The European Textile Services Association (ETSA) hosted its National Associations meeting in London earlier this week with more than a dozen association executives representing the linen, uniform and facility services industry throughout Europe and North America. Participating organizations included Belgium (FBT), Denmark (BVT), Finland (Tekstiilihuoltoliitto), France (Geist), Germany (DTV), Italy (Assosistema), Sweden (Sveriges Tvätteriförbund), Switzerland (VTS), United Kingdom (TSA) and North America (TRSA). Hosted by the Textile Services Association (TSA-UK) and facilitated by ETSA Secretariat Robert Long, National Association delegates discussed their respective new initiatives and potential collaborative projects focused on promoting the industry to customers, regulators and potential employees, standards development, and training and research.

In a time of rapid economic change – coupled with shifting attitudes toward the role of corporations in society – a number of companies in the last decade have distinguished themselves through new growth, a repositioning of their core businesses and robust financial performance. A recent article in the Harvard Business Review highlighted the “Top 20 Business Transformations of the Last Decade.” Ecolab Inc. earned 16th place among a prestigious group of corporate innovators that includes Netflix (No.1), Amazon (No. 3), Nestle (No. 12) and Cisco (No. 15). 

Several TRSA committees gathered on Sept. 17, the first day of TRSA’s 106th Annual Conference at the Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor. Committee members gathered in person to provide updates on projects and discuss the latest issues of importance to the linen, uniform and facility services industry.  

TRSA operator member Foussard Montague Associates Inc. recently renewed the company’s Clean Green certification at the following facilities that it manages: Aid to Hospitals Inc., Rochester, NY; Health Systems Cooperative Laundries (St. Paul, MN; Denver; and Pueblo, CO); Hospital Central Services Association, Auburn, WA; North Texas Healthcare Laundry, Grand Prairie, TX; Texas Healthcare Linen, Abilene, TX; United Linen Services of New England, Lawrence, MA; and United Linen Services, St. Paul, MN.

TRSA associate member Regent Apparel, San Francisco, is teaming up with Finnish apparel brand TouchPoint Oy to offer sustainable, circular uniform solutions to companies throughout the United States.  The collaboration is led by two women entrepreneurs who are taking workwear solutions into a new era, not only by designing stylish garments from eco-friendly materials, but also by providing closed loop programs to its clients, according to a news release.

Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, MN, recently issued its 2018 Corporate Sustainability Report, which cited dramatic worldwide savings of natural and manmade resources, including a total of 188 billion gallons of water and 19 trillion Btu of energy preserved through ongoing conservation programs at more than three million customer sites in various industries.

Milliken & Co., Spartanburg, SC, recently named Jeff Price executive vice president of operations for the company. Chad McAllister was named the successor to Price as president of Milliken’s Performance & Protective Textiles division, according to a news release.

Bob Corfield, CEO of Laundry Design Group LLC, offered a group of 60-plus Clean Show attendees an overview of TRSA certification programs during a Saturday-morning presentation on June 22 at the Clean Show in New Orleans.

Two TRSA member laundry operators, Cintas and UniFirst corporations, plus two associate members, Ecolab Inc. and VF Corp., recently were named to Barron’s magazine’s list of the “100 Most Sustainable U.S. companies,” according to a Feb. 8 article in that publication.