Shell Tower Goes Green

The Shell Tower, In London, is one of the two central offices of the major oil company. Located on the South Bank of the River Thames, the Shell Tower is 27 stories tall and contains offices for refining, marketing, finance, and human resources for the global energy concern.

The task of maintaining the giant tower falls to Anthony Onyeachie and the Sodexo team.  Anthony uses Stabilized Aqueous Ozone (SAO) from Tersano to
keep the office building clean, safe, and sanitary.  SAO is a rapidly growing alternative way to clean without the potential health risks that come with traditional cleaning chemicals.

 

BY THE NUMBERS

Visitors to site: Over 500 daily
Building occupants: Over 1,000
Office space: 42,000 m2
Product: cleaning and deodorizing

"Using Tersano to clean without chemicals is a dream come true."

Anthony Onyeachie
SME / Cleaning Service Manager
Sodexo Energy and Resources

Opened in 1972, the Shell Tower is one of the two major headquarters for the global energy concern, Shell. The 27-storey office building houses more than 1,000 workers and offers a combination of retail and office use. The building is maintained by the Energy and Resources division of Sodexo.

In 2017, Sodexo sought to improve the health and safety of its cleaning operation at the Shell Tower. “I’d long been looking for a way to reduce our chemical use in the Tower,” notes Anthony. “It’s such a large building that reducing chemicals by even a little would make a tremendous difference.”

Anthony was assigned the task of researching alternatives and he turned to his colleagues at the nearby smaller Shell Strand office building; the cleaning team there had recently begun using Tersano SAO. “I contacted the guys at Strand and asked them for their opinion on their new way to clean. The feedback was great and so I gave it a shot.”

Tersano’s SAO improves maintenance operations by reducing the use of cleaning chemicals through an alternative cleaning technology that harnesses the power of liquid ozone: the Tersano lotus® PRO. The lotus® PRO creates Stabilised Aqueous Ozone (SAO): a simple, safe, sustainable solution that replaces traditional chemical-based cleaners and deodorisers. SAO is an environmentally-friendly cleaning alternative approved and certified by many organizations including Green Seal, HACCP, OSHA, EN, WRAS and more.

Anthony’s team first tested SAO in a variety of areas including kitchenettes, sanitary spaces, offices, a gym, and even a cafeteria. “It worked pretty well in all of the areas,” Anthony recalls. “Where I was really pleasantly surprised was how it removed odours from the gym and stains from carpets.”

 

THE POWER OF SAO

Referring to SAO as “energised water” Anthony’s team was skeptical at first.  “Of course, everyone’s perception is that you need chemicals—that without chemicals, surfaces aren’t being cleaned,” he recalls.  “So we performed a number of tests and ultimately issued a long report. It helped the staff and today they are very happy and confident in the product and the results.”

 

VALUE-ADDED BENEFITS OF SAO

In addition to the clear cleaning effectiveness, Anthony is realizing other benefits from his switch to chemical-free SAO. “We’ve taken roughly 28 chemicals out of the Shell Centre. That’s a tremendous benefit.”

He adds:

“We’re saving over £25,000 a year in reduced chemical usage and labor hours.”

Anthony sums up the benefits from Tersano SAO in three words: simple, safe, sustainable. “It’s very simple to use. No mixing, batching, or transporting. With no chemicals involved, it’s also very safe for use around staff, guests, and employees. And it’s sustainable—no pouring chemicals down the drain which could be detrimental to the environment.”se, everyone’s perception is that you need chemicals—that without chemicals, surfaces aren’t being cleaned,” he recalls. “So we performed a number of tests and ultimately issued a long report. It helped the staff and today they are very happy and confident in the product and the results.”

In a few months, Anthony will have a formal report on the sustainability results from the switch and he is confident in what it will say:  “This will be a big win for Shell and for Sodexo.” 

IMPACT

  • SAFE FOR STAFF - Powerful enough to clean and deodorize, yet safe for people, planet and animals.
  • SIMPLER TO USE - With no storing, managing, mixing, or disposing SAO is simply a quicker, easier way to clean.
  • SUSTAINABLE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT - No more pouring chemicals into drainage systems when cleaning is complete.
  • COST-EFFECTIVE - The days of buying chemicals are over.