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The i-team Global development journey spans all the way back to 1992 and has seen a huge amount of growth since then. A combination of innovation, industry experience, customer intimacy, and our collaboration culture has established us as an industry leader. But there is one thing that we believe is the key to our success, and that is our mission and always staying true to it.
i-team Global was born out of one central mission: bringing pride and pleasure back into cleaning to empower our end-users to be more than cleaners; to be hospitality hosts who are preserving the planet.
From the very beginning, we set ourselves the task of transforming the cleaning industry at its roots and redefining what cleaning meant. We dreamt about delivering a positive impact on the daily lives of cleaners around the world. We decided to create products not for cleaning, but for cleaners. Sustainable products which benefit the spaces being cleaned, the people cleaning them, the people existing in them, and the earth as a whole. To this day this is the mission we are tirelessly pursuing.
Since the 1960s the scrubber drier has seen little product development. But we know that, in order to improve the cleaning industry, change has to happen. We also know that, in order to make good cleaning products, we have to understand who we are making them for. We started by studying cleaning the way an anthropologist would. We wanted to understand how it’s done, the issues and frustrations in the industry, where there are efficiency issues, and what tools are used. Our research led to fundamental insights, and these fundamental insights led to our product development and innovation.
When we look at traditional approaches to cleaning we found that they were mainly:
Inefficient – using tools and techniques which ineffectively clean surfaces
Labour intensive – slow, expensive, and injury-prone manual work
Counterproductive – often spreading rather than removing soils and contamination
Wasteful – using excessive amounts of water and chemicals
Dangerous – posing environmental and personal health and safety hazards
Then we looked at the people within the industry – the end-users of our products. The statistics vary depending on countries and areas so here we will focus on our roots, the Netherlands. Recent studies show that:
To change the cleaning industry at its root we decided to design our products first and foremost for the cleaner, not the cleaning. To tackle the issues in the industry we created innovative products which make cleaning faster, cleaner, greener, safer, and better. These products are sustainable in the broadest sense of the term – beneficial in the long term for the people who are using them, the spaces they are cleaning, and the world we exist in.
Faster – Improving productivity without sacrificing effectiveness tackles labour shortages and high demands in the industry. This means that cleaning professionals can do more in shorter periods of time. We develop innovative, lightweight, manoeuvrable, cord-free, and extremely effective devices that accelerate cleaning.
Cleaner – We have refined the meaning of clean and expanded it beyond what you can see. By creating products which extend optimal cleaning to the total environment we create a cleaner and healthier world.
Greener – We are concerned with the planet and all of its occupants, that is why we create products which use less water, are much more energy efficient, and reduce their reliance on chemicals. This way our products use and contaminate less than alternative
Safer – Safety is built into all of our products. Firstly, we create lightweight, ergonomic systems which reduce strain on the operator – decreasing the risks of injury. Meanwhile, cord-free products and revolutionary cleaning equipment that leaves floors dry instantly prevent slips and falls. Additionally, we ensure that the end-users of our products are less exposed to cross-contamination or skin-to-skin contact with bacteria or chemicals. This way cleaning becomes increasingly safer.
Better – Most importantly, we create products which transform the experience of cleaning and the industry altogether. These products are designed to bring energy, pride, and positive morale. We achieve this through product innovation which makes our devices faster, cleaner, greener, and safer. All these elements combine to unlock an elevated cleaning experience. As a result, cleaning becomes a long-term, sustainable, and satisfying job for hospitality hosts.
The people who keep our world clean are indispensable. For us, safeguarding their well-being and safety is a key priority. Our mission takes this one step further. We don’t just want to keep cleaners happy and healthy; we want to empower them to step into the role of hospitality host.
Cleaners should not be invisible scrubbers, bent over the floor, working on their hands and knees. They should not be tucked away in night shifts or behind huge heavy machinery. They should be empowered to stand upright, operating devices with ease and comfort, greeting and welcoming people into a space they work tirelessly to keep clean. They should experience pleasure in their jobs, and have a sustainable career ahead of them. They are much more than a cleaner, they are hospitality hosts.
Leen Zevenbergen, Co-Founder B Lab Europe
