Calling Leaders Like You to Join ISSA’s Sustainability Committee

The following was first published in CMM on October 19, 2022. 

Victor Hugo once wrote, “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come,”

Today, that idea is sustainability.

ISSA began developing green cleaning programs 25 years ago. At that time, green cleaning was only a niche issue within the industry. Nonetheless, ISSA proceeded to meet the interests of its membership and green cleaning soon became a fixture in the industry.

Now, sustainability has the same potential and is receiving similar attention.

Sustainability is not about politics or tree-hugging. Instead, it is driven by such things as the increased frequency of extreme weather events - such as Hurricane Ian - posing significant financial risks to building owners and investors.

These events have triggered a response from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to require publicly traded companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions.

ISSA Responds to the Idea

In August 2021, ISSA’s Board of Directors created its initial Sustainability Committee and formally announced the group about a year later. Recently, the committee began collecting examples of sustainability requests from customers and found well over one hundred different requirements due to the current lack of standardized reporting requirements.  

This nonconformity creates business challenges and barriers. This is especially true for ISSA’s small- and medium-sized members that lack the expertise and resources to weed through and respond to all the requirements.

Regardless of one’s views on sustainability or climate change, customer sustainability requirements are increasingly becoming a big issue. Those in the cleaning industry would benefit from sustainability training, education, and reporting assistance.

How to Get Involved

ISSA is still flushing out the specifics on training and tools to support the sustainability efforts of the cleaning industry. Some of the issues that have recently surfaced include these:

•          How do we engage hundreds—and even thousands—of people from around the globe?

•          How do we ensure that tools and programs will be technically accurate, with enough specificity to meet the local needs of a broad group?

•          How do we develop our future industry leaders in sustainability?

•          How do we engage people’s passions and make them fun?

I know that we can make it happen by working together.

ISSA is issuing a “call for volunteers” open to all interested parties. Priority will be given to those with technical expertise and a passion for sustainability. Please contact me for more information: SteveAshkin@AshkinGroup.com.

We hope you will apply to be a volunteer with the committee. Sustainability is an idea whose time is here and now. With thoughtful, committed ISSA members, we can change the industry and contribute to a better world.