LAWRENCE, Mass., Aug. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --CHEMCO Corporation, which provides hand soap and a variety of other cleaning and sanitation products to every SUBWAY® restaurant in North America, was recently presented by the SUBWAY® brand and its Independent Purchasing Cooperative (IPC) with the brand's 2012 Social Responsibility Award for its accomplishments of improving its hand soap product, making it even more sustainable, and greatly reducing the product and case packaging materials.
"CHEMCO is continually striving to minimize its carbon footprint," said Paul Lewis, President of CHEMCO Corporation. "We care about the air, the water and the ground and want to do our part to help preserve them all. Our products are effective, safe, economical, and all without being harmful to people or the planet. We are proud of our commitment of being good stewards of the environment and equally proud that we could provide SUBWAY® and all its North American franchisees a Hand Washing Program that will accomplish our mutual environmental goals."
CHEMCO's PURE Foaming Hand Soap is Green Seal® Certified, which means it has been certified by the independent Green Seal organization, whose mission it is to safeguard human health and the environment by promoting the manufacture, purchase, and use of more sustainable products and services. Creating a readily biodegradable product means the product is non-toxic, safe to aquatic life and degrades within 28 days.
By switching to the new Foaming Hand Soap, with improved packaging, the SUBWAY® franchisees realizes savings because of reduced corrugate (28,796 pounds), plastic (26,569 pounds), and freight costs (78,012 gallons of fuel). Additionally, since the soap comes out pre-lathered, hand-washing will be more efficient and customers and employees will use less water.
"I'm really pleased CHEMCO won this year because it is a family owned business that understands the importance of being a socially responsible and sustainable supplier," said Tina Fitzgerald, Director of Corporate Responsibility for the IPC, which is responsible for procuring products, equipment, supplies and services used in SUBWAY restaurants. "CHEMCO is constantly looking for ways to improve the efficiency and sustainability of their products. This year, CHEMCO introduced its PURE Foaming Hand Soap, which is Green Seal Certified, into all SUBWAY® restaurants. Not only do they use environmentally safe ingredients that are readily biodegradable, but it is packed in a box that is made from 75 percent recycled material."
CHEMCO has also been recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI) as a CHAMPION for their use of only safer surfactants in products and creating a strategy to ensure that it continues in the future.
"The SUBWAY Social Responsibility Award recognizes a supplier that has done the most to create sustainable practices while reducing costs and improving quality in the SUBWAY® system," said Marketing Director Elizabeth Stewart, who heads the brands Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. "CHEMCO's new Foam Hand Soap is a great example of how we can do what's right for the environment while also driving savings for Subway franchisees. Our customers strongly identify SUBWAY as a green brand. The fact that suppliers like CHEMCO understand this and are continually looking at ways to make SUBWAY products more environmentally friendly just reinforces the strength of our partnership."
About SUBWAY® Restaurants
The SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world's largest franchise, with more than 37,000 locations in 100 countries. Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut and with regional offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane, Miami and Singapore, the SUBWAY® franchise was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965.
The SUBWAY® brand is committed to providing a wide range of great tasting, healthier food choices while reducing its environmental footprint and creating a positive influence in the communities they serve around the world. Over the past several years, the brand has switched to products and practices that improve the sustainability of their supply chain, as well as improve energy efficiency, water conservation, and food and water quality and reduce their waste stream.
For more information about the SUBWAY® chain and its commitment to the planet, visit www.subway.com.
About CHEMCO
CHEMCO Corporation is a leading supplier of cleaning products to the foodservice industry. CHEMCO offers comprehensive cleaning and sanitation programs to the QSR and Convenience Store industries. CHEMCO is also the OEM private label supplier of cleaning products to some of the largest foodservice equipment manufacturers in the world.
CHEMCO Corporation was founded in 1978 by Harvey and Sylvia Lewis. Harvey, a chemist with over 20 years experience, formulated products and managed production. Sylvia oversaw all marketing and sales efforts. Their combined strengths led to what is now an industry leader in the manufacturing of cleaning and sanitation products and programs.
Recognizing the rapid expansion of the QSR and Convenience Store industries, CHEMCO focused its efforts primarily in those market segments. Ongoing success and recognition throughout these industries has perpetuated the company's growth for the past 34 years.
After twelve successful years as Vice President of Operations, CHEMCO is now owned and operated by the second generation of the Lewis family, Paul Lewis. Capitalizing on the synergies between CHEMCO's foodservice experience and the strong relationships with many leading equipment manufacturers, Paul has expanded operations by building a strong portfolio of OEM customers. CHEMCO's customized formulas have provided many of its OEM customers with cleaning solutions that meet their equipment's specific and individual needs. These products are sold globally under OEM's own private label or under the CHEMCO Brand. Additionally, Paul provides personal insight to CHEMCO's approach to the QSR industry by tapping into his ten years of experience as a multi-unit restaurant owner himself.
For more information about CHEMCO, visit them on the web at www.CHEMCO.net or call 800-458-8010.
SOURCE CHEMCO Corporation
