CLEAN attains DVSA Earned Recognition Status

30 May 2022

CLEAN is proud to officially become an ‘exemplar’ transport operator having been accredited on the DVSA’s highly prestigious Earned Recognition Scheme.

The Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Earned Recognition scheme is a voluntary scheme for all vehicle operators who can demonstrate a strong track record of compliance and adherence to standards. Operators must be able to prove that they have robust systems and processes that promote effective and proactive transport management. DVSA earned recognition operators regularly share performance information with the DVSA in the form of scheduled reporting. Once successfully accepted into the scheme, these operators enjoy the benefit of a reduced burden of enforcement because the DVSA know that they are safe and compliant.

All transport operators who successfully achieve DVSA Earned Recognition status possess a proven culture of compliance. By allowing DVSA to remotely monitor compliance systems, checks can be carried out which will provide the assurance and confidence that the operator is effectively managing the transport operation and functioning in a compliant manner. In exchange, these operators may benefit from a reduced number of inconvenient and costly roadside checks and visits from enforcement officers thereby reducing the administrative burden of regulation on those who, like CLEAN achieve high levels of compliance.


Peter Cox, Head of Transport at CLEAN, said: “I’m delighted to announce our achievement in securing the ‘DVSA Earned Recognition’ accreditation. I am pleased to say that our focus on and high level of compliance, investment in appropriate IT technologies, ongoing training programme, collaborate culture hard work has really paid off. The scheme will allow us to demonstrate to customers, stakeholders and partners the excellent standards we have adopted here at CLEAN.”


He went on to say “The ‘DVSA Earned Recognition’ accreditation is another positive endorsement of our transport operation following the achievement of FORS and PRIM accreditations and a RoSPA Fleet Safety Gold Award. It’s further strengthened our focus on compliance and demonstrates that overall road safety is paramount for us. I would like to thanks to each and every member of the transport team here at CLEAN who have all played their part in securing this accreditation.”


This scheme ensures that compliant operators with DVSA Earned Recognition status obtain best business value from the enforcement regime and creates a model that will drive up compliance and enable others to aspire to. It also enables DVSA to divert its resource to target the seriously and serially non-compliant where the risks to road safety are highest.

To find out more about CLEAN, please visit www.cleanservices.co.uk or follow their updates on Twitter @cleanlinenltd.

We need to talk about laundries

TSA Roadshow – confirmed dates and your invitation to attend

Everyone involved in the commercial laundry industry is invited to the TSA Roadshow events.  They will be an informal forum, an open evening where businesses can network and find out about the latest ideas, over drinks and a buffet. 

There are three Roadshows confirmed, in Scotland, London and Birmingham.  All are open to both TSA members and non-members – indeed, the TSA is keen to talk to laundries who are not yet members, to get their input on the current state of the market. 

“After two crushing years we’ve learned a lot about what the industry needs,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA.  “Now it’s about surviving and building a new, more robust business model for the future.  That’s what the Roadshow is all about – what do we need to do to ensure profitability and a happy, secure workforce?  That’s why we want as many people to come long as possible, so as to get as many ideas and points of view as we can.

“They will be informal and informative, a relaxed environment where the industry can really talk.”

The Roadshows are also an opportunity to meet the TSA team, to chat to them about issues they may be able to help with, and find out more about the work they are doing in areas such as sustainability, diversity, standards, research and government lobbying.

All begin at 6.30pm with a reception followed by a brief introduction and a short presentation from an industry speaker.  The first one, on June 21, is at voco Grand Central, Glasgow, where Scott Inglis, commercial director of Fishers Services Ltd will lead the conversation on ‘Doing laundry in Scotland.’  Then on 19 July the London venue is One Kew Road, with Joseph Ricci, president and CEO of TRSA (the American Textile Rental Service Association) will share his experience as ‘It’s been tough for all of us,’ and he’ll look at how the world’s largest market is surviving.  The Birmingham Roadshow is on 13 October, with the venue and speaker currently being finalised. 

“We urge everyone to come along, and to encourage colleagues in the industry to join in too,” says Stevens.  “It’s a chance to have your say in what really matters.” 

All the TSA Roadshows are free to attend, but tickets should be booked in advance.  To register, contact the TSA on 020 3151 5600 or tsa@tsa-uk.org.  Alternatively, click here to book online. Please click here for more details of the event.

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

E tsa@tsa-uk.org

T +44 (0) 20 3151 5600

May market report

19 May 2022

High volatility remains a prominent feature in an illiquid energy market as oil and gas prices yoyo in the wake of supply and demand concerns. Respite in the markets has seen the gas markets fall to a 4-month low (at the time of writing) as the UK’s capacity, in the short term at least, appears adequate due to receiving an influx of LNG shipments, and ‘winter delivery levels’ arriving via the Norwegian shelf pipeline. Electric markets are at a 2-month low, coupled with higher-than-average seasonal temperatures leading to lower than the expected normal use for this time of year, which is common for this time of year as we enter the traditionally cheaper summer period.

So why are these small gimmers of positivity not seeing a reflective fall in consumer bills and contract offers? Volatility remains as the current stock levels are not reflective of the true stock levels required for the coming winter period; traditionally suppliers restock the UK’s limited storage during the summer lower demand periods in readiness for winter.

Nervousness is rife across Europe given the ongoing conflict in the Ukraine, with all EU countries rushing to store vast levels of gas given the uncertainty of the future supply of Russian gas and the potential move to future payments only being accepted in Rubles. With the desire of the UK and the EU to move away from dependency on Russian gas, alternate suppliers will be looking to potentially profiteer on their stocks, knowing that there are limited alternatives available and with various ‘defense’ treaties being agreed between non-NATO countries and the UK and EU, the markets are reflective of the potential escalation this could cause with Russia – indeed the day that the UK agreed to provide military support to Finland and Sweden in the event of an attack, the markets increased by nearly 22%!

Given all of this instability it is highly unlikely that the recent fall in wholesale costs will be seen by businesses in the near future and many analysts believe that the markets will return to the highs seen over the past few months as we enter the autumn/winter periods as demand soars, with Ofgem already warning consumers to expect further increases to the domestic price cap from October – and let’s not forget that businesses have no such price cap in place to protect them as many businesses are currently finding out to their cost with enormous increases in utility costs as existing contracts end and suppliers cease to trade, forcing them to market now.

In other troubling news, various suppliers have begun to enforce take of pay clauses on industrial and commercial businesses for exceeding their contracted energy volumes (most (but not all) suppliers have a circa + or – 20% tolerance on the contracted gas/electric in their terms and conditions), which prior to 2022 was rarely seen or enforced by suppliers. This enables the supplier to charge the business user the current market rate for usage deemed outside the tolerance levels, rather than at their fixed contracted rate as the supplier argues that they only purchased the contracted volume of gas at the time of the agreement and therefore the excess usage and subsequent supplier losses were not accounted for and are therefore passed on the client. At the point of an agreement, contracts are based and secured against the previous 12 months industry held consumption data; this is highly unfair, given the past 12 months data would not have accounted for Covid-19 lockdowns and was therefore unreflective of true use. It is also a clause that is always in the suppliers favour as any under usage would enable them to resell this gas for a huge profit in the current marketplace, which they do not share with the contracted business! There is little to prevent suppliers from enforcing this clause, but it can be fought and challenged to help limit the additional costs and we would advise you to engage with your supplier or consultant for assistance.

The 1st of April saw the annual review of industry and network capacity and transportation costs and charges which are generally covered in the daily standing charge element of energy contracts. Huge increases in cost to the running and maintenance of the networks, coupled with Ofgem’s SOLR (Supplier of Last Resort) costs being passed through to the remaining suppliers has seen many suppliers such as Avanti Gas in turn, passing these additional costs onto their clients with many seeing the cost of the daily standing charge increase by circa 150%! The SOLR scheme is part of a supplier’s energy license conditions, and in the event of failed suppliers, the remaining suppliers must foot the bill for the losses and payments due to the network from the defunct suppliers. Again, virtually all suppliers can pass these costs on to their customers under their terms and conditions, and as they are in effect ‘new Government & industry charges’ (although many suppliers do try to absorb them, rather than pass them on to customers). Many suppliers are also using the force majeure clause seen is all contracts to pass this additional charge on to consumers. Avanti Gas will not be the last to pass these costs on and the general feeling in the industry that given the losses being faced by suppliers in the wholesale markets, they will simply recoup these costs and losses from consumers, and this may become a seasonal ‘norm’.

In other industry news this month:

Nearly £20bn in government funding for energy storage is needed by 2030 – Almost 10% of grid capacity will be provided by battery storage by 2030, according to a new report. Tom Edwards, a Senior Modeller at Cornwall Insight, said: “The shift in power markets will significantly alter the operation and development of the power generation mix, making prices more volatile and more exposed to weather and demand patterns. This will necessitate the development of backup technologies to carry the system through when the wind does not blow, and the sun does not shine.”

Ofgem: “Inability to afford rising bills, a matter of life and death” – It is now extremely likely that Householders in England, Wales and Scotland will be hit by further increases in their energy bills in October. It is predicted that the Autumn default tariff cap will be around £2,600. Ofgem Chief Executive Jonathan Brearley has said prices in the energy market remain “highly volatile. For some, not being able to afford rising energy bills is literally a matter of life and death.”

Ofgem enables National Grid to make early payment of interconnector revenues, helping to reduce household bills – Ofgem has approved National Grid’s request to make early payments to consumers of £200 million over the next two years as part of the regulatory regime for electricity interconnectors. Ofgem’s cap and floor regime sets a yearly maximum (cap) and minimum (floor) level for the revenues that the interconnector licensees can earn over a 25-year period. Usually, revenues generated by the interconnector are compared against the cap and floor levels over five-year periods. Top-up payments are made to the interconnector licensee if revenues are lower than the floor; and similarly, the licensee pays revenues in excess of the cap to consumers. Ofgem’s approval enables National Grid to make payments of above cap revenues significantly earlier than originally planned, which will contribute to reducing consumer energy costs over the next two years. National Grid is now working with Ofgem to explore how to ensure the early payments can have the most impact for consumers.

For help and advice and to find out how Fox Energy can support and assist your business in these turbulent times, get in touch by calling 01233 884510 or email info@foxenergy.co.uk.

Laundry Cost Index: 2021/2022 FYQ4

Laundry Cost Index

Please see our latest published Laundry Cost Index for 2021/2022 FYQ4 below:

Latest Laundry Cost Index

Please see the Previous Annual Increases below for comparison:

The Full Report
Annual Increase
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.

T: +44 (0)20 3151 5600
E: tsa@tsa-uk.org

TSA hits the road this summer

Textile Services Association roadshow gives laundries the chance to network

The Textile Services Association (TSA) is undertaking a tour of the United Kingdom in June and July of 2022 in order to spread the word of the work it does, as well as providing an unparalleled networking opportunity for commercial laundries.

The pandemic and its ongoing consequences have been tough for commercial laundries.  They had to navigate a business landscape where many of the regular customers they relied on shut down or greatly reduced their requirements for cleaning textile products.  At the same time, the government singularly failed to recognise that the industry needed help.

The TSA roadshow aims to bring leading laundries together to discuss how to rebuild and realign existing business models to improve profits.  It will also demonstrate the work of the TSA and how it can assist businesses in these endeavours.

The roadshow kicks off at voco Grand Central in Glasgow on 21st of June and will be followed by an event at One Kew Road in Richmond, London on the 19th of July. Other events are planned, depending on demand, with Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter and Manchester as potential extra locations.

Each event will begin at 6.30PM, kicking off with some welcome drinks. The introductory presentation will be an overview of the work of the TSA and the issues commercial laundries are facing. After this, guests will be treated to a short address from an industry speaker, and each event ends with a buffet that will make the perfect opportunity for networking.

“We’re looking forward to getting out there and reconnecting with existing members, as well as meeting potential new members and showing them the benefits the TSA provides,” says David Stevens, Chief Executive of the TSA. “The last couple of years have seen the industry cope with unprecedented issues. Working together and sharing knowledge is the best way for laundries to rebuild and regrow.”

Attendance at the road show events is free, for both members and non-members of the TSA. Anyone wanting to go should register their interest by contacting the TSA. Please click here to view the events brochure and how to book your place, or alternatively use the registration link here.

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

E tsa@tsa-uk.org

T +44 (0) 20 3151 5600

Christeyns helps ease driver shortage and expands HGV fleet

13 April 2022

Bradford-based hygiene chemical specialist Christeyns has added HGV driving qualifications to its apprenticeship scheme in order to provide a solution for the current driver shortage.

Two new apprentices, Tom Grundell and Danny Clark, commenced their apprenticeships in September 2021 and following 18 months of training and immersion in the business, will be out on the road delivering chemicals for use in the Industrial laundry and construction sectors.

“The driver shortage has hit the supply chain hard,” states Richard Boardman, Transport Manager at Christeyns UK.  We wanted to find a way to encourage young people into the profession as well as future-proofing our own business.”

Christeyns has also taken delivery of two new DAF XF480FAX Rigid HGV wagons with a gross capacity of 32 Tonnes, taking the fleet to a total of 11.  The average mileage of each of the trucks is 70,000 kms per year as they travel across mainland UK, Northern Ireland and Eire.

The drivers’ main responsibility is the safe transfer of bulk liquids from IBCs into customer’s bulk storage tanks using specialist pumping equipment on their wagons.

Christeyns develops systems and chemicals that help customers save money and improve the efficiency of their operations by maximising water and energy use and cutting down on waste whilst being kinder to the environment.

For further information visit:

www.christeyns.com

Update from the TSA

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If you are not a member and you would like to find out more about our membership benefits and how to become a member, please click here.

Planning for a sustainable and viable future for hospitality and commercial laundries

UKHospitality and TSA form collaborate partnership at Round Table, Round One

The first Round Table summit between leading hospitality groups and commercial laundries ended in a series of pointers that will help plan for a sustainable and successful future.  Hosted by the TSA (Textile Services Association) and UKHospitality, the event was the first step in establishing a collaborative partnership to tackle the extreme pressures that confront both industries.  Two key areas under discussion were the difficulties in the current operational model, with the need to take into account the increasing unpredictability of hotel occupancy, and the drive to be more sustainable. However, alongside these ‘big picture’ issues more day-to-day topics were discussed – such as the establishment of standard sizes for bed linen. 

Co-chairs of the discussions were David Stevens, CEO of the TSA, and Tony Sophoclides, Strategic Affairs Director of UKHospitality.  Leading organisations from both hospitality and the laundry industry were represented, including Accor, Clean Linen Services, Fishers Services, Georgian House Hotel, IHG, Johnsons Hotel Linen, Marriott, and Travelodge.  The event took place at the London Marriott Hotel Regents Park on 24th March 2022. 

The importance of laundries to the hotel sector was underlined by Andrew Towns of Marriott and Emmanuel Poignant of Accor, who both confirmed, “Linen is critical, without it we can’t sell our rooms.” 

Summer 2022 vs. summer 2021 brought lively discussion, underlining the occupancy issue.  While London hotels are reporting levels ahead of 2021, for the rest of the UK the figures remain in line with last year. 

From the left: Florence Alloing, General Manager (Georgian House Hotel), Kevin Godley, CEO (CLEAN Linen Services), Michael Simpson-Jones, Head of Category (Travelodge), Helen Wood, Managing Director (Johnsons Hotel Linen), Tony Sophoclides, Strategic Affairs Director (UK Hospitality), David Stevens, CEO (TSA), Michael Jones, Managing Director (Fishers Services), Emmanuel Poignant, North Europe Procurement (Accor), Andrew Towns, Senior Manager, Procurement United Kingdom & Ireland (Marriott)

Meanwhile, there has been a surge in last-minute booking, exacerbating the volatility of the market – and making it nigh on impossible to predict requirements for linen.  The combination of staffing issues and irregular capacity is adding to the problems laundries are facing. 

On a positive note, Kevin Godley of Clean noted that laundries are better prepared this year than they had been in summer 2021, when business went from zero to 100% almost overnight.  However, he added a proviso: “Success this summer will only be achieved if laundries and hotels work together in partnership to overcome these ongoing challenges of irregular occupancies, recruitment shortages and availability of linen.”

It was agreed that better communications between laundries and hotels could help reduce the issue of sharp peaks and fast declines in linen requirements.  However, there may be a need to invest in more linen – as one delegate pointed out, for a hotel, the cost of investment is likely to be less than the cost if they had no linen.

Sustainability is an ongoing issue and one that hotels and laundries must tackle together.  TSA’s ‘Infinite Textiles’ scheme, which looks to extend the life of linens and then recycle instead of sending them to landfill, was welcomed by the hospitality industry.  Meanwhile there was also consensus to move away from single use plastic to wrap clean linens: with discussions well underway, the initiative is expected to be agreed shortly.

Another question brought to the table was, should there be set sizing for linen? Currently there are very different types and sizes of linen, depending either on what the hotel wants or what the laundries supply. Would a simplified bedlinen sizing structure help? It was agreed that the topic would be investigated further at the next Round Table. 

“The Round Table discussions were candid, sincere and have moved us forward,” says David Stevens.  “We all agree on the need to work in closer cooperation if we are to survive and thrive.  This was round one and it has sown seeds and set up a map for future progress.” 

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

E tsa@tsa-uk.org

T +44 (0) 20 3151 5600

Infinite Textiles: greener linen for hospitality and healthcare

Commercial laundries’ recycling initiative will slash CO2 emissions and water consumption

The TSA has teamed up with UKHospitality, WRAP and PCIAW to launch the Infinite Textiles scheme.  The scheme will see commercial laundries partnering with their customers to recycle end of life linen and towels from the hospitality, healthcare and leisure industries, with the aim of saving tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon and billions of litres of water every year. 

Currently over 6,000 tonnes of hospitality textiles are sent to waste annually.  “Infinite Textiles has the potential to put a stop to the waste,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA (Textiles Services Association).  “If the industries can come together on this key project, we really will be making a difference to the environment. This will be the largest laundry industry textile recycling project in the world.” 

Infinite Textiles aims to cover the whole life of the textiles, from sourcing through manufacturing and on to washing and inspection, with laundries and their customers working together to maximise the life of the linen.  Only when the product reaches the end of its useful life does it move into the recycling phase.  Here it’s inspected, treated and sorted into bales before being delivered to the Infinite Textiles hub in Sunderland.  From there the bales go to approved recyclers for turning back into yarn and going on to manufacturers. 

The Infinite Textiles numbers make a convincing argument.  It has been reported that the energy required for the reuse or recycling process of polyester is only 1.8% of the total energy consumed by the virgin fibre.  Similarly, the reuse of one tonne of cotton fibre needs only 2.6% of the energy required for the virgin material.*

The growing and harvesting of natural fibres is where the most water is consumed and the most CO2 emissions occur.  For example, the production of one tonne of the nitrogen fertilisers used emits around seven tonnes of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases.** 

The TSA will administer and manage the scheme, supporting a network of coordinated pick up points for the bales around the UK, making it easier for smaller laundries to take part.  The TSA is also providing plenty of support resources, including training and webinars, and setting up an online platform for participants to track volumes and revenue lines. 

“Rightly, there’s growing pressure to manage waste streams more responsibly,” says Stevens.  “The drive to develop the Infinite Textiles scheme comes not only from our members, but also from their customers, to help support their sustainability objectives.   By launching a certifiable scheme now, we stay in front of the curve and demonstrate the benefits of the commercial laundry industry and its circular credentials.” 

Infinite Textiles will provide evidence of compliance with the Waste Framework Directive and supports certification with ISO 14001 and BS 8001.  The scheme is allied with the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) and compliant with circular economy certification.  It is audited by UKAS-accredited certification bodies. 

For information on UKHospitality visit ukhospitality.org.uk.  

For information on WRAP, the Waste and Resources Action Programme, visit wrap.org.uk. 

For information on PCIAW, the Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide, visit pciaw.org. 

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

E tsa@tsa-uk.org

T +44 (0) 20 3151 5600

It’s ready, set, go for the TSA’s spring conference

Linford Christie OBE among the speakers lined up for the TSA’s 2022 conference

The Textile Services Association has announced the line-up and ticket details for its 2022 Spring Conference, which will take place at the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel in Birmingham on the 4th and 5th of May.

After taking a couple of years off thanks to Covid, the Spring Conference is back and offers a chance for the industry to come together to celebrate the successes of the previous year as well as taking stock of some of the challenges ahead.

The conference line-up includes explorations of current topics facing textile service businesses as well as speakers from the worlds of business, sports and entertainment. The conference will end with sporting legend Linford Christie OBE giving what is bound to be an entertaining and inspirational keynote address.

The conference will kick off on the evening of Wednesday 4th with a gala dinner, and entertainment from comedian Alfie Moore.

The schedule for Wednesday includes panels and talks with experts from the textile services industry and beyond. Laura Chalkey, Head of Partnerships at WorkNest, will give a talk on The Law and HR, while best-selling author and top motivational speaker Adrian Webster will give an illuminating presentation on the secrets of successful team building.

The conference reaches a climax with an appearance by Europe’s greatest ever 100m sprinter and the only British athlete to have won Gold in the 100m at all four major competitions, Linford Christie OBE. Linford will discuss his amazing life story and the secrets of his career, as well as some of the lessons he’s learned along the way coaching the next generations of Britain’s athletes.

“After an eventful couple of years we are looking forward to welcoming everyone back,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA. “The conference is a great way to build relationships within the industry, along with providing a forum to discuss the latest challenges and opportunities it faces. We’re excited to be meeting old and new friends there!”

Tickets from the conference start from just £90 +VAT for a conference ticket, with dinner tickets for the Wednesday night £40+VAT. Attendees wishing to arrive Tuesday night can buy a B&B ticket for £99+VAT. These prices are for TSA members only as the event is heavily subsidised,. However, any non-members attending a TSA event for the first time are eligible for the members rate as an incentive to find out more about the TSA’s activities.

In order to book tickets please complete the booking form which can be found on the TSA website and return it to events@tsa-uk.org

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

E tsa@tsa-uk.org

T +44 (0) 20 3151 5600