LAS VEGAS — June 7, 2017 — Hygienically Clean programs that certify laundries for verifying best management practies (BMPs) and quantifying laundered product cleanliness continue to attract record interest from launderers, TRSA reported at Clean ‘17. More than 150 plants have now earned a Hygienically Clean designation.

Portending continued growth: nearly 100 more laundries are pursuing at least one Hygienically Clean certification (Food Safety, Food Service, Healthcare, Hospitality). This level of interest is a high for the program over the same time last year and the start of 2017.

The 2017 growth follows a record year of increased expansion, as 2016 saw the addition of 50 laundries to the list of certified plants. The Food Safety designation (for serving food manufacturers and processors) started in 2015; Food Service (restaurants) started last year and Hospitality (hotels), this year. Healthcare began in 2012; almost 100 percent of these early-adopter laundries achieved the standard again after their initial 3-year certification.

Achieving Hygienically Clean certification reflects laundries’ commitment to BMPs as verified by on-site inspection and capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing.

BMPs are described in the facility’s quality assurance documentation, the focal point of certification inspectors’ evaluations. This independent, third-party inspection also confirms essential evidence that:

• Employees are properly trained and protected
• Managers understand regulatory requirements
• OSHA-compliant
• Physical plant operates effectively

To become certified, laundries must pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating their processes are producing Hygienically Clean textiles and zero presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. Maintaining certification requires passing quarterly testing to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained.

Posted June 9, 2017

Source: TRSA

SEATTLE — June 8, 2017 — Polartec, the premium provider of innovative textile solutions, and Oiselle, the women’s athletic apparel company, announce the release of Birdstrike, a short film about the first female team to win The Speed Project. The Speed Project is an unsanctioned, unsupported, 340-mile ultra relay from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Going into its third year, no all-female team had ever taken on the course. Oiselle and Polartec worked together to field a team wearing Polartec® Delta™ cooling fabric and show the world that women were up for the challenge of racing the course in extreme temperatures.

The two companies formed an all-female team named Birdstrike. The team included six racers and six crew members, comprised of a mix of amateurs and professional Oiselle runners such as Lauren Fleshman and Devon Yanko. After Oiselle announced the team, all-female squads were also fielded by Nike and Strava. With over 20 teams racing the course, a route that took the racers through Death Valley during peak temperatures, success at the 2017 Speed Project required every competitive advantage, including Oiselle’s apparel made with Polartec Delta, a special fiber and yarn construction engineered to enhance the body’s natural evaporative cooling process.

“Oiselle’s pursuit of creating quality products for female runners sets them apart in a crowded market and has led to exciting collaborative development work with Polartec,” says Polartec CEO Gary Smith. “They continuously ask for our best when designing for the athletes they serve, and as such they’ve become a valued customer.”

“We’ve always been interested in women charting new territory,” says Oiselle Founder & CEO Sally Bergesen. “The Speed Project was an opportunity to show women’s skills and ability, both individually and as a team, on a new stage. Polartec’s support and technology were key in our participation in this race. That course demanded everything of our athletes, and the apparel, like the women, stood up to the challenge.”

Team Birdstrike’s experience is documented in the short film, which will debut at REI as a part of their Force Of Nature campaign. The film will be exclusively screened at REI Flagship stores prior to a digital release on June 23, first at REI Washington on Wednesday, June 14, followed by a screening at REI Seattle on Thursday, June 22. The evenings will include a never-before-seen look at the short film, a Q&A panel with the team, crew and Polartec fabric specialists, as well as a special reveal of what’s next for the team.
The full film will be released digitally on Friday, June 23. A full film screener link is available upon request.

Posted June 8, 2017

Source: Polartec

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — June 7, 2017 — TRSA has upgraded its inspection management protocol for Clean Green and Hygienically Clean certifications, appointing an inspection program administrator and auditor to train and administer the inspection process and inspector training.

This enhances TRSA’s well-established reputation for expertise, consistency and impartiality for all applicant laundry companies and plants when inspectors verify their adherence to best management practices (BMPs). It also adds a highly expert third party to oversee the inspection program. It aligns with ISO quality management system (QMS) standards for assessing laundry applicants’ quality assurance practices and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans.

Laundry Design Group, LLC, Las Vegas, Nevada was selected as inspection program administrator after considering several firms, acknowledged for excellence in evaluating businesses’ QA guideline compliance. Bob Corfield, the firm’s CEO, has over 30 years’ industry experience, five performing inspections for Clean Green and Hygienically Clean. Corfield is a certified ISO QMS Lead Auditor with a HACCP designation.

As chief inspector and program administrator, Corfield identifies, administers and trains the independent inspector team. Each inspector enters a comprehensive training program including certification standards review, evidence collection procedures, interview protocol, ATP (work surface) testing, technology use, HACCP compliance and sample collection procedures. Training also focuses on educating inspectors regarding acceptable approaches launderers can take to implement BMPs.  Each inspector must agree to a code of ethics including confidentiality and conflict of interest statements.

The inspection program is deployed on an iPad application that all inspectors must use for note-taking, evidence collection, and inspection scoring. This creates consistency from inspection to inspection and inspector to inspector. Inspectors’ reports are disseminated within hours of each inspection for lead audit review and discussion if required.

Following initial training, each inspector is subject to a competency review by a third party ISO certified lead auditor (Enveratek, Calgary, Alberta, Canada).  Enveratek confirms the inspector’s knowledge of standards and procedures in alignment with ISO QMS audit protocols and suggests corrective training if needed.

The inspection program is reviewed twice per year to assure protocol and program compliance. These reviews are presented to TRSA leaders to strengthen the competency of the inspectors and the inspection program.

Tighter inspection management protocols reflect the certifications’ commitment to continuous improvement. Advisory boards and user groups examine development of new laundry and textile technologies to standards for sustainability (Clean Green) and laundered product cleanliness (Hygienically Clean).

“These programs’ leaders frequently participate in a variety of linen, uniform and facility services professional development activities contributing to TRSA’s 100+ years of facilitating information-sharing and collaboration to improve industry BMPs,” noted TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci. “Their commitment to the Clean Green and Hygienically Clean certification programs have helped make these programs the fastest growing, most internationally recognized standards for validating processes and quantifying results for sustainability and cleanliness.”

Posted June 7, 2017

Source: TRSA