As we edge towards the end of the first quarter of 2024, the speed at which the numbers of workers, earth moving equipment and construction materials enters the NEOM region is relentless.

Local, global contractors are presented with various challenges, to alter the landscape on such a grand scale requires foresight towards the various activities within the world of construction.

I would like to think, words such as sustainability, environmentally friendly are high on the priority list of those contractors, for Lavendery Laundry Services they are subjects that are not just evaluated, they are part of every action we put into our practices.

Laundry services, I’m sure, are important at some stage to the thousands of workers, operators in the NEOM region. Do I expect it to take centre stage in the larger scheme of things, to be honest no but it does play a part, we think it does.

Let us take a moment and ask ourselves, in terms of percentages, if we look at the potential environmental impact to the landscape of NEOM, what percentage would be related to laundry services? 

The answer to that question would be unfair to categorically say a small percentage but in relation to construction services, it would equate to a smaller percentage.

Research & development is key to Lavendery, our suppliers are our partners, we are uncompromising when sharing critical information and by inviting all parties to talk, we intend to take laundry services to another level. These parties range from global chemical suppliers, manufacturers of laundry equipment, utility supply equipment and other miscellaneous tools to support our daily processes.

In January 2024, Lavendery Laundry Services proudly introduced the first, ‘’Green’’ chemical supply system at Trojena, Mountain Camp. Initiation of the laundry services was in November 2023, fortunately for Lavendery they had the autonomy in choosing the system they wanted to incorporate and swiftly moved to ensure the system was mobilised at the earliest opportunity.

The chosen partner for this project was Diversey. Mr. Gary Teeley, Group Operations Manager of Lavendery said, ‘It was important that we made a mission statement at the earliest opportunity, the decision was made easier for us, what we had on arrival was not suitable. The laundry has a mix of white, blue-collar workers, plus bed and bathroom linen.

The industrial range that greeted us was not suited to the classifications, we required flexibility that would enable us to clean low, medium and heavy soiling classifications.

In conjunction to this, it was imperative the type of chemistry chosen would afford us to reduce our utility supplies and compositions of the chemicals used to have the lowest impact possible once consumed in the wash cycle.

Mr. Nikos Pastras, Application Leader of Diversey | A Solenis Company, said: “Our mission in Diversey is to protect & care for people and the environment for sustainable success. It was clear right after the first meeting with Lavendery Laundry Services that our corporate missions were in perfect alignment. We introduced and implemented the combination of our Eco-labelled laundry range along with our cloud-enabled Intellilinen™ dispensers. This way we achieved optimization of all wash processes via the use of Eco friendly chemistry that provides reduction in water & energy consumption, linen lifetime extension and a perfect wash result. The implementation of Intellilinen™ dispensers ensured seamless 24/7 operation with real-time notification & reporting features. I’m excited that Lavandery & Diversey worked together to drive sustainability value, the outcome couldn’t be any better for protecting people & the environment.”

Gary continues, ‘’What we have achieved in a very short period is invaluable for Lavendery, it is the first of many steps in making sure they are the pillar for laundry services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We have initiated an internal division for water filtration/recycling, in conjunction with innovative advice for sustainable practices for laundries. We would like to invite, encourage other laundry service providers, NEOM contractors to contact us and in a very short period of time, share the same pride, excitement that we have in doing the right things for the environment, with the additional commercial twist, experiencing a return of investment within 6 – 12 months.

About the author:

Gary Teeley is the Group Operations Manager at Lavendery.