See your carbon footprint easily with GLARE

New carbon calculator from the TSA to empower the laundry industry’s carbon reduction plans

The TSA has launched its Global Laundry and Rental Emissions (GLARE) carbon calculation platform, which has been designed to help commercial laundries in the UK – and around the world – measure their carbon footprint. This will enable them to meet their carbon reporting requirements and will play a vital role in the TSA’s roadmap for the laundry industry to meet its targets for carbon reduction by 2045 ahead of the UK government’s commitments by 2050 (1).

UK PLC has already made some significant inroads in reducing its carbon emissions, with a total reduction of 9.3% since 2019 and 3.5% of that occurring after 2021 (2). GLARE is based on the Green House Gas protocol to allow the laundry industry to record and track carbon emissions using the well-established methodology. Measuring the carbon emissions will then enable the users of the platform to report and implement effective carbon reduction plans.

As with any new project, it will be an iterative process, with its accuracy increasing over time as more companies use it. “It’s difficult to overstate the importance of GLARE to the industry over the next couple of decades,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA. “It’s been designed to be useful to the entire industry, so we took time to make sure it met the needs of everyone from SMEs to the largest players. It’s also being supported by our international partners in Europe and the US, enabling a truly global level playing field in terms of recording the progress the industry makes as it continues towards meeting its Net Zero targets.”

The system was extensively tested before launch by a group of TSA members to ensure it was fit for purpose. “GLARE has been designed to be easy to use,” says Rona Tait, Managing Director of TDS Commercial. “It’s been created with a wide range of laundry businesses in mind, and it will be very useful to independent businesses who want a good benchmark to measure themselves against their own baseline numbers.”

Access to GLARE is free for TSA members and non-members can access it for a fee. The platform also includes a downloadable Data Helper Tool (DHT) which will give users an insight into the kind of data they need to be collecting in order to make use of the system. The DHT also provides guidance on how to categorise various data points into the platform. In addition to this, the tool recommends a hierarchy of data options such as spend analysis or tonnage against different categories which makes GLARE a flexible, intuitive and powerful platform.

“Reducing carbon emissions is one of the biggest tasks facing every sector, especially concerning scope 3 emissions,” says Shyju Skariah, director of programmes and projects at TSA. “We have already made huge progress through efficiencies and optimisations in the laundry industry but we have a long journey ahead. GLARE is designed to enable the laundry industry on its sustainability journey with reliable data and well-informed decisions. GLARE provides a consistent record of change and a method of identifying future opportunities for improvement.”

References

  1. https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9888/CBP-9888.pdf
  2. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65c0d15863a23d0013c821e9/2022-final-greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistical-release.pdf)

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TSA puts the PUWER in your hands

New training course helps the laundry industry to ensure its equipment is safe

The Textile Services Association (TSA) is offering a three day course on Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) safety inspections. These apply to companies, organisations or sole traders who own, operate or control equipment, or whose employees use it.

Taking place over three days, it is a fully accredited City & Guilds course that will provide attendees with the skills and knowledge required to enable them to carry out PUWER inspections on machinery. It will fully explain the timing and contents of PUWER inspections, as well as the PUWER Approved Code Of Conduct (ACOP) and how meeting this can help laundries meet their legal obligations regarding the health and safety of employees.

It will cover topics including the full legal framework of the regulations, how the ACOP relates to PUWER and the health and safety act, and how European and international standards work in relation to complying with it. It will also explain how to conduct inspections and risk assessments, how to identify common hazards and it will examine various practical scenarios.

“It’s vital that we know how to ensure laundry equipment is safe to use and is being used safely,” says David Stevens, CEO for the TSA. “This new course is part of the TSA’s ongoing mission to give the industry access to top quality training and education programs that let them maintain the high standards they aim for.”

The course takes place on 29th April – 1st May 2025 at the ST&L Training Centre of Excellence in Stockton on Tees. The course costs £1250+VAT for TSA members and £2500 for non-members. Accommodation is not included in the price, and early booking is suggested as interest is sure to be high.

To secure your place, please book here!

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TSA’s new training course puts microorganisms in the spotlight

Delegates will get detailed understanding of the science and best practice for hygienic laundry

The Textile Services Association (TSA) has launched an innovative new training course focused on providing managers working in healthcare, food care and pharmaceutical laundry sectors with a deeper understanding of microorganisms and harmful pathogens.

The first course will take place at the Crowne Plaza at the NEC in Birmingham on the 9th-10th April 2025. Unlike some training courses which can be boiled down to a list of dos and don’ts, the new initiative aims to give delegates a grounding in the science behind microbiology and how this knowledge can be applied within laundries to ensure best practice is maintained.

The course will deliver knowledge of basic concepts of microbiology such as the morphology, physiology, growth and transmission of microorganisms, as well as decontamination on textiles and within laundries.  This includes understanding the differences between bacteria, viruses and fungal spores, and how their growth can be influenced by different textiles and common laundry processes. It will also provide information on bioindicator testing methods and infection control and decontamination practices.

David Stevens, CEO of the TSA says, “This course gives context to the reasons why decontamination and microorganism controls have been established, and how to use this information to maintain standards in laundries serving industries where hygiene is critical. It breaks down a lot of complex science into understandable and actionable information, and we know it’s going to be useful throughout the laundry sector.”

The course will be led by Dr Katie Laird a Professor of Microbiology, Chartered Biologist and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  Prof Laird has over 10 years’ experience of conducting research within the industrial laundry sector and her research is extensively published and recognised internationally.

The course costs £320 for TSA members and £640 for non-members. Lunch on days 1 and 2 is provided, but accommodation is not included. Interest in the course has already been strong so early booking is recommended. To secure your place, please book here!

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Challenge With Change! Looking back at the TSA’s 2024 Autumn Conference

TSA’s David Stevens reflects on lessons learnt covering sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion

Trade associations protect, connect with, value and educate their members. Education in particular is a tool to both guide and challenge. The Textile Service Association’s (TSA) 2024 Autumn Conference put the challenges the laundry sector faces front and centre, with a particular focus on two areas: sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Climate change consultant Benita Matofska, a keynote speaker at the conference, defined sustainability as, “The ability to continue into the future.” While other areas in the conference applied sustainability more specifically to the commercial laundry sector, defining it in this broad and brilliant way drew clear connections to much of the varied programme and the industry challenges it conveyed. She said, “I do believe having an outsider perspective allows me to take an aerial view.”

Several of the conference speakers were, like Benita, outsiders to the laundry industry looking in, sharing that aerial view she described by communicating the broader challenges we face. While the challenges themselves are formidable, how they were communicated was rarely gloomy. There is always room for growth, and it’s clear the laundry industry will continue to improve the sustainability and inclusivity of the sector, with these topics becoming the bedrock of future conferences and events.

Recycling is an increasingly hot topic for the industry.  Following her engaging Industry Workshop, Rosella De Angelis of Klopman International said, “The volume of textiles waste our industry is producing is far too high to be acceptable.”  Recycling textiles is a relatively new area, with considerable challenges, but the fact that both her presentation and the conference at large highlighted the issue embodied the spirit of the event, and the way the industry is embracing the changes required.

For Rosella, the conference is a face-to-face environment where the sector can get together not just to promote but also instigate change. “Conferences like this are super important because these are complex messages. They help us see the overall picture to make it understandable.”

“The future is not a lone game. It’s shared, it has to be,” adds Benita. “The challenges we face in the future require us to work together.” Conferences bring competitors together in a space where, rather than compete, they sit side-by-side. If action requires working together, being together is sure to help.

In one of the conference’s live surveys, sustainability was ranked a top priority.  In contrast, diversity, equity and inclusion received far fewer votes. Following the talk Dr Zaheer Ahmad MBE gave on Unifying Culture, they no longer felt like separate topics at all, more like siblings. He said, “If you look at the UN sustainability goals, equality is part of those. We will not be able to create a sustainable world without addressing the inequalities in ours.”

Nic Hamilton, British Touring Car Championship driver, author, public speaker and brother of Lewis, delivered a moving sendoff in the form of an improvised keynote speech. He talked about how his cerebral palsy affected his experience in school and later in professional motor racing. He also discussed his more recent venture as a successful public speaker. He said that 90 percent of life is mental, and only ten percent physical – quite a statement for someone who has experienced the challenges he has. It’s a great reminder too that, while we often measure the industry in kilos and pieces, the success of 2025 will come from nurturing and developing the wellbeing of the 24,000 workers within our industry.

The TSA will keep these conversations and many more going at this year’s events, including its upcoming National Congress, various seminar days, and the next Autumn conference. For more information 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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Laundry Cost Index: 2024/2025 FYQ3

Laundry Cost Index

Please see our latest published Laundry Cost Index for 2024/2025 FYQ2 below:

Latest Laundry Cost Index
Please see the previous annual increases below for comparison to the latest cost index with an annual increase of 3.60%:
The Full Report
Annual Increase
Laundry Cost Index 2023/2024 FYQ2
4.27%
Laundry Cost Index 2023/2024 FYQ1
3.84%
Laundry Cost Index 2023/2024 FYQ4
6.19%
Laundry Cost Index 2023/2024 FYQ3
5.84%
Laundry Cost Index 2023/2024 FYQ2
7.09%
Laundry Cost Index 2023/2024 FYQ1
8.16%
Laundry Cost Index 2022/2023 FYQ4
9.34%
Laundry Cost Index 2022/2023 FYQ3
17.33%
Laundry Cost Index 2022/2023 FYQ2
20.28%
Laundry Cost Index 2022/2023 FYQ1
23.01%
Laundry Cost Index 2021/2022 FYQ4
20.13%
Laundry Cost Index 2021/2022 FYQ3
9.70%
Laundry Cost Index 2021/2022 FYQ2
5.92%
Laundry Cost Index 2021/2022 FYQ1
3.26%
Laundry Cost Index 2020/2021 FYQ4
1.43%
Laundry Cost Index 2020/2021 FYQ3
2.00%
Laundry Cost Index 2020/2021 FYQ2
1.64%
Laundry Cost Index 2020/2021 FYQ1
2.02%
Laundry Cost Index 2019/2020 FYQ4
2.73%
Laundry Cost Index 2019/2020 FYQ3
1.75%
Laundry Cost Index 2019/2020 FYQ2
2.95%
Laundry Cost Index 2019/2020 FYQ1
4.00%
Previous Laundry Cost Indices

If you have any queries or would like any further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

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TSA Warns Members Of April 2025 Forecast – Laundry Cost Index

TSA Warns Members Of April 2025 Forecast - Laundry Cost Index

Following the recent budget announcements, and the already published minimum wage increase we have forecast in the existing Laundry Cost Index (LCI) model what the impact will be in April 2025 when these changes are implemented.

The most significant concern for our industry is that we will see wages rise by almost 10% which is a combination of the impact of the National Insurance changes made at the recent budget which we anticipate will have an impact of 2.69% plus the published National Living wage at 6.7% giving a total of 9.39%. With general inflation and uncertainty around energy costs, we conservatively estimate the overall impact to be 5.64%. The industry needs to be planning for this significant uplift in cost which is why for only the second time in the history of the LCI (25 years) we have published a forecast.

Latest Laundry Cost Index

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12,480 tonnes of carbon emissions saved through laundry and hospitality campaign

Huge progress through plastic-free linen service initiative

Traditionally cleaned linens for hospitality businesses have been protected by plastic covers, during transit from the laundry and while they are stored before being used. In recent years hospitality linen services have used 100 tonnes of plastics a week to protect clean textiles – of which only about 9% is recycled. With the drive to banish single-use plastic, finding sustainable alternatives has been a key objective for the Textile Services Association (TSA), UKHospitality (UKH) and the UK Housekeepers Association (UKHA).

In 2023 the three organisations along with its members agreed to work towards removing all single use plastic where possible from the processing of bed linens and towelling by 2025. It was described as an historic agreement – but an agreement is one thing, putting it into operation is quite another.

Recently the TSA conducted a survey of members to see how the plastic-free campaign was progressing.  “The results are incredibly encouraging,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA.  “83% of respondents have started removing plastics from their operations – and nearly 40% say their delivery of hospitality linens is already plastic-free, including some of the biggest companies in the sector.”   A further 5% said delivery would be plastic-free by the end of 2024, 17% by 2025, and the remainder by the end of 2026.  It’s estimated that up to 80% of single use plastics has already been taken out of the linen delivery system in the UK.

Stevens says, “Our research uncovered the unsustainable figure of 100 tonnes of plastic per week being used to wrap linen.  Reducing this usage by 80%  will save a staggering 12,480 tonnes of carbon emissions per year – and over 4,000 tonnes of plastic waste would no longer be going to landfill.”

Replacing plastics required planning and investment in alternative methods. These have included stacking linens direct into cages, using cage liners, and using hampers.

In some cases it’s a huge challenge to eliminate the plastic cover. For example, it may be that the particular operation requires bundles of clean linens to be left outside temporarily, and a plastic wrap provides the most effective protection.  And while hospitality is the prime focus for this initiative, there are other sectors that employ single use plastics for linen service, where the challenge will be greater.  This is particularly the case where ensuring sterilisation  is a critical issue, such as in the healthcare sector. 

The survey results were presented during a round table meeting of laundry and hospitality organisations.  One of the attendees was Premier Inn, who have been engaged in the  programme to remove single-use plastic wrapping of hospitality linens for the last two years.  The company’s procurement manager, Barnaby Mager, said, “It hasn’t been easy.  We’ve worked in partnership with our laundry suppliers to overcome the operational issues and together we’ve achieved a 50% reduction so far.  We are looking forward to improving this further.  Premier Inn is hugely supportive of the progress being made across the industry.”

Center Parcs is also fully behind the industry’s move to find a sustainable solution.  Samantha Stephenson, procurement manager said, “We are extremely keen to be involved in any initiatives to remove plastic, but it’s a challenging issue for holiday parks, when you are constantly dealing with the elements.  We are currently in talks with all of our laundry partners to review our packaging and hope to go plastic free as soon as possible. In the meantime, we have established a collaboration with our linens wrap provider to bale, collect and closed loop recycle our linen and towel packaging.”

“There is a huge amount of support for this campaign across our industries,”  says Stevens.  “We’ve already made enormous progress, which is down to everyone involved being committed to the objectives.  These are significant steps in the progress towards net zero.” 

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us either via email or phone: 

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TSA announces dates for Laundry Open Week 2025

Recruitment drive initiative is back after 2024 pilot success

How to encourage recruitment for the commercial laundry sector in the face of national staff shortages? After a successful pilot in 2024, the TSA (Textile Services Association) has announced the dates for next year’s Laundry Open Week, which will run from 24th to 28th March 2025.

“Getting in front of potential recruits is made harder by the fact that every other industry is trying to do the same,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA. “It’s a busy, noisy, crowded space. But we have so much to offer: a great career path, decent wages, an ethos of support and diversity, a growing sector, the use of the latest technology… Laundry Open Week is the chance to get the message across.”

The TSA has worked closely with ETSA, the European Textile Services Association, to develop the Laundry Open Week initiative.  During the week commercial laundries across the UK and Europe will open their doors to allow visitors to see and discuss the range of careers available. Part of the message is the diversity of careers on offer: of the UK’s commercial laundry workforce of 24,000 or so, only about a third handle the laundry.  The Week will underline all the other opportunities, such as engineers, customer service reps, HR, drivers, sales and finance teams.

It’s not just about career opportunities: the Week is also an opportunity to underline some of the industry’s forward-thinking initiatives, around areas like sustainability, inclusivity and mental health, since these also prove attractive to potential staff. 

One of the companies who took part in 2024 was Micronclean. “We found it very positive,” says Nyle Chapman, the company’s learning and development officer. “The people who attended came with limited knowledge of the industry and of us as a company – and they left knowing a lot more! Subsequently several of them applied for positions with the company. Seeing what we do at first hand definitely changed their perceptions of our industry and of the careers it offers. We look forward to being involved in the 2025 Open Laundry Week.”

“Our industry is a real hidden gem, and it can be a great career for many people,” says Stevens. “We are keen to showcase to the general public what we can offer. The UK’s first Laundry Open Week was very much a pilot, and I’d like to thank all of our members who took part. We are looking forward to see how we can build on this event in 2025. There were some good lessons learned and it will be great to have more laundries taking part.”

The TSA is putting together resources for any laundries who want to participate in Laundry Open Week 2025. For more information contact the TSA

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Update from the TSA

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GLARE will enhance laundry industry’s sustainability credentials

TSA’s carbon footprint measuring platform will give hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing operators clear sustainability data

The TSA is putting the final touches to an initiative that could help commercial laundries around the world to become more sustainable. GLARE – Global Laundry and Rental Emissions platform – will allow laundries to easily measure their carbon footprint and may help to highlight how they can reduce their emissions.

Increasingly operators in industries such as hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing are scrutinising their suppliers’ sustainability credentials – GLARE will give them clear and comparable data about laundries’ emissions.

Measuring a businesses’ carbon footprint is an important step towards sustainability, but there’s an issue: which methodology is best?  There are many to choose from, each of which will give different outcomes.  The TSA’s Sustainability Steering Group worked with consultant Grain Sustainability to make provisions within the industry’s sustainability roadmap to measure and reduce carbon emissions, using well-established platforms such as Compare Your Footprint.  This platform became the foundation for GLARE – however, the long term vision is to specifically tailor it for the laundry industry.  For example, it could potentially include emissions factors relating to oxygenated bleaches, as used by commercial laundries, and recycled rental textile products.

David Stevens, CEO of the TSA, says, “One of the critical things with this type of platform is that it has to be easy to use, to encourage operators to put in the data.  We’ve trialled GLARE with some of our members, and they have described it as flexible, simple and intuitive.”   

The TSA’s GLARE initiative received an enthusiastic welcome when it was presented to several other national associations in Europe and to the TRSA (the USA’s Textile Rental Services Association).  They have agreed to support and promote it, seeing it as a global solution to a global issue.

GLARE will be launched early in 2025, when full details will be released.  In the UK it will be offered free to TSA members.  “We believe GLARE will make a major contribution to the industry’s carbon net zero objectives,” says Stevens. 

For more information contact the TSA

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