Being Green Runs in the Kleen Kraft Family, too!
“Going green” and sustainability are popular terms thrown around everywhere these days, but what does that really mean? For some people it’s recycling their plastic bottles and cans, for others it’s eating organic and using recyclable bags.
Since our beginnings 67 years ago based in Southern California, being “green” and “sustainability” are not buzzwords to us — it’s a way of doing business. As a locally owned and operated company in our 4th generation of leadership, we are committed to being good environmental stewards for our future, and our future generations.
We’re committed to sustainable business practices, not just for today, but for decades to come. According to a report from J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, 90 percent of consumers believe brands have a responsibility to take care of the planet and its people — and so do we.
The Kleen Kraft Services Difference
When you rent uniforms from Kleen Kraft, you’ll enjoy great service and top-quality garments! What you may not know is that you’re also contributing to a more sustainable environment. Long before the green movement became the trend, Kleen Kraft Services instituted measures to promote recycling and conservation of resources, including:
- Uniform garments, shop towels, and mats from our rental programs are used as long as possible and then recycled to secondary use, which helps to reduce textile waste and increase circularity in the industry.
- Recycling wire hangers that are used to deliver and store clean garments.
- Use of specially formulated environmentally safe, biodegradable detergents
- A surprising innovation is that our heated water serves as an excellent renewable resource; we reclaim the heat from used water, which then goes on to heat fresh incoming water.
We don’t unnecessarily use energy to heat unused water. Instead, we use a state of the art TEA (Thermal Engineering of America) system. This reclaims the heat from used water, which then goes on to heat the incoming water from the local utility.
Why Water Is So Important In California
Speaking of water, the people of California know how important it is — and why conserving it is of the utmost importance. The changing climate has required Californians to adopt permanent changes beyond temporary emergency drought measures. Everyone needs to use water more wisely and prepare for more frequent and persistent periods of limited water supply.
Water conservation and recycling is an extremely important issue, one that Kleen Kraft Services takes to heart.
In California alone, it’s estimated that each person uses around 85 gallons of water per day. To put that in perspective, an 8-minute shower uses about 17 gallons of water, a load of laundry uses up to 40, and a bathtub can hold 80 to 100 gallons of water.
According to new legislation, the revised indoor water standard in 2022 will be 55 gallons per person, per day, and it will fall to 50 gallons by 2030. Small changes can make a big impact, and the only way to sustain the state’s water for the future is by working together — something Kleen Kraft Services is dedicated to doing.
Kleen Kraft Uniform Means There’s Less Laundry
If you think we do a lot of laundry, you’re right, and that would be an understatement! We’re talking about upwards of 80,000 pounds every week. If you were doing that laundry at home in the average home washer, that would be more than 11,000 loads (a week)!
That means that there’s a huge amount of water being pumped through our facility on a weekly basis as well as a lot of soap and soil. Because of that, we’re committed to constantly seeking new ways to be protective of the environment.
As we mentioned, we use biodegradable formulas for our detergents and the degreasers used to treat heavily soiled garments. We can also ensure the mix and quantity of detergents used on each load are precise based on size and soil type thanks to our automated systems. In other words, we can guarantee the right amount of detergent is used to keep every garment looking its best.
Conservation at Our Core
The first step to sustainability is to avoid using unnecessary resources while running our operation as efficiently as possible in order to deliver the best service to our loyal customers. We’re never satisfied with just “good enough,” and we’re always implementing new ways to improve our efficiency and eco-friendliness, including:
- Lint Shaker-Separator: The lint and suspended solids are separated from wastewater. After the lint has been removed, the water is ready to be disposed of as wastewater.
- Heat Re-claim System: Here the heat from the wastewater is used to warm up fresh water for the next load, a process that drastically decreases energy use.
- Energy Efficient Water Softener: Modern processors use less salt and less energy.
- LED Lighting: We’ve upgraded all our facility lighting to use LED bulbs, which results in increased energy and cost efficiency.
Uniform Rental Programs are Environmentally Friendly
At Kleen Kraft Services, we do our part, and can help you do your part, too. By using uniform programs, you’re making sure all your employees are wearing garments that are properly laundered in an environmentally friendly way. Because less individual laundry is being done at home, less chemicals are being used — which is a total win for both you and the environment!
Our goal is to operate in a sustainable manner, not just for today, but for generations to come. We operate this way every day and continue to seek out even more advanced means for environmental stewardship and efficiency.
Make the Switch to Kleen Kraft Services
If you want to be “green” all year, ask us about our environmentally sound processes, recycling programs, and how your uniform rental program can help conserve energy compared to home laundering. Find out what Kleen Kraft Services can do for your business, and contact us today.
