Marketing Your Green Wash
By Dave Hart

One of the latest business strategies to take root in the car care industry is the move to sustainable and eco-friendly operations to meet increasing consumer demand. Chemical suppliers are now offering eco-friendly options that provide a high level of cleaning performance while having less impact on the environment, and washes are adopting an eco-friendly business model to attract and retain customers and grow revenue.

Changing to an eco-friendly operation is not a task to be undertaken lightly. Operators need to have a clear vision and understanding of what their sustainability goals are and how to achieve them. They also need to implement a sound marketing strategy based on those goals to help build their green wash business.

GOING GREEN

Operators can implement one or more of several steps to turn their wash into an eco-friendly operation.

Select Chemicals Discriminately
While the car wash industry has not specifically defined what makes car wash chemicals “environmentally friendly,” research shows that several harsh ingredients commonly used in vehicle wash operations pose a challenge to the environment. When evaluating eco-friendly options, make sure the chemicals you select do not contain any of the following:

• Volatile organic compounds
• Chlorine bleach
• Phosphates
• APE (NPE) surfactants
• EthyleneDiamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA)

In addition to chemical ingredients, look at your chemical supplier’s track record of environmental sustainability throughout the entire supply chain. Your wash’s eco-friendly marketing strategy can be bolstered by using products that:

• Are manufactured in a low-impact way: using reduced energy, water, and raw materials.
• Are concentrated, allowing for smaller containers and reduced packaging.
• Are distributed more efficiently, resulting in lower fuel consumption.
• Offer guilt-free disposal, with limited VOCs.
• Protect employees as well as the environment.

Use of environmentally preferable chemicals from an environmentally sustainable supplier is one way car washes can become green, but there are others as well. Don’t forget to reference these strategies in your marketing and promotion efforts.

Limit Water Usage
Many professional car washes use water reclamation systems to significantly reduce water usage. Computerized pumps and nozzles can help to control water output. And high-pressure hoses use less water than low-pressure hoses; they have the ability to wash dirt and soap suds off the car more quickly.

Save Energy
Generating electricity with solar panels or hydrogen fuel cells, and heating with waste oil procured from an on-site oil-change business are just a few examples of environmental stewardship being practiced by car wash operators. Energy-efficient lighting using compact fluorescent bulbs is another way to save electricity and cut down on related greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, because compact fluorescent bulbs last longer then many other bulbs, they don’t need to be replaced as often, thus reducing the impact of used bulbs on the waste collection system.

Landscape for Efficiency
Go green here by using perennial plants that don’t need much water.

Recycle Trash
Add containers for recyclable materials next to your regular trash cans. Many customers will throw away their soda cans, water bottles, and other recyclable material. You can either have the recycling center come to your business site and pick up the materials, or you can take them to the center yourself.

YOUR ECO-FRIENDLY “STORY”

Once a car wash has decided to adopt an eco-friendly strategy, changed over its chemicals, and instituted other green strategies, it’s time to let customers know. Smart operators will develop a full “story” around everything they are doing to protect the environment and package that story in a variety of ways.

Charity Car Washes
For years, schools, churches, clubs, and other organizations have held fund-raising car washes in parking lots. The problem with these “amateur” car wash operations is that the untreated wastewater from the charity wash typically runs into storm drains, from where pollutants can easily reach lakes, rivers, harbors, and oceans. Now, prompted by local regulations in some areas, charitable car washes are being held at professional commercial car wash facilities where treatment systems protect the watershed from the impact of detergents, oil, grease, and grime entering the environment through runoff. Holding a charity car wash not only drives new customers to your location, it can generate goodwill in the community.

Anti Driveway-Washing Campaign
Let your infrequent customers know that commercial car washes use about 60 percent less water to clean a car than the typical driveway wash with a garden hose. A typical at-home washing requires between 80 and 140 gallons of water per car, while commercial car washes use less than 45 gallons per car.

Public Relations and Advertising
Your ads in local newspapers, the Penny Savers, or radio stations should focus on your eco-friendly operation. And don’t forget the power of public relations. Local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations are always looking to profile local businesses doing interesting things to help the environment. Contact your local reporters and let them know what you’re doing.

EMPLOYEES ARE FRONT-LINE MARKETERS

Employee training is critical in marketing a green wash, as employees are “front-line” marketers for the operation. Therefore, it is important for operators to provide their employees with the materials, tools, and knowledge needed to explain and promote the consumer and environmental benefits of their eco-friendly wash.

Everyone who comes in contact with the customer has the opportunity to promote your green wash.

The Greeter
Develop a set of talking points to quickly inform customers about your earth-friendly program. Greeters can also hand customers an eco-themed receipt holder for the paperwork they’ll give to the cashier.

The Cashier
Installing eco-themed counter cards, change mats, posters, and window clings in the waiting area further reinforce green messages.

Team Leader
As a lead employee, an “Eco-Leader” can wear a themed cap or shirt while personally thanking customers and presenting customers with a checklist of the earth-friendly products used in the wash process.

CONCLUSION

From an eco-themed banner at the entrance, to a personal “thanks for visiting our eco-friendly wash” at the end, there are many things wash operators can do to market their eco-friendly wash. Ask your chemical supplier for assistance; some provide operators with consumer-focused marketing plans and materials as well as employee training aids to help defray costs.

Dave Hart is director of marketing, transportation for Zep Inc. He has been in the car wash industry for 10 years and with Zep for 11 years. Previous to his current position, he served as national accounts manager and vehicle wash segment director for Zep. Dave can be reached at dave.hart@zep.com.