ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

As the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games start today in Russia, ECJ speaks exclusively to Vladimir Brasnuev, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Professional business leader for Eastern Europe. P&G Professional has been chosen as cleaning products provider for the Games.

Hot on the heels of its work at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Professional has been chosen as the cleaning products provider for the next global sporting event - the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games which starts at the end of this week in Russia.

In London the company's cleaning solutions were used to clean up after 500,000 spectators each day across multiple venues. Now P&G products are in Sochi, cleaning over 875,527 square metres across the Olympic Winter Games and serving elite athletes from across 35 nation states, along with the hundreds of thousands of spectators.

Vladimir Brasnuev, P&G Professional business leader for Eastern Europe, explains some of the potentially greatest challenges. "A large number of guests will gather in a limited space and it will be crucial to provide cleanliness and disinfection in all public areas. Unlike the Olympic Summer Games, snow and chemicals used to melt it end up inside the venues and cause additional problems.

"Cleaning time is obviously limited due to tight scheduling of the competitions," Brasnuev continues. "So it is important to manage the workflow - from selecting optimal cleaning products to training and transporting people to and from work as well as facilitating leisure time."

Because the organising committee of the Olympic Winter Games is determined to make Sochi 2014 the ‘greenest' Games ever, there are specific requirements in terms of eco-safety for the cleaning products being supplied.

"Millions of spectators and athletes will visit Sochi throughout the month, and it certainly will be a huge burden on the environment of the region," emphasises Brasnuev. "Therefore it is important to choose detergents and cleaning products which are effective and ecofriendly at the same time."

So cleaning products have been chosen according to multiple criteria. The top priority is versatility, Brasnuev explains. "It is easier to train staff in using between three and five products that satisfy 99 per cent of needs rather than explain the specifics of working with 10-20 special purpose cleaning solutions. This approach helps save time, improve the performance of cleaning personnel and reduce costs for storage and transportation of the cleaning products."

Another important criterion is the safety of the staff and the environment, as well as the surfaces being cleaned. And of course cost has to come into the equation. "The cost calculation was not based on prices per kilo or litre, but rather on the cost of cleaning per square metre of washing a certain number of dishes for example," says Brasnuev.

"In reality the cheapest detergents may require between two and three times more product to do the job, increasing the total cost."

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