City Cleaning Services - 16 years of environmental management leadership

Organisation overview

Established in 1981, City Cleaning Services is one of New Zealand's leading commercial cleaning providers, employing around 700 people and operating across six branches nationwide.

For more than 16 years, the organisation has used Toitū certification to strengthen environmental performance across every aspect of its operations, from fleet management and procurement to waste reduction, chemical handling and client service delivery.

At a glance:

• Certified by Toitū for 16 years
• Diverted 186kg of textile waste from landfill in 2025
• Environmental framework provides key competitive advantage
• Operates across six branches nationwide
• Engages approximately 700 staff in its environmental programme
• Electric and hybrid vehicles now make up 35% of the fleet

The challenge

As City Cleaning Services continued to grow, so did the complexity of managing environmental performance across branches, mobile teams, and client sites nationwide. With six branches, approximately 700 staff, and a fleet of more than 75 vehicles operating across New Zealand, maintaining consistency at scale became increasingly important. Clients increasingly expected clear, measurable evidence of sustainability—particularly around waste, carbon emissions, chemical use, and regulatory compliance. At the same time, sustainability performance was also becoming a key consideration in procurement and tender evaluations, with clients seeking independently verified evidence of environmental performance and ESG outcomes.

While the organisation already had strong internal practices, the challenge was to ensure consistency at scale while strengthening credibility. City Cleaning needed a framework that would not only standardise environmental performance across the business, but also provide independent assurance that its commitments were real, measurable, and aligned with client expectations.

Establishing an Environmental Management System

Toitū provided a recognised framework that helped City Cleaning formalise and strengthen its environmental management approach. Independent certification gave clients confidence that their commitments were being measured, monitored, and continuously improved, while providing the organisation with a consistent structure for managing performance nationwide.

It also provided a recognised credential that strengthens tender submissions, supports stakeholder trust, and helps differentiate City Cleaning in an increasingly competitive market. As environmental credentials increasingly form part of procurement and evaluation criteria, independently verified certification provides assurance that their environmental commitments are supported by robust processes, measurable outcomes, and continuous improvement.

Turning Commitment into Action

City Cleaning has taken a long-term, integrated approach—continuously strengthening its environmental management system through the Toitū enviromark pathway.

Environmental performance is embedded into core business operations through governance structures, compliance registers, internal audits, and Green Team oversight, with regular senior management review ensuring accountability at every level. Staff engagement plays a critical role, supported by inductions, toolbox talks, SOP training, and ongoing communication that brings environmental responsibility into daily work. Today, approximately 700 staff across six branches participate in the organisation's environmental programme, helping translate sustainability goals into action across sites nationwide.

Alongside system development, City Cleaning has focused on practical, real-world improvements. Across the business, sustainability improvements are visible in everyday operations. City Cleaning has introduced lower-emission vehicles, strengthened hazardous substance management, improved waste separation at sites nationwide, and launched a textile recycling programme that gives old uniforms a second life rather than sending them to landfill. The organisation has also embedded environmental considerations into procurement processes and continues to strengthen supplier assessment practices as part of its broader sustainability framework.

This combination of structured systems and operational initiatives ensures that sustainability is not a standalone function, but part of how the business operates every day.

Delivering Measurable Results

Working with Toitū has enabled City Cleaning to evolve from strong environmental intent to a highly structured, measurable, and externally verified system. The business now benefits from improved visibility across compliance, risk, and operational performance, supporting more consistent outcomes nationwide. This has also strengthened its ability to meet the increasingly sophisticated sustainability requirements of clients—particularly where detailed reporting and assurance are required. The certification has enhanced stakeholder confidence by providing independent verification that environmental commitments are backed by measurable action and continuous improvement.

From a commercial perspective, the framework has strengthened City Cleaning’s ability to compete for contracts where environmental performance forms part of procurement and evaluation criteria, helping the organisation demonstrate both operational capability and environmental leadership. In a competitive tendering environment, Toitū certification provides an important point of difference, helping City Cleaning demonstrate that its environmental commitments are independently verified and supported by a structured environmental management system.

Importantly, the programme has delivered tangible environmental outcomes. In 2025, the company’s uniform textile recycling initiative diverted 186kg of textile waste from landfill, demonstrating how targeted programmes can create measurable impact.

City Cleaning has also continued to progress its fleet transition, with electric and hybrid vehicles now making up 35% of its fleet. This reflects the organisation’s ongoing investment in lower-emission transport and supports its broader carbon reduction goals.

Looking ahead, City Cleaning has set clear, ambitious targets:

• Increasing electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles from 35% to 50% of the fleet by the end of 2026.
• Delivering a 25% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of the 2026/27 financial year through a structured carbon reporting programme.

The programme has also strengthened staff engagement by giving teams a clearer understanding of how their day-to-day actions contribute to wider environmental goals, creating a sense of ownership and pride across the business.

Beyond environmental performance, the benefits extend into commercial value. Toitū certification supports client retention, strengthens sustainability reporting capability, and helps City Cleaning respond confidently to evolving client expectations.

Looking Ahead

City Cleaning is focused on accelerating its progress—building on its long-standing certification by deepening data, strengthening measurement, and investing in initiatives that deliver measurable impact. From advancing fleet electrification to expanding waste and recycling programmes across all sites, the organisation continues to push forward.

With clear targets for 2026 and 2027, City Cleaning is focused on turning long-term commitments into measurable outcomes. As client and regulatory expectations continue to evolve, the organisation remains committed to innovation, transparency, and continuous improvement across all areas of its operations.