What are commercial laundries worth to the UK?

The textile services sector sits behind practically every sector of the UK economy

Research conducted by Hatch Regeneris concludes that the textile services industry is ‘core to the operation of many businesses in vital and important sectors of the UK economy.’  It highlights three markets of particular significance, hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing, concluding that without the support of the textile services industry they would face insurmountable problems.  Yet the long-term sustainability of textiles services in the UK is under considerable threat and action is needed if it is to survive. 

The research was commissioned by TSA, the Textile Services Association, and was carried out in 2020.  The key problems it highlighted are dramatically rising costs, downward pressure on prices and severe staff shortages.  However, since then the industry has suffered even more setbacks and its position is even more precarious.  “Brexit, the pandemic and escalating fuel costs have amplified the issues to a catastrophic extent,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA.  “Without serious price rises for customers and government support – at the very least in terms of access to the EU labour market – there is a real risk that many textile services companies will go out of business.” 

Textile services encompass the supply, rental, laundering and maintenance of textiles.  It ranges from bedding and towelling in hotels; to PPE and workwear in factories; to surgical, pharmaceutical and high-care food workwear; to mats, roller towels and washroom services in a wide range of sectors.   Each week the industry processes 53 million textile items to end users in the UK. 

The report estimates that the textiles services industry contributes a total of £1.3billion in GVA to the UK economy and £190million to the Exchequer, while supporting 28,000 FTE jobs.  It notes that hospitality is dependent on the industry, since the provision of clean, fresh linen is fundamental to their business.  Just one hotel with 100 bedrooms will get through 750 pieces of linen per day.  Similarly in manufacturing, the report says production lines would come to a standstill within three days of not receiving new workwear.  Meanwhile, healthcare and social care can’t function safely without bedlinens, surgical gowns and patient wear washed to very high specifications.  

Aside from those three key sectors, as the report points out, ‘the textiles services industry sits behind practically every sector in the UK economy.’ 

“If commercial textiles services ceased to operate, many UK businesses, industries and sectors would grind to a halt,” says Stevens.  “We continue to press the Government for help, but so far they continue to ignore us, despite organisations like UKHospitality and NHSI supporting our arguments.” 

The Hatch Regeneris research, ‘The Economic Value of the Textile Services Sector to the UK Economy,’ is available to download at tsa-uk.org, from the TSA publications section in the documents library. 

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

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Commercial laundries plan Sustainability Pact

Green practices will support hospitality industry’s net zero carbon objectives (additional press releases published for Industrial & Healthcare)

The Textile Services Association (TSA) is putting together a Sustainability Pact that’s designed to support commercial laundries in their drive to deliver a more sustainable future.  The Pact will also support the hospitality industry’s net zero carbon objectives, but, as Shyju Skariah, technical services manager at the TSA, points out, “We just don’t want to focus on net zero carbon.  We also need to be tackling water quality, reducing waste – this is so much more than a simple net zero tag.’’ 

The TSA has set up a Sustainability Steering Group made up of representatives from laundry operators, machinery and textiles manufacturers, and end-users, including representation from UK Hospitality.  The objective for the group is to ensure that an holistic approach is taken, whether it is considering the complex end of life textiles recycling project, which will save millions of tonnes of textiles from landfill, or looking into simple measures, such as using low energy light bulbs. 

“The laundry industry has already come a long way in optimising and fine-tuning its processes and operations in a more sustainable way,” says Skariah.   

“We have seen water usage slashed, from 20 litres a kilo down to 2 litres, and energy usage halved. But we want to go much further.  Nothing is off agenda with this steering group.”

The Steering Group’s first task is to set up the initial Sustainability Pact, which the laundry industry will sign up to.  “We’ll run training workshops with experts so TSA members really understand what net zero means and how it can be achieved,” says Skariah.  “We’ll create tools for individual companies to track progress. Each company will set their own roadmap, enabling the TSA to compile an industrywide pathway.”

The Pact will be added to as new sustainability ideas and concepts are developed, along with the practical means to initiate them. 

David Stevens is CEO of the TSA.  He says, “Following COP26 and with the climate change issues being addressed at a corporate level, there has never been a better time to set the most challenging sustainability objectives for the UK commercial laundry industry.”

The TSA continues to work closely with government bodies to support the delivery of the UK’s net zero carbon commitments.  “We believe the laundry industry can surpass the current targets,” says Stevens.  “The Sustainability Pact, and the support we are putting in place around it, will be especially useful in helping SME laundry operators achieve their green objectives.

“The Pact shows our industry is driving for a sustainable solution.  It’s also a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the benefits commercial laundries can bring to so many sectors of the economy, particularly around hospitality and healthcare.” 

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 warns unprecedented cost increases could make commercial laundries unviable

Wages alone are up over 14%, with galloping increases elsewhere

The TSA’s wage survey of the commercial laundry sector found that labour costs have increased by a staggering 14.25% in the twelve months to October 2021. Over 86% of the TSA’s membership took part on the survey, underlining the alarm that the increases are causing throughout the industry. 

The TSA (Textile Services Association) is the trade body representing commercial laundries in the UK.  Its CEO David Stevens warns that, without significant price increases, the industry is simply not viable.  “Wages are the tip of the iceberg,” he says. “We have reports of energy prices going up 300%, insurance up 100%, textile costs up 50%.  It’s not sustainable. The industry was already reeling from the aftermath of the lockdowns and the lack of government support, but these increases are unprecedented. We’ve jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.”   

Commercial laundries service the hospitality and industrial markets, as well as healthcare including the NHS. 

“The last thing we want to inflict on hospitality and healthcare is a big hike in prices, but it’s difficult to see any other options,” says Stevens. 

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: 2021/2022 FYQ2

Laundry Cost Index

Please see our latest published Laundry Cost Index for 2021/2022 FYQ2 below. Please note, as well as the Cost Index, a TSA Laundry Cost Index Bulletin for November 2021 has also been published to sit alongside the Cost Index. This statement has been produced to highlight the unprecedent cost pressures which are not reflected in the current Cost Index. A similar bulletin was produced previously as well and can be found here.  

Latest Laundry Cost Index & Bulletin

Please see the Previous Annual Increases below for comparison:

The Full Report
Annual Increase
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 publishes guidance for care homes about laundry hygiene

Keeping care homes hygienic

Textile Services Association provides support for care homes looking to improve laundry hygiene

The Textile Services Association (TSA) has released guidance aimed at the care home sector to help explain how laundry helps control infections and how commercial laundries can help to raise hygiene standards.

This is part of the ongoing effort the TSA has made during the pandemic to help encourage high standards for hygiene in a number of sectors, including healthcare and hospitality.  The advice is based on research carried out by De Montfort University, in association with the TSA, which was aimed at determining the survivability of coronaviruses on various fabric types and laundry processes.

This research demonstrated that while model coronaviruses can survive in water at 60°C for ten minutes, when combined with the agitation washing machines impart and detergent, no trace of the virus was found at 40°C and above. However, other pathogens like C.difficile, B.cereus, E.faecium and so on will require further thermal disinfection.

For care homes looking to maximise their hygiene, the knowledge that professional wash processes effectively eliminate the infection risk from pathogens and coronaviruses is good news. However, it was also determined that the tested strain of coronavirus can remain infectious on polyester fabric for up to 72 hours, and 100% cotton for 24 hours. It’s also possible for polyester fabric to transfer the virus to other surfaces for up to 72 hours.

With this in mind, the TSA recommends that care homes review procedures for laundry, including the

loading and unloading of washing machines and the handling and storing of soiled and clean textiles, focusing on the need to reduce the chances of cross contamination. While each care home will have its own processes, common areas to focus on include bagging soiled items, separate storage areas for soiled and clean textiles, ensuring that collection and delivery times for laundry are different, and putting in rigorous procedures for sanitising all at risk areas.

The pandemic has hugely increased the importance of maintaining the strictest hygienic standards in care homes. While some care homes may be able to implement the kind of systems required to guarantee the safety of their laundry needs, from resident’s bedsheets, clothes etc. to staff uniforms, the services offered by commercial laundries provide a simple solution to these logistical issues.

The TSA has created a technical bulletin outlining the government’s advice, as well as breaking down the kind of steps care homes should consider as part of any risk assessment they take to improve the hygiene of their laundry procedures.

As well as this, the TSA will be running an interactive webinar later in the year allowing operators to ask a panel of industry experts questions related to laundry hygiene.

The bulletin can be downloaded here.

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 launches #LaundryWithValues diversity survey

Survey will take snapshot of the industry’s attitude to itself and matters of diversity

The Textile Services Association (TSA) has teamed up with Brands with Values, an organisational culture experience company, to launch the Laundry with Values survey. This is aimed at discovering how the commercial laundry industry perceives itself and what values it holds, with a particular focus on inclusion.

Brands with Values has developed a survey methodology that can help organisations to understand the attitudes and values of their employees, called the Culture Decoder. It is a simple three question, values-based assessment, tried and tested by FTSE 500 companies, which asks respondents to pick their answer from a specially chosen list of words.

The study will analyse how employees perceive the culture of their current organisation, which values are most important to them and their overall perceptions of the culture of the laundry industry.

The TSA hopes to get responses from hundreds of laundry employees at all levels to ensure everyone, from owners to factory staff, is represented in the survey results. This can be achieved by promoting it within companies and by building awareness by discussing it online with the hashtag #LaundryWithValues.

“The importance of these issues to the laundry industry has been increasing, as it has within society as a whole,” says David Stevens, Chief Executive of the TSA. “This survey will help the industry to lead the way and continue with the work it’s already doing by setting a benchmark that it can measure itself against in the future.”

The survey will run until for several weeks. The results will then be analysed, and preliminary findings will be presented at the National Congress of the TSA on the 10th November, to be held at the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel & Country Club. The survey is completely anonymous and will only be analysed on an industry basis. The information will remain private and no other companies or organisations will be given access to it.

The survey can be found here and further information can be found on the TSA’s website.

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 warns of ‘alarming’ energy price rises for commercial laundries

Price increases could hit hospitality, healthcare and industrial customers

The TSA (Textile Services Association) says that the rapidly rising energy prices will have a significant impact on laundries and describes the increases as ‘alarming’.  They come at a time when commercial laundries are struggling to meet demand, in the face of staff shortages and rising costs in raw materials, linen and wages.  They could result in even more pressure on prices for commercial laundry customers in the hospitality, healthcare and industrial markets.

“Energy typically amounts to around 10% of a laundry’s cost base – but the increases we are facing are off the scale,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA.  “They make the previous record highs of 2004 pale into insignificance.”

For example, in March 2021 the cost per therm of gas was around 42p.  Today the cost has breached 160p.  Similarly, electricity in March was around £54 per MWh.  Today’s settlement price is around £140 per MWh.  “It doesn’t end there,” says Stevens.  “The first week of September saw sixteen settlement (half hourly) periods with pricing in excess of £1000 per MWh.   Nine of these were above £3000 per MWh.  The highest was an incredible £4000 MWh.”

To make matters worse, currently the energy network is in a low demand phase – winter will see more demand and the pressure will mount on an already limited supply. There are a variety of reasons for the dramatic increases.  Key is a lack of supply throughout Europe, combined with a boom in demand from Asia, especially for LNG (Liquid Natural Gas).  In addition, recent poor weather and lack of wind has meant that renewable energy sources have been hit.

Fox Energy is one of the specialist suppliers working with commercial laundries.  Paul Dilley, a director at Fox, says, “The energy markets are reaching extraordinary highs with no sign of returning to normal any time soon.  Any business renewing a contract in the next six months may be at a significant disadvantage compared to those that have fixed contracts that were set when the market was substantially lower, even just a few months ago.

“We have been working with the laundry sector for many years and we have never seen anything like this before.  Sadly, it’s a trend we may see continuing through this winter season.”

The TSA is recommending that all laundries should make urgent allowances for these increases and contact their supplier or broker for advice.  “This is especially important for those on flexible energy contracts or that have existing fully fixed energy contracts due to expire within the next 6 months,” says Stevens.

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

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Laundries warn hospitality industry: price rises are inevitable

‘Massive inflationary pressures’ as costs and shortages hit commercial laundries

The commercial laundries serving the hospitality and leisure industries have been looking forward to the bounce back, following lockdowns that saw them suffer more than many sectors due to government indifference.  But now they are warning that cost increases and labour shortages are crippling the recovery, and that they are being forced into increasing their prices. 

“There are massive inflationary pressures bearing down on our industry,” says David Stevens, CEO of the Textile Services Association (TSA), which represents commercial laundries in the UK.  “Commercial laundries are already on their knees, having had virtually no government help through lockdowns, despite seeing volumes drop by up to 80%. 

“Now they’re being hit by price increases they can’t absorb – they simply don’t have the resources.” 

The cost increases faced by laundries cover just about every area of operation and amount to double digit inflation.  Labour shortages have led to wages going up by between 10% and 25%.  Chemical costs are up 15%.  Many laundries also supply textiles services such as linen hire to the hospitality industry.  Here the prices are skyrocketing, with sheeting and bedding up by 55% and container freight costs by 300%. 

In response to the acute labour shortage the TSA is lobbying government to allow greater access to overseas workers and has requested further classifications of workers to be added to the shortage occupations list.  Despite support from the CBI and UKHospitality, Stevens is not hopeful.  “Don’t hold your breath,” he says.  “The government’s Brexit agenda means that, at least in the short term, it’s highly unlikely that we will get access to the European labour market.”    

As if labour shortages weren’t enough, the pingdemic has decimated the laundry workforce, putting even more pressure on the sector. 

UKHospitality is aware of the situation, saying that 94% of hospitality businesses are already experiencing difficulties with the supply chain, through shortages, delays and inflation.   For the hotels, restaurants and health clubs that rely on commercial laundries, price increases seem inevitable.   The TSA has published an information bulletin to inform end users of the likely impact.  It’s available to download for free from tsa-uk.org/laundry-cost-index. 

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

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Women in the Industry Initiative – Two Brilliant Success Stories

Success Stories

Our working group Women in the Industry is leading the way for our Diversity and Inclusion topic. One of TSA’s first action points and as part of Women in the Industry’s initiative we are sharing and highlighting success stories of our laundry employees.

Please see our next two fantastic stories below, congratulations!

Zoe Look
Production Manager 
Johnsons Hotel Linen by Afonwen 

Zoe has been the production manager of Reading site for the last 5 years taking production, safety and quality from strength to strength.

Zoe joined the laundry industry just over seven years ago as shift manager and quickly settled in the roll of a growing site, taking a well-deserved promotion to Production manager responsible for the managers running the two shifts seven days a week while still balancing family life with a young son.

Sarbjit Kaur
Production Manager
SynergyLMS

I started in the industry in 1997 for Shaws Laundry – A 5 star family business run by John and Tom Bovington in Kent. I started as a part time packer while I was doing a HND in Buisness Finance. I had previously lived and worked in Germany for 10 years.

My journey started as a packer, went onto being a Supervisor, then became a Production Manager, and then progressed to become an Operations Manager with Sunlight. With Sunlight I progressed very quickly to an Operations Manager at Northfleet, and was the first female to hold this position in their London Region. My whole team was all female and from different origins which was a risk as it had never been done before at Sunlight. With compassion, dedication, teamwork and effort we set the bar for the highest productivity and profit for over 6 consecutive years in Sunlight, mentored by Julian Carr MD who believed in our new strategy. I have been with in the industry for 24 years and loved every bit of it.

Sarbjit Kaur is the only production manager in Synergy LMS, she is hardworking, dedicated and well respected.

How to send us your stories

With help of the group we have created a template in order for you all to send us your stories. It may be recognising a ‘Rising Star’, a long service award, a significant retirement or a member of the team who has contributed outside work with a local charity, whatever the story we want to hear from you and tell the industry about some of the amazing people we have in it. 

Please note all genders can of course be entered but as this is part of the Women in the Industry initiative we do encourage you to enter your successful female colleagues in particular. 

TSA_Spotlight_Template
SPOTLIGHT ENTRY TEMPLATE

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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Is PPE a hazard?

TSA warns that UK workforce safety is compromised by poorly cared for PPE

The Textile Service Association (TSA) is warning that thousands of UK workers are at risk from inadequately cared for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), because it’s being washed at home.  It says that the care of textile-based PPE and workwear needs to be better understood, not only by employers but also by the workforce.  Many employees in the UK are asked to maintain the protective clothing provided to them.  This despite the fact that domestic washing machines are inadequate in terms of the controls needed to keep to the manufacturer’s requirements for maintaining the PPE. 

TSA has had reports of some employers providing washing rooms for employees to maintain PPE, but again these lack the right processes and materials to effectively care for the articles.  For example, the British Standard ISO 15797 specifies industrial PPE workwear washing and washing/drying parameters that align with the ISO 30023 qualification symbols for labelling workwear. Most people would have no understanding of this requirement. 

“What’s important is that the PPE is cared for properly and that this care is logged for traceability and to manage its quality throughout its life,” says Shyju Skariah, technical services manager at the TSA. 

BSIF (the British Safety Industry Federation) fully endorses the TSA’s arguments.  ‘‘PPE is the last line of defence for a worker’s safety and health,” says Alan Murray, CEO of BSIF.  “It must be maintained and cared for in line with manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that the garments retain their protective properties. 

The systems, engineering capabilities and quality assurance protocols within a specialist laundry are set up to do that, domestic laundering will not provide these controls.

“Furthermore, environmental considerations should be a high priority. Specialist laundries are required to have controls in place to ensure that the effluent from cleaning processes does not pollute the environment.‘’

Commercial laundries have been playing a central role for many industries to establish the effective quality management and traceability required to keep protective equipment fit for purpose.  Sectors as varied as automotive and healthcare rely heavily on commercial laundries to look after their workers’ PPE.  “Why?  Not only because they know it’s the safest way, but also because it means the PPE lasts longer, to it protects their investment,” says Skariah.  

The conditions required to care for the many different fabric and garment specifications need significant levels of fine tuning to get things right.  PPE is worn to protect the user from various types and degrees of soiling – these need to be taken into account, too.  

Commercial laundries calibrate chemicals and temperature conditions to handle varying levels of soiling. Surfactants, complexing agents, enzymes, chelating agents, foam inhibitors and several other chemical components are introduced to reduce the surface tension and thoroughly wet the textiles, to manage water hardness, to remove protein stains, to remove heavy metals… and there are many other processes. Laundries also use specialised systems compatible with the demands of PPE, such as effective, gentler alkalinity systems that achieve excellent results at lower pH levels and lower temperatures.  

TSA warns that disposable PPE does not provide a sustainable answer to the issue.  Predominantly used in healthcare, it is incredibly wasteful.  For example, a reusable gown used to protect healthcare frontline workers can be hygienically washed and reused around 75 times – and at end of life it may be recycled.  A single-use PPE gown gets used once and then becomes clinical waste that requires specialist disposal.  

“Employers need to carefully consider how they can ensure that their workforce’s protective equipment is competently maintained, to the manufacturer’s specification,” says Skariah.  “We need to ensure people using PPE are safe.  The UK’s workforce deserve to be protected.”

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

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