Making the Connection – Green Cleaning and CIMS-GB

The Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS)

The ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) sets forth a management framework designed to assist building service contractors and in-house cleaning service providers develop quality, customer-centered organizations and is based on universally-accepted principles that have proved to be the hallmarks of well-managed, successful cleaning operations.

In short, CIMS is a standard developed by the cleaning industry, for the cleaning industry – and it can be used as a framework for cleaning service providers to demonstrate service excellence and for cleaning service specifiers to pre-qualify service expectations.

CIMS-GB

To help meet the growing demand for green and “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) certification, the Cleaning Industry Management Standard & Certification Program has been expanded to include new “Green Building” (GB) criteria and a new optional GB designation.

Implemented as the sixth dimension of CIMS, the new criteria and designation offer cleaning organizations a certification that is closely tailored to provide their customers with precisely what they need to secure points under the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED EB:OM) Green Building Rating System, while greening their operations overall.

As such, CIMS-GB certification demonstrates a cleaning organization’s capability to assist LEED projects in earning points toward LEED EB:OM certification, and offers customers assurance that the building service contractor they select is prepared to partner with them in the LEED process.

LEED 2012

And in the future, it appears that CIMS-GB certification will be included as a compliance path to demonstrate that a LEED project has a Green Cleaning Policy and has implemented a Green Cleaning Program.  As currently written, the proposed revision of the LEED EB:OM Green Building Rating System (scheduled to be released in 2012) will include the option for a CIMS-GB certification to fulfill the Green Cleaning Policy prerequisite.

Learn More

WAXIE is a member of ISSA and employs CIMS-GB ISSA Certification Experts to help customers achieve CIMS and CIMS-GB certification.  GPS® Green Partner Support serves as a guide for cleaning organizations looking to implement a low environmental impact cleaning program.

You can also learn more at www.issa.com/cims and ww.issa.com