The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) announced that it has incorporated TRSA’s Clean Green certification for textile services operations into its Green Restaurant program, enabling restaurants to earn points toward the Green Restaurant designation by using a Clean Green certified laundry.
The textile services industry provides restaurants and other foodservice operators with pickup/delivery service of laundered reusable products such as napkins, tablecloths, garments, towels, floor mats and other hygiene and reusable textile products. Clean Green certification differentiates launderers by verifying their adherence to a well-defined list of green management practices and compliance with energy and water conservation standards.
The Boston-based Green Restaurant Association provides environmental certification for restaurants, designating them as Green through a point system that assesses their sustainability. A Restaurant must qualify initially by attaining 100 points from a variety of practices related to water, energy and waste. Each restaurant must then recertify annually, making an additional 10 points worth of improvements to maintain certification.
Any restaurant utilizing a Clean Green certified laundry now can receive a total of four points toward Green Restaurant certification: two in the energy practices category and two in water practices. Verification of standards must be provided. In addition, utilizing reusable napkins adds six points.
Clean Green quantifiably validates the reusable textile industry’s positive environmental impact and will soon receive ASTM International approval.
Posted by Paula Votendahl
05/08/13
