the study and Tork Easy Handling here - SCA

A Message from the President of AFH
Professional Hygiene Europe
We just take some things for granted. We get the newspaper in the morning, the
bus arrives on time, and our workplace is clean when we arrive in the morning.
These things don’t happen by themselves – there are people behind each and
every one of them: the mechanic who fixes the bus, the newspaper delivery person,
and the cleaning worker who cleans the office at night. These are the individuals
who make our society work; without them, the things we take for granted would
stop working.
The European cleaning industry is a flourishing industry. The number of companies
is five times higher today than it was 20 years ago and the number of employees
has increased by five percent each year in the last decade. Today, some four million
cleaners help keep our society clean and healthy. Tork is proud to be a leading supplier
of away-from-home paper and hygiene products and services to this industry.
However, the industry also faces some challenges. Cleaning workers are working
in tough environments and the rate of sick leave and work-related health problems
is higher in the cleaning industry than in many other sectors. This is a problem not
only for the affected individuals, but for the industry as a whole.
SCA with its professional hygiene paper brand Tork wants to add value for all
stake holders. Through responsible operations, caring for people and nature, and our
sustainable solutions, we play an essential role in improving the quality of everyday
life. We are aware of the cleaning workers’ situation and, as a major supplier to the
industry, we know that we have a responsibility to do everything we can to improve
the working environment. We have produced this report in order to show how we
have started to incorporate a caring dimension when we develop products.
We want our products to make life easier for the people who work with them.
We realize that developing our products is not the complete solution to the challenges
that the cleaning industry is facing. However, we believe that it is an important first
step that can inspire other actors to do their share. If everyone in the cleaning industry
– distributors, producers, or cleaning companies, among others – do what they can,
we believe that we together can improve the situation for the cleaning workers.
This will benefit everyone. This will ensure that the things we all take for granted
continue to work. As Europe’s No. 1 hygiene paper brand for professionals, we
want to inspire and lead the way. Through creative and innovative ways of thinking
and working, we aim to provide industry leadership and inspiration.
Sune Lundin
President of AFH Professional Hygiene Europe