Why we want to make a positive impact
We are living on a planet with finite resources. Up until now, the earth’s life-giving eco-systems have sustained humanity and given rise to empires, the industrial revolution, global supply chains and the modern economy we know today, but not without consequence.
Earth’s most recent geological time period, the Anthropocene, is tainted with extreme weather events: flooding wildfires, species extinction and ocean level rise.
This compounded risk is toppling global supply chains and threatening life as we know it. Business as usual is no longer an option — we are all grappling with new operational concerns as a result of climate change.
NuServe believes businesses have a duty to avoid the depletion of natural resources for the sake of future generations. We also believe business can be used as a source for good and that environmental agendas work hand-in-hand with social agendas. So how are we contributing towards this and being a force for good ourselves?
Our B Corp certification
NuServe is proudly the UK’s first B Corp cleaning company. In addition to financial decisions, we are legally bound to consider the impact of our business decisions on our people and the planet in a transparent and accountable manner.
Read our second Positive Impact Report to learn how NuServe is making the world better for our workers, customers, suppliers, communities and the environment. In this report we aim to measure and highlight our ongoing commitment to both people and planet, as well as identify areas of improvement.
Our social impact
Apprenticeship scheme
Our apprenticeship scheme offers a route into employment for enthusiastic young people. Through the scheme we provide valuable experience on the job, with our apprentices becoming valued members of the NuServe family.
Diversity and Inclusion Council
Diversity and inclusion are central to our company culture as sustainable cleaners, as evidenced by a workforce that hails from 30 different countries and speaks 18 different languages. We have a D&I Council, which is responsible for ensuring colleagues from all backgrounds are afforded equal respect and opportunity.
Training
Training is essential for the career development of our colleagues and the quality of our sustainable cleaning services. In 2021, NuServe staff completed 1,122 hours, 41 minutes and 46 seconds of training to help grow their careers and develop their skillsets.
Volunteering
We encourage our colleagues to take part in volunteering as part of our commitment to our local communities. To date, NuServe employees have completed over 40 volunteer hours with Royal Trinity Hospice at its charity shop clothing depot in Balham.
Living Wage Service provider
We believe that everybody should be able to improve their living standards through work. We also know from experience that people who are treated well and paid fairly are more committed, loyal and professional. That is why we are a registered Living Wage environmental cleaning company.
Procurement
We are very careful about where we source all our supplies and aim to use recycled products wherever possible. For example, we purchase our managers’ shirts from Royal Trinity Charity charity shops, a decision that benefits the environment and Londoners in end-of-life palliative care.
Environmental impact
Ethical sourcing
NuServe seeks to minimise our impact on natural resources by prioritising recycling and renewables in our sourcing. For example, the paper we use is either sourced from sustainable forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or 100% recycled, and all our electricity is from renewable sources.
Sustainable procurement
We avoid the use of harmful chemicals in our cleaning services. Instead, we choose powerful enzyme and plant-based cleaning products that don’t cause damage to the environment or harm the people who come into contact with them.
Electric fleet
NuServe has embraced the environmental benefits of electric vehicles to get our people around on clean energy. We are proud to say 100% of our fleet is now electric.
Planting trees and protecting rainforests
We have planted 500+ life-sustaining fruit trees on behalf of our clients and are now purchasing acres of rainforest for all new clients.
End-of-life processes
With waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) being one of the fastest growing waste streams, NuServe is taking responsibility for the end-of-life processes of all our cleaning and office machines.
Cycle scheme
We are piloting a Cycle Scheme programme to make it easier, cheaper and more environmentally friendly for our staff to get to work.
Our Planet Mark Certification
Through the Planet Mark certification scheme, we are currently rated as carbon neutral and are committed to achieving net zero by 2030. The scheme is an internationally recognised sustainability certification that acknowledges a business’s outstanding achievement in implementing sustained eco-friendly improvements.
Our career development opportunities
To match the career development ambitions of our colleagues, we have in place a comprehensive suite of City & Guilds endorsed online training courses.
These are delivered via UhUb, a mobile first e-learning system, which has a live reporting function that enables us to include training dates and skill gaps in our monthly reports.
UhUb facilitates quizzes to be taken in five different languages, which opens the content up to employees for whom English is not their first language.
We can also use the platform to quickly distribute specific training lessons when a matter becomes urgent. For example, in March 2020 we were able to publish and distribute a video to all our employees to provide Covid awareness training.
Colleagues are incentivised to complete their training goals with a prize draw scheme, whereby the prizes become bigger and better the further they progress. And, much to our delight, it’s working. As of Feb 2021, despite the pandemic, we became UhUb Gold Engaged, meaning over 90% of our workforce have completed all core modules within the ‘curriculum’.
FAQs
As a sustainable cleaning company, we provide eco-friendly cleaning services for each and every client. But what does this mean in practice?
Well, it encompasses several different things. For example, we avoid using harmful cleaning products, relying on plant-based ones instead that don’t do damage to the environment. While we also prioritise recycling and renewables in our sourcing, and primarily use electric vehicles to get to and from jobs.
As B Corp itself explains: “B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.”
In order to obtain this certification, a business needs to show high social and environmental performance, make a legal commitment to change their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, and be transparent about its performance.
Absolutely. We have found that the B Corp Certification has solidified the idea of NuServe as a sustainable commercial cleaning company in the eyes of our customers, partners and suppliers, while also pushing us to constantly improve and maintain our standards in multiple areas.