Councils are becoming increasingly aware of the broader environmental, social and governance implications of the equipment they procure, including for electrified machinery such as ride-on mowers, sweepers and scrubbers.
The debate over choosing electric vehicles and equipment over internal combustion engines (ICE) to reduce carbon emissions is settled. As well as generating zero emissions during operation, electric outdoor maintenance and cleansing equipment has proven to perform more efficiently than their ICE counterparts, saving organisations time and money.
So while that debate has been settled, local councils and government departments in Australia are now increasingly aligning their corporate strategies with broader environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. They’re no longer solely focused on a cost and environmental harms comparison when choosing outdoor maintenance and cleansing equipment—they’re targeting the whole supply chain.
A growing awareness of ESG principles in the whole lifecycle of products and services means that in some instances, ESG is becoming a mandatory part of tender conditions. For businesses that want to submit a tender response, just meeting environmental goals alone may no longer be enough. For fleet managers responsible for purchasing outdoor landscaping and cleansing equipment products or services, they may now need to consider the entire supply chain and lifecycle – from raw material extraction to eventual disposal – when setting assessment criteria for equipment.
While data and information about the environmental savings of operating and maintaining battery-powered equipment is plentiful, it’s more difficult to find ESG information regarding the manufacture and disposal of electric equipment. This is especially true when a manufacturer chooses to self-declare their green credentials rather than seek independent third-party inspections, assessment and accreditation, leading to a greenwashing of information.
Authentic sustainability
A thorough lifecycle assessment (LCA) is critical to understanding the full environmental impact of outdoor maintenance and cleansing equipment. Fimap is an Italian company that designs and manufactures professional floor cleaning machines and is at the forefront of sustainability innovation. In 2019, the company achieved the first ISO 14067:2018 (Greenhouse gases – Carbon footprint of products) certified scrubbing machine range in the world.
Fimap’s LCA includes detailed analyses of the upstream, core, and downstream phases of their products.
“Upstream is all production of every raw material, the transportation, and the energy use of our suppliers,” said Davide Lanza, Environmental Specialist at Fimap.
“The core phase is Fimap’s manufacturing stage, covering our energy consumption, all the waste we produce and the disposal of manufacturing waste.
“But the most important phase is the downstream phase because that has the most impact. For example, the use of resources, chemicals, the service, and the reuse and recycling of the machine is very important,” Mr Lanza said. “We calculate all these phases and calculate the CO2 impact for each hour of machine operation.”
Providing transparent and actionable data sets Fimap apart from many of its competitors in the world of floor cleaning. The LCA data allows Fimap to identify hotspots in their supply chain and manufacturing processes where they can implement improvements to reduce environmental impacts. It also gives buyers of outdoor maintenance and landscaping equipment evidence-based ESG information they need to make informed decisions that meet their ESG requirements.
A data-driven, evidence-based approach ensures that sustainability and social responsibility efforts are targeted and effective.
ESG-fuelled innovation
Authentic sustainability in the lifecycle of outdoor maintenance and cleansing equipment requires a comprehensive ESG approach to understand the full impact of raw material sourcing, manufacturing, use and disposal.
For councils looking to enhance their approach to environmental sustainability, looking at the broader impact of the facilities maintenance equipment they procure is an important place to start.
Working with manufacturers like Fimap, which are fully certified for their approach to the carbon footprints of their products, adds additional piece of mind. Conquest Equipment Group incorporating, EcoTeq Outdoor & Conquest Industrial, specialise in commercial facilities maintenance equipment for indoor and outdoor applications, and are the exclusive distributor of Fimap floor and pavement cleaning equipment in Australia.
