By Glen Westall

Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Millines Herman, Managing Director of St. Lucia-based H&L Environmental Services Ltd., about the unique commercial hygiene solutions it is offering to organizations across the country and across the region.

H&L Environmental Services has emerged as a sustainability pioneer in the Caribbean, a region that is acutely aware of the urgent need for better sustainability practices. Managing Director Millines Herman explains to Sustainable Business Magazine the company’s founding vision and environmental mission:

“When we started the company it was really about dealing with indoor environmental issues, specifically mold issues that a lot of buildings here experience. Whether it was a residential or commercial space, our aim was to resolve those issues because we were always hearing about a lot of buildings that were occupied or infested with mold problems. There was continued recurrence throughout the country and we realised that there was nobody on the island who was an expert in dealing with those problems.

“We first went into getting ourselves certified in mold remediation. That meant getting ourselves trained and certified by an international organisation that recognised mold remediation standards called the IICRC, which is based in the USA. We got certified in that area and then were able to implement all the training that we received into what we have now, H&L Environmental Services.”

Spreading the Word

Mr. Herman goes on to explain how this international training has enabled H&L Environmental to expand sustainably throughout the Caribbean region:

“We have been very effective right here in St. Lucia and we wanted to spread that success throughout the Caribbean. We have been able to do that and been able to successfully complete projects in in St. Vincent and Dominica. Beyond that, our expertise has also stretched into St. Kitts and Nevis and Grenada as well.”

Central to its regional success is its environmental adaptation approach.

“The good thing about it is that we adapt everything that we have to our present environment,” Mr. Herman says. “In the Caribbeanthe whole climate is very different from elsewhere. Some of the climate may be the same as the lower parts of the US like Florida, for example, while other countries are more like the tropical climates of South America. What H&L Environmental has been able to do over the years is collect data on our environment, look at the co-existence of mold, and understand the variables that enable mold within the different environments. That experience means we’ve been able to tailor the treatment that we provide specifically to the Caribbean.

“What we do is so different from any other company here in the Caribbean.”

Green Machines

At the heart of H&L Environmental’s sustainability strategy lies its careful choices throughout its supply chain.

“When we look at sustainability, since we look at the environment as a whole and not just locally, our focus was to be able to keep everything within a range that everybody would recognise as important for climate resilience,” explains Mr. Herman. “We wanted to ensure that everybody along our supply chain would be in line with supporting the environment so we look at acquiring and using products that are environmentally friendly as well as very safe for occupants and for the buildings. That way we make environmental sustainability and resilience the baseline of our company.”

This comprehensive approach extends across all its services.

“All of the products that we use for the our janitorial deep cleaning service and mold remediation work are environmentally friendly,” Mr. Herman details. “Most of them are green products and all of them are non-toxic and are very effective. So what we get is a safe environment and the thing is that the use, will of course, not deteriorate. But even with runoffs, say for instance when we wash our tools and our equipment the rags the runoff will not damage the environment and that’s the good thing about us. So, everything that we do and implement is to try to ensure that the products are environmentally friendly.”

Mr. Herman also outlines how energy efficiency represents another pillar of its sustainability efforts:

“Our humidity is extremely high in the Caribbean so one of the things that we looked at in terms of core equipment was dehumidifiers. We sourced a company that’s part of the UK-based MEACO brand that’s a UK brand who produce dehumidifiers with very good energy efficiency. Those are able to keep the consumption of electricity extremely low but still be able to be effective in terms of reducing the humidity inside the rooms we service. All of these little things that we’ve been able to do to help in terms of improving sustainability.”

Coastal Clean Up

Beyond its business operations, H&L Environmental actively engages in community environmental initiatives. Mr. Herman describes their participation in global beach clean efforts:

“One of the things that we always looked forward to is the International Coastal Clean-up Month that’s done every year in September. We’ve been able to have a great campaign aligning with the communities that we originated from in the Dennery region. The aim of that is to go along the coast and pick up any debris, but in particular plastics.

“We coordinate with an organization called the Caribbean Youth Environment Network or CYEN. That network keeps a record of all the items that was picked up and they weigh it to see what amount of debris we picked up. We have sea all around and rivers across the island where a lot of items from the mainland wash up and get stuck on the beaches.. That’s one of the most important initiatives that we taken part in as an environmental company.”

The company has also developed innovative protocols that prioritize environmental safety.

“We’ve been able to not just deal with the mold issue, but be able to develop protocols for deep cleaning to help organisations maintain a properly clean and safe indoor space,” the Managing Director says. “We developed a deep cleaning protocol that’s radically different from other organizations here on island and in the Caribbean. Specifically, we are working to keep the indoor environment safe and to be able to help organisations have a healthy place for their staff and their clients.”

Mold-Free Future

Looking toward the future, H&L Environmental’s sustainability mission includes continued regional expansion. Mr. Herman outlines their growth plans:

“For us it’s part of our goal that we reach out to the entire region. We are making great strides in that. The only negative thing so far is that we had a major setback during COVID, but many organizations were in that situation as well. It’s taking some time to bounce back from that but our ultimate aim really is to expand that type of service throughout the Caribbean.

“One of the things that we’ve been able to do is to create an awareness of these types of local environmental problems such as mold and I’m very happy about that. When we started up the company we had major awareness campaigns within St. Lucia but we’ve been able to conduct those same campaigns across the Caribbean islands where we have had projects. By doing that, we’ve been able to bring that awareness to people who otherwise wouldn’t really have understood the severity of mold, especially on internal spaces.”

In the end, H&L Environmental’s work is fundamentally a public health project, providing people and companies across the Caribbean with clean air and healthy work spaces.“There are many health concerns regarding mold and toxic air, and they create a lot of issues for our health,” says Mr. Herman. “Mold has proven impacts on our digestive and the respiratory health and we have even seen impacts on mental health and the heart. Most people are not fully aware of that. Many people may feel the effects of it but think it’s just a flu or some form of fatigue that they’re experiencing, but it actually has a lot to do with the air quality of their indoor spaces. Our aim is not just to spread around the Caribbean but to spread awareness when it comes to mold and its health impacts
on individuals.”