Among the questions asked in the 2007 EcoMarkets survey was, “What does ‘Green cleaning’ mean to you?”

The responses were:

• According to 56 per cent, it means the products have no harmful by-products or ingredients (i.e. have no VOCs and are non-toxic).
• According to 31 per cent, it means the products are biodegradable.
• And, 22 per cent said Green cleaning means using products and cleaning tools that are not harmful to the environment and/or people.

A second question dealt with janitorial contracts. The respondents were asked, “Do your janitorial contracts now require Green cleaning products to be used?” Forty-two per cent said ‘no’, 30 per cent indicated they did not know, and 28 per cent said ‘yes’. If this same question had been asked three or four years ago, probably very few would have responded yes, indicating this is a growing trend that cleaning professionals, large and small, must be attuned to.