ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc. recently released its 2014 Corporate Sustainability Report. This annual profile of the company’s commitment to sustainability highlights how Ecolab helps make the world cleaner, safer and healthier while protecting people and vital resources.Ecolab’s mission is to provide and protect what is vital: clean water, safe food, abundant energy and healthy environments. Through partnerships with customers, NGOs and communities, the company helps address some of the world’s most urgent resource and business challenges.“Our company was built on our dedication to finding solutions to complex problems,” said Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Ecolab Chairman and CEO. “Today, we...

NEW YORK—To mark its centennial anniversary, the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) is unveiling a new brand and mission to better capture the dynamic innovation of the hospitality industry. HX: The Hotel Experience—Rooms to Restaurants (HX), will debut November 8 to 10, 2015 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City and represents a bold new strategic direction.This multimillion-dollar investment aimed at revitalizing the largest hospitality trade event in North America is founded on the belief that true hospitality is anticipating a guest’s needs to create a memorable and unique experience. To achieve that, HX...

LOS ANGELES—Stephen Ashkin, President of The Ashkin Group and frequently referred to as “the Father of Green Cleaning,” was inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame (IGIHOF) at a recent ceremony held at the University of California, Santa Barbara.This is the fifth year the IGIHOF has held this annual event. The organization asks the general public to nominate individuals and organizations that have embraced green technologies, have reduced waste, have promoted sustainability, or are actively working to promote green and sustainability issues, either in their own operations or for people and organizations around the world.The IGIHOF considers...

NATIONAL REPORT—Dig into The Bedbug Registry a bit and you just might find your own hotel listed as a place where travelers encountered bedbugs. In this social media age, where a bedbug report can go viral in seconds, it makes sense to take the necessary steps—hopefully eco-friendly ones—to keep bedbugs out and, if necessary, kill them effectively. Fortunately for those concerned about the safety of their guests and staff, there are a wide range of environmentally safe products available to detect, protect against, and kill bedbugs.It makes sense to utilize greener approaches because bedbugs have an incredible ability to...

WEST CHICAGO, ILL.—Tornado, a leading manufacturer of professional cleaning tools and equipment, has launched a new website dedicated to the professional cleaning industry with a focus on helping end-customers. According to Sean Martschinke, Marketing Director for Tornado, compared to previous company sites, this new website has an “entirely new look and feel, with a heavy emphasis on a bright, attractive visual design, along with a completely renewed structure, providing advanced features and functionality.” Navigation on the new website has been simplified, making it easier for distributors and end-customers to access product information in a friendly and fast way.  It is also...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab introduces the Syncra Hand Hygiene System, an innovation that provides touch-free water and soap delivery to back-of-house restaurant handwashing stations, helping to improve employee handwashing compliance and restaurant food safety.Syncra utilizes a “smart system” with a pre-programmed, yet adjustable, three-step process for handwashing and rinsing that uses up to 50 percent less water than traditional handwashing and delivers consistent results with bacteria-eliminating chemistry.“An estimated 80 percent of all infections are transmitted by hands,” said Dr. Ruth Petran, Vice President of Food Safety at Ecolab. “By using the Syncra Hand Hygiene System, restaurant workers can help prevent...

CHICAGO—PortionPac Chemical Corp. announced that SFSPac Degreaser has met the criteria set forth by Green Seal to attain certification under the GS-37 standard. In meeting GS-37 (Cleaning Products for Industrial and Institutional Use), SFSPac Degreaser has surpassed the Standard’s strict environmental benchmarks and performs as well as or better than other cleaners in its class.“Our ultimate goal was to offer a complete food safety and sanitation program that is 100 percent Green Seal certified and EPA-registered,” said PortionPac President Burt Klein. “We have realized this goal with the certification of SFSPac Degreaser, providing a truly unique sanitation program to...

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Lighting Science Group Corp. and Intellectual Ventures’ Global Good announced a research agreement to collaborate on the development of next-generation light technologies for pest control. Based on Global Good’s photonic fence invention and Lighting Science’s light-control technology, the joint development effort will focus on field-ready prototypes that offer an environmentally-responsible alternative to chemical pesticides. Lighting Science plans to leverage this development effort to create a new company to bring highly efficient and effective pest control products for health, commercial and residential use around the world.Combining low-cost sensors and laser technology with software to identify, track, and eliminate insects,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Green Seal, the nation’s first independent nonprofit certifier of sustainable products and services, has introduced a revised version of GS-42, its standard for Commercial and Institutional Cleaning Services.The revised standard has been reorganized to make the requirements needed for certification clearer and more streamlined. General criteria and leadership levels for the standard, however, have not changed. Any service currently certified does not need to meet additional requirements to maintain certification.Green Seal revised the standard to clarify requirements and ensure that they are consistent for all applicants, while upholding current leadership and protection levels. Additionally, criteria are refined to...

ROSWELL, GA.—Kimberly-Clark Professional announced the launch of GreenHarvest products, an offering that incorporates rapidly renewable plant-based fiber, such as wheat straw and bamboo, into Kleenex and Scott brand towel and tissue products.Kimberly-Clark Professional is the first major towel and tissue manufacturer in North America to introduce products made with 20 percent plant fiber in place of tree fiber or recycled fiber. These products required the development of an entirely new supply chain to directly obtain wheat straw from U.S. farmers and the creation of a new manufacturing process for converting plant fiber into pulp.“In a resource-constrained, digital world, with...