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

Laundry Cost Index: 2021/2022 FYQ3

Laundry Cost Index

Please see our latest published Laundry Cost Index for 2021/2022 FYQ3 below. Please note, as well as the Cost Index, a TSA Laundry Cost Index Bulletin for January 2022 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 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

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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T +44 (0) 20 3151 5600

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: 

E tsa@tsa-uk.org

T +44 (0) 20 3151 5600

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: 

E tsa@tsa-uk.org

T +44 (0) 20 3151 5600

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.

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

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.

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

Laundry Cost Index: 2021/2022 FYQ1

Laundry Cost Index

Please see our latest published Laundry Cost Index for 2021/2022 FYQ1 below. Please note, as well as the Cost Index, a TSA Laundry Cost Index Bulletin for July 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 last month 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 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

Women in the Industry Initiative – Our next 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. Following our first entries last month, please see our next two fantastic entries below, congratulations!

Michelle Doyle
Loading Manager
Johnsons Hotel Linen Division, Leeds

Michelle has been in the industry for thirty years in various Operator/ Supervisory roles – starting at Brooks Service Group and moving to Whiteriver/Afonwen before JSG. She works extremely hard to ensure she achieves whatever specific target she is set and contributes to the team.

This hard work has finally paid off, and she now has the recognition she thoroughly deserves as she takes on the role of Loading Manager at our new £10 million facility in Leeds. I am sure her dedication, and experience will come to the fore, and she will make a success of her role, and be an integral part of the Leeds Management team.

Michelle has worked for me over three decades, and as well as experience, and dedication 100% support she brings true loyalty, which is a rare commodity. I am so pleased her efforts have finally been rewarded with this role.

Success Stories - 3

Jorden Burton
Account Development Manager, 
Technical Solutions
Micronclean Ltd

Jorden joined the business in 2011 as a Customer Service Coordinator. At age 18 she was completely new to the industry following a travel apprenticeship she entered upon leaving school. Jorden worked in Customer Service for 6 years and progressed to be Customer Service Supervisor within that time.

Jorden managed the Customer Service Team through a departmental merge of Microncleans’ textile and consumable divisions. In May 2019, Jorden branched out into the field and became an Account Development Manager for the Technical Division of Micronclean where she consults an extensive portfolio of some of the world’s largest companies advising the highest level of GMP solutions. Jorden is a rising star at Micronclean and the next stage of her career will be to be a part of the Management succession programme and will play an integral part to take the business into 2030 and beyond.

Success Stories - 4

How to send your entries

With help of the group we have created a template in order for you all to send us your entries. 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.

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

TSA OFFERS UKHOSPITALITY ADVICE ON TEMPORARY LAUNDRY SUPPLY ISSUES

The situation is getting better; meanwhile Association works with CBI to lobby government

The Textile Services Association (TSA) has wholeheartedly celebrated the bounce back of the hospitality industry, saying that commercial laundries have seen a dramatic increase in demand.  However, it has warned that while the recovery is welcomed, it is bringing supply issues.  Consequently it has partnered with UKHospitality to issue advice for hospitality operators covering some temporary actions they can consider to alleviate the pressure on their laundry provider.

“The problem is that we’ve been asked to jump from dead slow to full speed overnight,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA.  “To be fair, we’ve been warning that there could be issues for several months.  The total lack of government support for the laundry industry means some of our members are really struggling with staffing, the shortage of drivers, supply chain issues, capacity issues due to operating covid-secure factories, and so on.”  

Here is the TSA’s advice on temporary actions hospitality operators can take to support their laundry providers:

  • Talk to your laundry provider to consider how to manage the situation and temporarily reduce your linen requirements. For example: 

            Encourage multi-night stays 

            Review bed change policy 

            Reduce linen required for room make up  

  • Sell up to the occupancy levels your laundry supplier can deliver linen at 
  • Send back any unused stock 
  • Keep the laundry informed of upstream occupancy levels 
  • Give plenty of notice for events and F&B requirements, such as weddings 
  • Understand some laundries may have cash flow issues; prompt payment may really help
  • If possible, give the laundry time to adapt to the increase in demand

The TSA says that the laundry supply issues are not being felt throughout the UK – some regions have been able to get up to speed more quickly than others.   

“Where supply issues do exist, we expect the situation to improve rapidly over the coming weeks,” says Stevens.  “With good communication and cooperation, we expect laundries to recover quickly.  We are incredibly grateful for the hospitality industry’s understanding during this difficult time.”

In common with many other sectors, especially the hospitality industry, laundries are struggling with staffing issues – a combination of problems created by both the pandemic and Brexit.  The TSA is working with the CBI to lobby government to get laundry operatives to be added to the Shortage Occupations List.

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