On the first morning of Interclean Amsterdam, the jury of the Amsterdam Innovation Award 2022 announced the Overall Winner: Essity’s Tork Biobased Heavy-Duty Cleaning Cloth.

Discussing the Jury’s opinion of the winner, Jury chair Michelle Marshall, comments, “Essity has identified key objectives among customers: the reduction of CO2 emissions, the reduction of water consumption, reduction of waste generation, reduction of energy consumption, use of certified products. It takes a lifecycle assessment approach in the development of new products and also seeks to reduce carbon footprint. Crucially, it aims to help its customers reduce their carbon footprint too.

“Essity can back up all its claims through independent certification – it is recognised and acknowledged by many organisations. The technology that is being used with this Biobased cloth can now be used to expand the range and offer products in different formats in order to offer greater flexibility. The compressed packaging makes for easier handling – important for the cleaning staff – and the environmental impact of the packaging has not been forgotten either. It’s made from fibres that are 100% recycled and plastics that are at least 30% recycled.”

The category nominees and winners were:

Sustainability & Environment

Winner: Tork Biobased Heavy-Duty Cleaning Cloth by Essity
“With the development of this new cloth, Essity is aiming to reduce consumption, waste, pollution and emissions. The fact the packaging is made from fibres that are 100% recycled and plastics that are at least 30% recycled completes the sustainability picture for the customer.”

Other Nominees:
Eversea Multipurpose Cloth by Maya Professional
Ecodos Dosage Bottle by Spectro

Smart Technologies & Digitalisation

Winner: Scrubber 50 Pro by Gausium Robotics
“The Scrubber 50 Pro is a great reflection of how robotic technology in the cleaning sector is progressing. It’s suitable for use in a wide range of applications – in both small or medium-sized spaces – it can negotiate obstacles well and can even return to finish the job later. It also uses AI to detect spills or stains and then spot cleans them automatically.”

Other Nominees:
Swep EviSense by Vileda Professional
R3Scrub by LionsBot

Workforce & Ergonomics

Winner: Pu-Pad Light by Arcora
“Floor cleaning is one of the most time-consuming tasks performed by cleaning operatives and when cleaning different surfaces pads often need to be changed. Operatives are sometimes unsure as to which pad is best and mistakes can happen. The Pu-Pad Light removes that uncertainty and there is also an ergonomic benefit for the operatives because they do not have to bend down constantly to change pads.”

Other Nominees:
BVL 5/1 BP by Kärcher
NEXBOT by RCM

Hygiene & Health

Winner: Coreless Centre Pull Paper Towel by Alani
“The jury felt this was the product in this category that has the potential to make the greatest impact. Then there are its environmental credentials and the fact that it absorbs 10 times its weight in water. Because it’s coreless, it reduces waste after use and helps the cleaning operatives by removing that waste.”

Other Nominees:
EnozoPRO by Consensus
Aladin GT5 by Ar-Co Chimica

Visitor’s Choice Award
Winner: BVL 5/1 BP by Kärcher

At Interclean Amsterdam’s Innovation Lab, a special display showed the nominated and winning products, providing background information on the innovation and the company behind it. The proceeds of the Amsterdam Innovation Award were donated to Amref Flying Doctors, to support their projects in Africa.

The members of the Amsterdam Innovation Awards’ Jury include: Michelle Marshall (European Cleaning Journal), Antonio Borreda (Revista Limpiezas Spain), Ronald Bruins (Servicemanagement), Pierre Deschamps (Batiment Entretien), Rob Geissler (Sanitary Maintenance), Rob den Hertog (Special Advisor), Reinhard Knittler (ReinigungsMarkt), and Chiara Merlini (Cleaning Community).