The idea of reusing, rather than throwing out soiled rags, towels or clothing, fueled the launch of the commercial laundry industry in North America in the latter half of the 1800s. Similarly, the need to conserve resources, including textiles, energy, chemicals and water, has long dominated many companies’ priority lists for “continuous improvement.” This year, the issue of saving water has gained new urgency as price hikes and regulatory pressures have accelerated.

Fighting Back With Innovation

We reached out to companies with operations across North America, and it seems that in few areas are these trends more pronounced than ...