Exeter Golf and Country Club joins forces with The Eco Laundry on World Environment Day

As part of an ongoing environmental strategy, award-winning Exeter Golf and Country Club has announced a new business partnership with The Eco Laundry on Wednesday 5th June, World Environment Day.

The Eco Laundry is the UK’s first environmentally friendly commercial laundry service and is based locally, in the South Hams. The move to The Eco Laundry forms part of the club’s commitment to reducing its impact on the environment which has already included removal of single-use plastics, a LED lighting replacement plan, wildlife protection through an eco wall, nesting boxes and hedgerow management programme, plus a zero to landfill policy.

As a sustainable business, The Eco Laundry has environmental protection at the heart of their ethos and processes. Using water from their borehole, biomass and solar technologies, energy efficient washing machines powered by renewable energy, and eco-friendly laundry detergents, The Eco Laundry offers a sustainable, ‘green’ solution to leisure and tourism businesses who value the environment. They are also aiming to be carbon neutral.

From events to lunches and afternoon teas, Exeter Golf and Country Club uses over 45,000 items of table linen each year. Although not quite the extensive linen stock of a hotel with beds, towels and more, the turnover of laundry through the club’s Wear Park Restaurant and function rooms is of a substantial level to impact on energy and detergent usage. Another positive aspect of the shift to The Eco Laundry is their plastic-free delivery service, moving away from the traditional plastic wrapping of usual laundry companies.

Chris Jones, General Manager, Exeter Golf and Country Club said, “Given our commitment over the past couple of years to reducing the impact of the club on the environment, it felt right to extend this to our laundry service. When you look at the huge amount of linen used by commercial businesses across the country, you can imagine the enormity of the improvements that could be made if more tourism and leisure businesses moved to eco-friendly sustainable suppliers like The Eco Laundry.”

Earlier this year, Exeter Golf and Country Club donated over £400 to The Beach Network who are responsible for the #2MinuteBeachClean phenomenon that is gaining momentum globally in its efforts to clean beaches of plastic and reduce plastic consumption. The money was raised by a surcharge on disposable coffee cups to encourage customers to purchase a reusable cup or simply bring their own.

There are now 1000 reusable pint cups in circulation at the club, eradicating the need for disposable plastic pint glasses for outside use, plus they have sold over 800 reusable coffee cups and drinks bottles. From disposable coffee cups to poolside overshoes, single-use plastic has been given the heave-ho at Exeter Golf and Country Club and the environment is very much at the forefront of their strategy for the future, in line with suppliers such as The Eco Laundry.

Exeter Golf and Country Club was awarded ‘The Most Welcoming Club’ at the England Golf Awards in March this year in recognition of their forward-thinking approach to golf, customer service, promotion of sports, staff development and the wider community, underpinned by their commitment to environmental awareness.