors, Haron Shams and Christian Kerr, are leading the TSA hosted webinar.
“This webinar will show TSA members exactly where AI can create ROI, with demos and tailored user-cases so attendees leave with actions they can apply immediately,” says Christian Kerr. “As an AI skills partner for the Department for Education, AiCore turns AI from ‘interesting’ into day-to-day impact through practical, role-specific training that helps teams save time, improve quality, and work more efficiently.”
“We are delighted to be able offer this AI training webinar,” says Emma Kiviniemi Wilson, the TSA’s managing director. “We hope it will provide our members with the information they need to allow them to use tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot safely, confidently, and productively within their businesses.”
David Pool, data and AI development director at QA, gave a talk on AI at the TSA’s 2025 Autumn conference. Although the conference marked his first foray into the world of commercial laundries, he recognised the vast untapped potential AI could have within the sector. “The laundry industry is in a great position to benefit from AI,” he says. “Laundries produce a lot of data through their day to day activities, and if they are able to present it to AI models in the right way, they will be able to get real insights that will allow them to work more effectively and efficiently.”
The webinar will also explain the intentions behind the government’s new Level 3 GenAI/Digital Support Technician training programme and how to make use of it. This is a 13 month course which aims to give non-technical staff the knowledge they need to use common AI systems such as ChatGPT and Copilot securely and productively, allowing them to become champions of generative AI technology within their organisations.
Students on the government course will be expected to commit to three hours of training a week working with consultants and a range of experts on the subject, as well as completing the online portfolio.
By providing the webinar in February, the TSA hopes to offer its members two key angles. The first is a chance to get closer to the topic of AI in a broader sense, the second is to help them understand more about the government’s course and why it might be useful to them.
TSA member companies large enough to pay the Apprenticeship Levy can use this to fully fund the training of any staff members wishing to take the government course. This will help to upskill employees with the knowledge needed to ensure AI can be adopted responsibly and effectively, while ensuring the levy contributions are used before they expire. The course costs £650 per person for smaller companies that do not pay the levy (those with an annual payroll of less than £3 million).
“Although it’s a vast topic and new territory for us all, AI could offer a great opportunity to improve efficiency across the industry,” says Emma. “We believe the government course could be relevant to all our members, no matter the size. That said, larger companies should definitely not overlook the fact that they can make full use of the Apprenticeship Levy to fund this training.”
TSA members interested in attending the webinar can access it here: TSA AI Webinar | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us either via email or phone:
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Laundry Cost Index: 2025/2026 FYQ3
Laundry Cost Index
Please see our latest published Laundry Cost Index for 2025/2026 FYQ3 below:
Please see the previous annual increases below for comparison to the latest cost index with an annual increase of 6.11%:
If you have any queries or would like any further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
T: +44 (0)20 3151 5600
E: tsa@tsa-uk.org
TSA unveils programme for 2026 National Congress
Inspirational, informative and engaging: TSA’s National Congress 2026
Textile Services Association unveils programme for 2026 Congress on March 17th
The TSA has unveiled its programme for the 2026 National Congress, which takes place on 17th March at the iconic W Edinburgh hotel. The event combines insightful speaker presentations and updates with the opportunity to network with colleagues from the industry. Places are limited and are by invitation only – for more information contact the TSA.
A fascinatingly diverse range of speakers includes Leon Thompson, executive director of UKHospitality Scotland, who will give a presentation on the country’s hospitality sector. The first keynote speaker of the day is crossbench peer Baroness Ruth Hunt, the renowned lobbyist and campaigner, whose theme will be ‘changing the status quo’. Next David Stevens, CEO of the TSA, will update Congress on the Association’s key initiatives and plans for 2026.
Joe Ricci, the CEO and chair of the TRSA, the TSA’s USA equivalent, will look to the future, using comment from forty US CEOs to predict the next ten years. The morning session ends with Richard Beech, investment manager from Charles Stanley, who will offer Congress a global economic update.
After lunch, hospitality is the focus again when Ryan Bains, senior account manager, Industry Partners – STR, talks about the sector and looks at its predicted numbers for 2026. Delegates can expect feathers to rustle when Michael Harre, group CSO Kannegiesser, and Jesper Jensen, CEO Jensen-Group, head the panel discussion: ‘power play, laundry leaders meet machinery innovators.’
Nicky Campbell, one of the UK’s most popular journalists and broadcasters, will give the afternoon’s keynote address. He’s worked in all aspects of broadcasting – from presenting Top of the Pops to interviewing every Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher – so he’s sure to have some interesting tales to tell! Emma Kiviniemi Wilson, the TSA’s managing director, will then close proceedings before the evening’s entertainment.
Networking is always a big draw for delegates. Before the 2026 Congress begins proper, there’s an informal reception in W lounge at 8pm on Monday 16th March. The Congress kicks off with a registration and networking event from 9.45-10.15am, in The Studio, and there are breaks throughout the day. In the evening there is the Industry Dinner, preceded by drinks, in the Sushi Samba restaurant.
W Edinburgh is a luxury hotel right in the heart of the city. It offers beautiful rooms, an exciting cuisine scene, and a rooftop terrace with the finest 360-degree views of Edinburgh and beyond.
“We know how busy our members are, so we’ve kept the Congress to a one-day format,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA. “Since the event is ‘invitation only’, we know that over 70% of the audience will be laundries, with all major companies well represented at director level. The objective is to make the event inspirational and informative, but critically to also give time for networking and catching up with colleagues.”
To confirm a place, contact the TSA.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us either via email or phone:
T +44 (0) 20 3151 5600
TSA Conference focusses on people and technology
The TSA reflects on the key themes from its recent Autumn conference
The laundry industry is about its people first and foremost. The value the Textile Service Association’s (TSA) members find in this was evident in the record number that attended this year’s Autumn Conference. Held over two days at the Hilton in St George’s Park in Burton-on-Trent, not only did it provide an opportunity to discuss the hot topics of the day but also to network and socialise. Many in attendance were asked what they loved about their industry and the consensus was clear: the people. Another big issue was technology. From how it affects our brain chemistry to the ever growing and unavoidable topic of AI, TSA members were invited to reflect on how technology personally affects them, as well as its evolving context in the wider industry.
For some of its members, AI in particular is a technological movement to fear. Why? Because of the effect it could have on the people in the industry and their jobs. For others, it’s something to embrace for that same reason. While some think AI replaces jobs, others think it creates them.
“I think the laundry industry is at the foundational level of its relationship to AI,” says David Pool, AI Specialist and a keynote speaker at the conference. “Most jobs will be stable but they will be more effective and more efficient through the implementation of AI.” Furthermore, David believes AI can help the sector problem solve some of its shared issues. “Commercial laundries have the same headwinds in terms of cost increases, environmental factors and reducing waste,” he says. “So they have a lot of collective data, and if they present that data to AI models in the right way they can get some real insight and start to work more effectively.”
Another keynote speaker, neuroscientist and author TJ Power focussed on technology more generally and its personal effects. Exploring some confrontational notions, including phone fasting and the importance of boredom for both ideas and ultimately productivity, TJ’s talk highlighted how our relationship with our phones in particular can affect not only our mental health but our ability to work well, too.
“With this industry, firstly people are very warm and open and there’s been lots of laughter and fun here at conference,” says TJ. “That means oxytocin is high and we’re feeling deeply connected to people. Two key challenges that every industry faces are low energy levels and short attention spans. These are a result of our indoor, sedentary, digital, looking at screens all day lifestyle. We’ve been exploring different habits that can help people rebalance things.”
This sense of imbalance and even alienation through technology can also be linked to social media, which came up in Dr Olga Franczak’s presentation at the conference. “The market is tough, talk to each other,” she said, as she explored the current challenges and opportunities in employment more generally. In doing so she criticised the distorted picture social media platforms like LinkedIn can create by only showing the positives within any given sector. By getting together and discussing it face to face, the picture is often revealed to be more complex, nuanced and honest.
Delivering the final keynote was business legend and star of The Apprentice, Linda Plant, who gave an overview of her life peppered with motivational messages. It was clear she had a passion for people; both the opportunities they gave her in her rise but also the fulfilment she found giving others opportunities as her businesses took off. Looking around the room, she commented, “I could see a lot more women in this industry”, reinforcing the importance of TSA’s ongoing diversity and inclusion strategies.
Beyond Linda’s heartfelt keynote and the other technology themed talks, there was also an industry panel chaired by TSA’s managing director Emma Kiviniemi Wilson. This featured Peter Semple from Fishers, Chris Bell from Clean, Arthur Linssen of ETSA, Doug Muttitt from Swiss Camplings Laundry and Bob Morrish from Ecolab. Peter’s presentation celebrated the success of the Laundry Open Week while Chris demonstrated how Infinite Textiles is helping Clean achieve its green objectives. Arthur then outlined the upcoming Textiles EPR scheme, while Doug explored how the TSA’s carbon emissions platform GLARE has helped Swiss Camplings Laundry provide a carbon footprint for the business. Finally, Bob discussed the TSA’s Supplier Portal and how it can support both supply partners and TSA members by linking them to the critical resources and documents needed when suppliers attend their sites.
“We had a lot to cover in a relatively short amount of time,” says Emma. “Once again though, the conference highlighted the importance of getting together and sharing information under one roof. We are a people industry. While there’s so much to keep up with, from legislation to evolving technologies like AI, by getting together and putting face-to-face human interaction at the centre, our sector can evolve and thrive.”
David Stevens, TSA’s CEO is in agreement. “We’re a very people led industry, and I think that’s the buzz you get from these events. It’s the comradeship and networking everyone seems to enjoy.”
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us either via email or phone:
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GLARE drives laundry industry sustainability goals
TSA’s updates help commercial laundries enhance carbon emission reporting
The Textile Services Association (TSA) has announced updates to its GLARE platform, which is designed to calculate commercial laundries’ carbon emissions. Accessed via the GLARE (Global Laundry and Rental Emissions) dashboard, the new features will help laundries to calculate figures more accurately and build more relevant carbon emission numbers into their sustainability reporting. In the future, GLARE is aiming to enable the laundries to offer individual customers an estimated breakdown of the emissions per kg from their own processed laundry.
Carbon figures are increasingly required by organisations such as hotels and healthcare groups, as part of their environmental objectives. They are particularly important in measuring scope 3 emissions. The GLARE platform is tailored to the laundry industry and makes it easy not only to add usage data but also to measure carbon emissions.
The ability to give customers like hotels a calculation per kg of their own laundry items has been welcomed by members of UK Hospitality. GLARE will be able to take into account factors including product mix, volume and the type of laundry (hospitality, healthcare, workwear, and so on) when calculating the figures. The platform is based on the Greenhouse Gas protocol, so laundries can record and track carbon emissions using established methodology.
‘We pride ourselves on providing efficient and quality textile services,” says Doug Muttitt, Managing Director of Swiss Camplings Laundry. “Measuring, reporting and improving our emissions forms an important part of our partnership with our customers and suppliers. The GLARE platform enables us to do that in a comparable, consistent and laundry-specific way based on GHG protocol methodology. With sustainability at the heart of our values, alongside people and our customers, we wanted to be able to understand our carbon footprint and where to focus our efforts on the path to net zero and the GLARE platform has helped us do that.”
Another exciting feature under development will enable laundries to provide a detailed breakdown of their scope 3 emissions. It will create a report and give a score – a higher score indicates that the laundry has captured more indirect emissions. This feature will help the laundries showcase their sustainability commitments to customers and employees.
“By enabling laundries to measure their carbon footprint, GLARE is empowering them to set up meaningful carbon reduction plans,” says Shyju Skariah, programmes and projects director at the TSA. “There are many different ways to measure carbon emissions, each of which will give a different outcome. By offering a standardised approach, GLARE helps laundries and their customers to set carbon reduction targets against agreed baselines.”
The TSA is continuing to develop GLARE– the pipeline includes additional emission factors to enable laundries to give even more detailed figures. For more information on the GLARE platform contact the TSA.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us either via email or phone:
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CLEAN and Aberdeen join Infinite Textiles Scheme
First laundries accredited to TSA’s innovative initiative, launched in collaboration with UK Hospitality
Aberdeen Laundry Services and CLEAN Linen Services have become the first commercial laundry organisations to be accredited to the TSA’s Infinite Textiles Scheme, with many more laundries in the pipeline. It’s part of a massive step forward for the industry’s environmental aspirations. As Steven Burnett, group marketing & stakeholder communications manager at Aberdeen Laundry Services says, “Sustainability for us is not a badge – it’s in the DNA of how we operate.”
The Infinite Textiles Scheme is about extending the life of textiles, by looking after them, and then reusing, repurposing and recycling them once they reach ‘end of life’. Currently over 6,000 tonnes of hospitality textiles are lost each year, either being sent to waste, unaccounted for or sold as rags and ending up in landfill. The scheme aims to put a stop to that and, ultimately, it could become the largest laundry industry textile recycling project in the world, keeping textiles in use for longer. Instead of the majority of items like sheets and towels being turned into rags that end up in landfill after one more use, the scheme enables a second life, potentially saving tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon and billions of litres of water every year.
TSA teamed up with UKHospitality to launch the scheme, which sees commercial laundries partnering with their customers to recycle end of life linens not only from the hospitality industry, but also healthcare and leisure.
Chris Bell is head of safety, sustainability, and environment at CLEAN Linen Services. He says, “This certification is a big step forward for us. Infinite Textiles is all about reducing textile waste and driving circularity in the laundry sector – values that align perfectly with our sustainability goals.”
Under the scheme, accredited laundries are audited to ensure they and their customers look after linens and handle end-of-life textiles responsibly, by sorting them for reuse, repurposing or recycling. The textiles are then sent to TSA-approved receivers, such as charities, recyclers, or aggregators, who guarantee responsible handling. “The process of becoming certified was thorough, and rightly so,” says Chris. “It made us take a close look at how we manage textiles throughout their lifecycle. It challenged us to improve, to collaborate, and to think differently. And that’s exactly what we did.”
With the intensifying focus on sustainability, it will be increasingly important for businesses to prove their green credentials through schemes like Infinite Textiles “Achieving this standard provides external validation of the progress Aberdeen Laundry Services has made to date,” says Steven. “It demonstrates the responsibility we feel toward our clients, our community, and the environment.”
Chris believes the scheme will also help laundries grow their business. “For our customers, this means even greater confidence in CLEAN,” he says. “It means knowing the textiles we supply and launder are part of a system designed to minimise waste, extend product life, and support a more sustainable future. It’s not just good for the planet—it’s good for business too.”
“We’re excited to be part of this movement and proud to be helping set a new standard in our industry,” says Chris.
Currently there is a shortage of end-of-life recycling facilities for textiles in the UK that can meet the TSA’s criteria and handle the volume that the Infinite Textiles Scheme will create. TSA is working with DEFRA and Innovate UK to locate companies who can become certified receivers under the scheme. “The textiles from our industry are perfect for fibre-to-fibre recycling, but often they are sold on as rags,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA. “This is because, currently, laundries get more from rags than if they were to recycle the linen via our Infinite Textile Scheme. Unfortunately, as the rags are not hemmed, they cannot be washed and used again, hence they end up in landfill after only one more use.
“Aberdeen Laundry Services and CLEAN are two of the first laundries to be certified and there are many more in the pipeline. We expect most members to become certified during the next two years, showing what can be done to help our industry become greener and reach Carbon Net Zero.”
To find out more about the TSA’s Infinite Textiles Scheme, visit tsa-uk.org
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us either via email or phone:
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Two sectors, one table: laundries and hotels come together at Hospitality Roundtable
TSA’s annual event continues fostering collaboration between the laundry and hotel sectors
Hotel occupancy is up while laundry volumes are down, but the future looks good. That was a hot take at The Textile Services Association’s (TSA) second Hospitality Roundtable, which took place on the 16th September at the Hampton By Hilton on Waterloo Road, London. The meeting was chaired by TSA’s CEO David Stevens and attended by representatives from multiple hotel chains and commercial laundry operations. Held annually, the meeting continues to bring together laundries and hotel groups, opening the door to further collaboration and fostering the partnership between two co-dependent sectors.
“Face-to-face meetings like this are crucial in really understanding the current state-of-play,” says David Stevens. “Talking about the issues is the first step. It is always great when we find new ideas and collective solutions.”
There was one notable takeaway regarding the hospitality growth forecast: hotels are currently more buoyant than laundries. This is partially due to rises in occupancy across the various chains in attendance, while laundry volumes remain notably down.
Managing linen loss was another key topic. This forms the backbone of the TSA’s Infinite Textiles Scheme, for which resources such as the association’s Pasha The Pillowcase animation have been produced. Recognising the value of the film’s messaging, it was agreed that evolving Pasha into a series of TikTok style shorts could help further its reach. The TSA presented the Infinite Textile Scheme accreditation and reported that the first two laundries have been certified with many more in the pipeline. In connection to this scheme and sustainability more broadly, the TSA also discussed its work with Innovate UK in creating a map of all the available recycling routes for linen. They are also working with Innovate to help the laundry industry decarbonise and in doing so improve the scope 3 emissions for hotels.
“Sustainability is at the top of both sectors’ agendas. Events like the Roundtable provide a space where we can come together to discuss these and any other issues we are facing – and hopefully come up with solutions,” says David.
In light of this, a discussion on the balance between sustainability, service and price closed the meeting. The importance of service and flexibility was at the heart of the conversation, along with a shared desire to continue strengthening the partnership between both the hotel and laundry sectors.
“While it is unfortunate laundry volumes are currently down, the fact the hotel industry is experiencing growth is good for the laundry sector, too. We need them and they need us,” says David. “These meetings are a very positive process.”
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us either via email or phone:
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Laundry Cost Index: 2025/2026 FYQ2
Laundry Cost Index
Please see our latest published Laundry Cost Index for 2025/2026 FYQ2 below:
Please see the previous annual increases below for comparison to the latest cost index with an annual increase of 4.28%:
If you have any queries or would like any further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
T: +44 (0)20 3151 5600
E: tsa@tsa-uk.org