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(English) Best Practices

Laundry aligned to SDG

Source: https://lavaenromeral.com/

Sector
Laundry

Keywords
SDG

From which SME is it?
Romeral

Location
Castillo Del Romeral, Las Palmas, Canarías, Spain

Format
Physical

Years of implementation
Company created in the 80’s. The 4.0 project is being implemented since 2016

Website

Abstract

Romeral is a specialized industrial Laundry company. It offers outsourcing of washing and cleaning of textiles, as well as leasing and renting/rental of bedding, towels, tablecloths, napkins, etc.

The SDGs that are already implemented and in process are 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15. Since 2016 they were marked in the strategy and expansion project for the installation of a new production plant that tripled the production capacity of the company. Lines of action for the improvement of technology, sustainability, digitization and corporate social responsibility were marked out in the project, which was called company 4.0. They have installed 399 photovoltaic panels for the self-consumption of the electrical energy used.


Relevance

The actions carried out by Romeral Laundry are based on the 4.0 project. In terms of sustainability, they installed 399 photovoltaic panels for self-consumption of the electrical energy that we use in production processes. In the period 2019-2021, a total of 186 tons of CO2 have stopped being emitted into the environment. The Romeral Laundry staff is considered a family. The company carries out different activities throughout the year that have made it possible to retain and maintain a permanent staff of many years, with a very high level of satisfaction. The processes and systems that the company has implemented in its production and management processes are aligned with the actions that the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands has outlined. The products, processes and management systems used are ultimate: bactericidal products with nanotechnology, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system and management through applications that significantly reduce the use of paper. The RFID system directly contributes to quality control in the company's internal processes but, above all, is an added value for clients, which consists of creating a ecosystem for the control and traceability of laundry to be implemented in all accommodation establishments in Gran Canaria. The company, which employs 35 people, has a training room that imitates a hotel room where workers can check on site how they should fit, for example, the sheets.


Concepts addressed within ESG
  • Technology (A microchip to geolocate hotel towels, sheets and tablecloths and find out the useful life of the garments – RFID))
  • Sustainability: biodegradable products
  • Digitalization
  • RSE (Ergonomic washers with tiltable loading and unloading systems that alleviate the physical effort of workers)

Impact & Achieved Results

The Canarian company has been recognized for its good practices in relation to environmental conservation, as well as for the implementation of mechanisms for the care of its personnel. Romeral has received number of prices and awards, among which:

  • Global Best Practices Awards CINET in 2020 and 2022
  • Reduction Carbon footprint award from the Spanish Ministry of Ecologic Transition.
  • SME of the year 2021 from Las Palmas

Certifications

Certification EQA in Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2015)

Certification EQA in Environmental Management System (ISO 14001:2015)


Challenges and recommendations

During the months of April and June 2020 they were completely stopped. Later, in July they resumed activity and in August they held out until in September the turnover did not exceed 20% of what was normally earned. The owner of Romeral, Yukonda Esparragoza, contacted with the president of Santander bank, Ana Botín, to request her support with funding through LinkedIn. This last one recognised the value of her project for the dynamism of the Horeca sector in Canarias.


Bibliography

La Provincia (2018) Una lavandería ecológica de Castillo del Romeral gana un premio Europeo https://www.laprovincia.es/gran-canaria/2018/10/11/lavanderia-ecologica-castillo-romeral-gana-9418055.html

El Español (2021) Lavandería Romeral, la Pyme que Ana Botín pone como ejemplo de supervivencia https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/empresas/turismo/20210501/lavanderia-romeral-pyme-ana-botin-ejemplo-supervivencia/577693439_0.html

ODS empresas Canarias (2021) Casos de éxito- Lavandería Romeral

https://www.odsempresascanarias.org/casos-de-exito/caso-de-exito-lavanderia-romeral/