Doing What’s Right Even When it isn’t Required – CITY’s Approach to Sustainability

In an industry where meeting the minimum requirement is often considered “good enough,” CITY Laundering is intentionally choosing a different path—one that goes far beyond compliance and focuses instead on meaningful impact. According to President Colin Wetlaufer, it’s not just about checking boxes—it’s about control, innovation, and doing what’s right even when it’s not required.

“In my opinion, the biggest initiative we’ve made isn’t what people usually notice first,” Colin shared on an episode of the Clean and Simple podcast. “It’s not the solar panels or the bright new lights—it’s what we’ve done with recycling and chemical reuse. That’s where we’ve taken the biggest step beyond the industry norm.”

While CITY’s large solar project is the most visible example of environmental investment, Colin emphasized that true sustainability lies in the behind-the-scenes systems—like chemical reclaim, water reuse, and responsible resource management. These systems aren’t glamorous, but they’re powerful. And perhaps most importantly, they’re self-directed.

“As a business owner, one of the hardest things is when something outside your control changes how you operate,” Colin explained. “So for us, the most rewarding projects are the ones that give us more control over our impact, our efficiency, and our future.”

CITY Laundering has approached sustainability with a long-term mindset. Early decisions, such as upgrading to LED lighting, came from a practical place (“We just wanted better lights,” Colin joked), but later evolved into more thoughtful, layered improvements that considered not just energy savings but also safety, visibility, and employee experience.

And yet, even with these steps forward, Colin believes CITY—and the broader industry—has much more to do. One area of untapped potential? Textile recycling.

“We’re still replacing cotton and polyester blends all the time, and the options for recycling those materials are really limited,” Colin said. “It’s a huge opportunity—not just for CITY but for the whole industry. We need to step up.”

CITY is already a TRSA Clean Green certified facility, and has claimed the TRSA Clean Green Innovation winner title. CITY is a company that continues to lead with transparency, internal innovation, and a mindset that sees sustainability as an ongoing journey—not a destination.

To learn more about CITY’s sustainability initiatives, visit https://www.citycleanandsimple.com/sustainability/