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Initial’s path to sustainable hygiene solutions for a healthier planet

At Initial, we are on a mission to develop effective hygiene solutions that make the spaces people visit and work in safer and healthier while helping to preserve the planet.

In an era where global warming and rapid urbanisation are changing our world, the role of hygiene has taken on paramount importance. These shifts have inadvertently made it easier for harmful bacteria to thrive, posing significant threats to both public health and business continuity. 

At Initial, we're not just responding to these challenges; we're leading the charge. Dedicated to creating hygienic spaces that prioritise both human well-being and environmental preservation, we are passionately leveraging our position as a global hygiene leader to usher in a new age of sustainable and effective solutions for businesses worldwide.

Find out how we can help with your sustainability goals

We're innovating to offer greener hygiene solutions to businesses worldwide. By cutting 237.5 tonnes of plastic in our packaging and products, and aiming for net-zero emissions by 2040, we help customers reduce their environmental footprint. This is our Mission Sustainable, and we plan to achieve it with four key pledges.

1. Sustainable solutions from beginning to end

We’ve got sustainability firmly in mind in our product development process. That’s why we’re using more sustainable materials from the very beginning of product life and across entire product life cycles. 

From consumables containing no harmful chemicals or microplastics to products with sustainability accreditation, we’re doing our bit to create hygiene solutions that benefit the environment as well as our customers.

Eco-friendly accreditations

We’re ranked highly by multiple sustainability accreditation schemes. Our Ecolabel-certified products have demonstrated a reduced environmental impact – from the extraction of raw materials in production to their use and disposal. With these accreditations, our customers can trust that we offer reliable and sustainable alternatives to conventional washroom products.

Embracing natural ingredients

Our sensitive foam soap contains 98.5% natural ingredients, making it kind to the environment and your skin. All soaps are dermatologically and toxicology tested, and we only use environmentally friendly, recyclable and collapsible refill containers to reduce soap wastage.

Harm-free solutions

Our Ecoclear WC and urinal fluid contains no harmful biocides but remains highly effective at reducing scale, bacteria and odour. The pine EcoBoost Fragrance is specially formulated from natural and renewable ingredients to use fewer raw materials and reduce the energy used in manufacturing, packaging, transport and disposal.

2. Live, breathe and act sustainably

We’re analysing all aspects of our operations, workplaces and supply chain, working with our people to build a culture of sustainability throughout the company and ensure we’re proactively taking measures to reduce our environmental impact.

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Whether it’s transitioning to electric vehicles across our fleet, switching to green energy tariffs across our properties or choosing to source from sustainable suppliers, we’re taking steps to deliver on our net-zero commitments.

Ultra-low-emission vehicles

Initial is a member of EV100 – a global initiative bringing together companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles. Our goal is to have 100% ultra-low-emission vehicle (ULEV) fleets in the UK and Europe by 2030 and 100% globally by 2040.

Sustainably-focused research

In 2021, our new, dedicated Research and Development centre opened to drive our leadership in sustainable innovation and product development. Our expert teams are 100% focused on projects led by sustainability and the building itself received the BREEAM Excellent rating for sustainability performance.

Using renewable energy

Our target is for 90% of our properties globally to use renewable energy by 2030, supporting a more sustainable workplace. Over the last five years, we’ve consolidated our property portfolio and improved energy efficiency by 58%.

3. Reduce, reuse, recycle

Our aim is to measure and reduce the waste we generate as a business to zero landfill and incineration while increasing the use of recycled materials in our products and across our operations.

We’re committed to reducing the environmental impact of our waste. Our goal is for 100% of our waste material to be reused, recycled or repurposed for conversion into energy by 2035.

Sustainable and recyclable packaging

Since May 2020, we’ve reduced our use of plastic in packaging and products combined by 237.5 tonnes. We’ve also switched to 100% recyclable tissue paper for the packaging of our Reflection units to save an estimated half a tonne of plastic waste from landfills annually.

Using less virgin plastics

Following successful trials, we've removed two grams of virgin plastic from every soap and UltraProtect™ bottle, saving an estimated four tonnes of plastic waste annually from going to landfill. By switching to using 30% recycled plastic in all medical waste bags, we're saving an estimated 80 tonnes of virgin plastic annually.

Recycling batteries and plastics

We’re taking action to increase battery and plastic recycling. In the Pacific region, 40 tonnes of batteries have been diverted from landfills, and 45% have been recycled. In the UK and Europe, we’re now recycling 50% of all batteries and plastic recycling has reached 71%.

4. Partner to preserve the planet

We build long-term partnerships that support greater biodiversity and benefit the environment for future generations.

As leaders in global hygiene facilities, we recognise the importance of acting responsibly and consider the ethical, environmental and social impact of our ongoing partnerships. Moving forward, we’ve pledged to only work with suppliers that align with our environmental values and will continue to establish strong relationships with environmental charities and communities across the world to support their work in fighting the climate crisis.

Charitable programmes

Rentokil Initial Cares is our global charity and community programme supporting colleagues’ charitable efforts locally alongside national and global initiatives. We support a wide range of initiatives in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Protecting rainforests

Through our partnership with environmental charity Cool Earth, we’re supporting communities in Papua New Guinea, Mozambique and Cameroon, to protect 42,000 hectares of rainforest, equivalent to 8 million tonnes of stored carbon.

Supporting communities

We’ve funded the installation of seven 9,000-litre rainwater-harvesting tanks to provide clean drinking water during droughts. We’ve also supported Cool Earth’s biodiversity officers in Wabumari to help community members keep an eye on forest wildlife.

Accreditations and certifications

We seek accreditation and certification by independent organisations covering a wide range of our business operations so we can verify our efforts at sustainability. These include: 

  • Accreditation and membership of the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index and World Index and scored 75% for climate strategy (86 percentile) and 72% for operational eco-efficiency (82 percentile).
  • We are a member of the FTSE4Good Index.
  • Our hand wash solutions meet the criteria for the EU & Nordic Swan Ecolabel accreditation which means that our products have demonstrated a reduced environmental impact during the entire development process: from the extraction of raw materials through to production, use and disposal.
  • OpenCorporation placed Rentokil Initial tenth in their 100 leading companies listing.
  • Vigeo Eiris ranked Rentokil Initial third out of 103 companies in Business Services and 66th in the overall assessment of all 4,963 companies.
  • The Company was ESG rated as ‘AA’ by MSCI, as Prime by ISS ESG and as ‘low risk’ for ESG by Sustainalytics.
  • We partnered with Velair – a PlanetMark-certified organisation – for Luna Dry, our sustainable hand-drying solution.

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Initial offers tailored commercial hygiene services in over 60 countries worldwide. Discover products, services, and pricing specific to your country's business needs.

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About Initial

With over 38,000 employees worldwide, Initial helps businesses manage hygiene risks, create safer environments, and promote healthier workplaces to protect the reputation of the brand, staff, and end-users.

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