Across the globe, regulations are tightening, customers are demanding cleaner practices, and businesses are under pressure to align with sustainability goals. One area under scrutiny is the use of hazardous substances, including those in cleaning chemistries.
Industrial Cleaning is Changing. Are You Ready?
Hazardous substances have long played a role in industrial cleaning products. While effective, they present serious risks to environmental and staff safety. The regulatory climate is shifting decisively away from these materials, and the window for proactive change is closing. Under new regulations, if a safer viable alternative exists, companies are expected (and in many cases required) to adopt it.
The good news? Eco-conscious cleaning isn’t just safer — it’s smarter, more efficient, and increasingly cost-effective. Forward-thinking businesses are using this transition to gain a competitive edge.
Why Hazardous Substances Are Under Watch
Hazardous substances are under growing scrutiny for their risks to people and the environment.
- Staff Safety Risks: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) can cause respiratory issues, skin and eye irritation, and long-term health problems from repeated exposure. Workers without proper ventilation or PPE are especially at risk.
- Environmental Harm: VOCs contribute to ground-level ozone and smog, degrading air quality. Improper disposal of cleaning chemicals can also contaminate soil, water and air, triggering costly regulatory penalties.
HERE’S HOW WE HELPED FAIVELEY TRANSPORT REDUCE ITS HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
Why Switch to more Sustainable Parts Cleaning Solutions?
- Working Conditions: Safer systems create healthier environments, boosting employee satisfaction and reducing health-related downtime.
- Operational Resilience: With increasing regulation, sustainable cleaning systems future-proof your operations and simplify audits.
- Procurement and ESG Advantages: Buyers now expect suppliers to demonstrate sustainability performance. Non-hazardous industrial cleaning products support ISO 14001, CSR targets, and procurement compliance.
Regulatory Pressure to Remove Hazardous Substances
Governments are tightening the rules on hazardous substances, labeling, and waste handling.
- Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and PFAS restrictions now impact chemical selection across the UK and EU.
- CLP Regulation changes (due 2026) introduce new classification, hazard communication, and digital labelling requirements. Non-compliance risks penalties.
- REACH continues expanding its list of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs), demanding justification for continued use or substitution.
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Our sustainability initiatives are driving results for both us and our 50,000+ global customers. We’re reducing environmental footprints and improving our circular business model, one service at a time. |
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Sustainable Cleaning Solutions That Deliver
The idea that more sustainable cleaning means sacrificing performance is outdated. Today’s alternatives outperform many traditional systems:
- Aqueous Cleaning: Uses water-based detergents, heat, and agitation to clean oils, rust, and carbon deposits without toxic emissions.
- Neutral Chemistry: Targets specific contaminants with low-toxicity formulas ideal for aerospace, food, and pharmaceutical industries.
- Purified Water Systems: Our Purified Water Technology reduces reliance on cleaning chemicals by up to 50%, while delivering powerful results.
Safetykleen offers a full portfolio of more sustainable parts cleaning solutions to meet varying customer needs.
How to Stay Ahead of Compliance
The best compliance strategy is a proactive one. Here’s how to stay ahead:
- Conduct a Hazardous Substances Risk Assessment, identifying SVHCs, PFAS, and POPs in use.
- Monitor REACH and CLP Updates especially labelling and digital SDS changes.
- Substitute Hazardous Chemicals: COSHH and REACH encourage switching to safer alternatives.
- Partner with a Compliance-Focused Provider: Safetykleen supports audits, training, documentation, and safe disposal to support you on all the above.
“We are working with our suppliers to create the next generation of cleaning chemicals that use less water, generate less waste, and require less heat to perform as effectively.”
Sarah Horeh, Safetykleen Chemist, France
How Safetykleen is Leading the Transition
We’re proud to say that 70% of our cleaning chemistries are now water-based. We’re continuing to reduce our customers’ reliance on harsh substances through:
- Safer Chemistry: Constantly evolving our industrial cleaning products to minimise hazards without losing performance.
- Purified Water Systems: Our exclusive Purified Water reduces the need for cleaning chemicals by up to 50%, yet the clean can be twice as fast and twice as effective as other cleaning methods.
- Managed Service Model: We handle delivery, use, and waste removal eliminating the need for customers to store or dispose of hazardous substances. This also supports safer storage for cleaning materials.
- Recycling: We recycle up to 70% of used thinners cutting carbon emissions and reducing waste.
