Healthy businesses are strong businesses.

In a competitive landscape, more businesses are realizing that their workplace can be a strategic business tool and its care is vital to protecting its most valuable asset—its workers.

Recent studies have shown that sustainable buildings, or buildings that go green, have measurable financial gains due to employee health, productivity, and retention as well as lower operating costs and certain government incentives.* And, as more and more businesses benefit from green cleaning, their individual impact grows exponentially to reach a global scale.

Research has shown that facilities that switch to green cleaning have:

• Healthier employees
• Lower operating costs and greater access to governmental financial incentives
• Positive environmental impacts

Green cleaning is one of the easiest and fastest ways for building managers to make their facilities healthier and safer for employees, not to mention their contribution to the overall environment. Plus, it offers the ability to easily earn quick BREEAM^® points in the process.

Healthier employees—your business at its best.

With 30% of the new and remodelled buildings world wide receive a high proportion from workers suffering from health problems caused by Sick Building Syndrome, companies are vastly underutilizing their human assets and underestimating the benefits of switching to green cleaning. With the same effectiveness as traditional cleaning, and little or no cost increase, the return on investment for switching to green cleaning is immense.**

In the 1960s, Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) was first identified when research revealed that volatile organic compounds from carpeting and furniture, inadequate air circulation, poor lighting, mold buildup and disruptive temperature variances were contributing to nausea, respiratory problems, skin rashes, lethargy, headaches and numerous other health concerns. Since then, many independent studies have shown that switching to green cleaning leads to reduced employee sick days and absences.***

A 2002 study by the Indoor Environment Department at the Lawrence Berkley National Design Laboratory in California found that the improved air quality by use of green design, building materials and technologies can lower sick building symptoms by 20% to 50%, while cold and influenza are reduced by 9% to 20%, and allergies and asthma drop by 8% to 25%.

Get the most out of your business by keeping your employees at their healthiest.

Incentives and programs: lower operating costs and financial incentives.

Switching to green cleaning is an easy way to get your building and business on the path to saving money, being healthier and getting green-certified. There are several programs in place to reward your business and/or make certain it is as green as possible.

The big picture: positive environmental impact.

In addition to the immediate and direct human benefits of switching to green cleaning, the long-term relief for our environment is vast.

In the United Kingdom, buildings account for around half of the UK's emissions carbon dioxide. Lighting typically represents between 20% and 40% of the energy costs of an office.

When each of us takes on the responsibility of switching to green cleaning and other green building practices, together we can make an enormous improvement to our overall environment.