Ramona Shellard, sales director at WEPA Professional UK, responds to growing pressure on schools to meet environmental targets, calling for hygiene to be recognised as a core pillar of sustainability strategies.
Sirs,
As education facilities managers are under growing pressure to hit increasingly ambitious sustainability targets, one area is still often overlooked: hygiene.
New insights from our education sector survey show that while 80% of facilities managers have sustainability strategies in place, they still need help closing the gap between ambition and execution.
Practical concerns are slowing progress.
Among those with sustainability policies already in place, 86% have doubts about the performance claims of eco-friendly products, and 31% remain unconvinced about the cost savings of switching to sustainable alternatives.
These concerns highlight the need for credible, evidence-based solutions that deliver on both environmental goals and operational demands.
What’s currently missing is clearer guidance on how everyday product choices can help drive sustainability outcomes.
From outdated dispensers that waste paper to non-recyclable hygiene products that contribute to landfill, even small decisions in school washrooms can have a big impact on carbon output and resource waste.
Scalable, sustainable alternatives are already available; facilities managers in educational settings just need the right support to make more informed choices.
There’s also a wider opportunity at play: influencing the next generation.
By embedding sustainable hygiene products in early years settings, we don’t just reduce waste, we also normalise environmentally responsible choices from day one.
Education facilities can set the standard for sustainability, helping to make eco-friendly products the norm across all sectors over time.
Hygiene and sustainability are not separate conversations.
By adopting the likes of touch-free technology, recyclable paper solutions and circular economy models that reuse rather than discard, educational settings can cut waste, reduce costs and support long-term environmental goals.
Let’s stop treating hygiene as an afterthought in school sustainability efforts.
Ramona Shellard
Sales director
WEPA Professional UK
