Reflecting on the Year at Aberdeen Laundry Services
As we look back on 2025 at ALS, we’re proud of how far we’ve come – and even more proud of the people who made it happen. At the start of the year, our ambition was clear: continue our values led approach to business growth, focusing on our people, community and environment while maintaining the high standards of service and care for which we’re known.
With roots stretching back to 1898 and formal incorporation in 2008, we’ve grown through strategic acquisitions and investments. The past year has been no different – in fact, it’s been our most transformative year yet and we are a proud to expand our reach nationally, while retaining local roots.
Growth & Progress
Over the past year, our expert team of 100+ professionals has continued to grow, and we’ve expanded our service coverage and capacity, supporting a broader set of clients from hospitality and healthcare to public sector, workwear, education, and beyond.
As our name suggests, our origins are centred in Aberdeen, but our strategic acquisitions and partnerships have enabled us to expand across and beyond Scotland: becoming a national textiles services provider delivering unmatched excellence and reliability to our diverse clientele. We continue to be committed to innovating with integrity, sustainability, and care for our people, environment, and community, and as we progress into 2026, we will ensure our reputation of high-quality service, reliability and trust continues.
Environmental Achievements: Leading from the Front
This year saw several major upgrades to our operations, with investments in technology, machinery, people, and processes that dramatically improved our environmental and operational performance. The results speak for themselves and can be seen through our latest Impact reports (watch out for our latest Impact report coming Spring 2026!).
These operational improvements mean we deliver more efficient, reliable, and sustainable laundry services for clients who care about environmental impact as much as we do.
A Landmark Achievement: Carbon Neutral, 15 Years Early
The story that defines 2025 is one of ambition meeting action. We set ourselves a Net Zero target to be carbon neutral by 2040. But throughout this year, as we invested in new technology and people, optimised our processes, and worked with partners across our supply chain, something remarkable happened: we realised we could achieve carbon neutrality not in 2040, but now.
In late 2025, Aberdeen Laundry Services became the first commercial laundry operation in the United Kingdom to achieve independently verified carbon neutrality certification under ISO 14068-1 and ISO 14064-1 standards – fifteen years ahead of schedule.
Whilst we await (and invest!) in technological advances, we took the decision to purchasing offsetting with Carbon Neutral Britain – ensuring our offsets were in line with the UN framework convention on climate change, verified Carbon Standard and Verra standard (focused on quality), and gold standard for global goals (emphasising Sustainable Development Goals alongside climate). Our 1800.00 Tonnes CO₂e Emissions Certificate of Credit Retirement is via the Climate Fund™ Portfolio of verified carbon offsetting projects around the world.
All this to say, this was genuine transformation. We fundamentally changed how we operate, invested in renewable energy, optimised every aspect of our processes, and worked with suppliers who share our values. Every milestone was rigorously verified by third-party certification bodies including NQA Certification and Carbon Neutral Britain.
As our Group Marketing & Stakeholder Communications Manager, Steven Burnett, puts it: this wasn’t about boardroom targets – it was about a team that refused to accept “industry standard” as good enough.
Recognition & Industry Leadership
Our commitment to responsible business practices earned recognition from across the industry and beyond. Adding to our existing portfolio of accreditations and recognition, 2025 brought us:
- February 2025: EcoVadis Silver Rating – Placing us in the top 25% of businesses globally for sustainability performance
- August 2025: Infinite Textiles Standard Accreditation – Among the first in Scotland’s textile services sector
- October 2025: ISO 14064-1 and ISO 14068-1 certifications – Independently verified carbon accounting and carbon neutrality
- November 2024: LADA Responsible Business Award – recognising our comprehensive approach to corporate social responsibility and measurable impact across environmental, social, and governance metrics.
While we’re honoured to receive and achieve these accolades, our commitment expands far beyond certifications and awards. Whilst they certainly validate the momentum being built, the focus remains aligning our expansion with core values of integrity, customer focus, innovation and sustainability.
Academic Partnerships & Innovation
We’ve continued to strengthened relationships with Scotland’s leading institutions, welcoming new talent, research and innovation. Partnerships have included:
- KTP-UKRI Research Projects with University of West Scotland. One on boiler efficiency, the other focusing on digital transformation.
- Industrial placements with University of Dundee for engineering and business management students
- Digital transformation collaboration with Heriot-Watt University
People & Workplace Well-being
Behind every certification and every percentage improvement is our team. As part of our ongoing commitment to the people who make ALS what it is, we are proud to be an Accredited Living Wage Scotland employer. This year we were invited to support the team at Aberdeenshire council as part of Challenge Poverty Week – highlighting the benefits of being a supportive and inclusive workplace and the impact it has on people, processes, profits and above all else, communities we serve. This past year, we also:
- Ended zero-hour contracts – Introducing guaranteed minimum 30-hour weekly contracts for all core Laundry Operatives, providing income stability in a traditionally seasonal industry
- Invested in employee wellbeing – Free access to Unum Help@Hand (mental health support, remote GP appointments, 24/7 helpline, and financial support)
- Diversity as standard practice – Our team is 52% male and 48% female, representing 10 nationalities, with 49% identifying as part of a minority ethnic group. This diversity extends to leadership, with our senior management team representing five nationalities.
A happier, more secure workforce delivers cleaner, more careful work, better service, and greater consistency for our clients.
Community Impact: Beyond the Bottom Line
Our responsibility extends beyond our walls. ALS has provided £30,500 in charitable contributions to local causes, including a £30,000 non-monetary gift to a homeless support charity. This initiative facilitated over 12,000 overnight stays, equating to £360,000 in quantified social value – representing safety, shelter, and restored dignity for vulnerable community members.
Additionally:
- 43% of our supplier enterprises are local businesses
- 45% of financial spend remains within the local economy
- Continued sponsorship of the Applications of Mathematics Award at Northfield Academy
- £40,000 committed to hire a Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate to drive digital transformation
What This Means for Our Partners
By investing heavily in both people and processes, ALS delivers tangible benefits to partner organisations:
- Faster turnaround times due to improved operational efficiency – without compromising on quality or sustainability
- Reliable, hygienic textile services with full compliance (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, HTM 01-04, and more)
- A responsible, transparent supply-chain partner – helping clients reduce their own carbon footprint and meet sustainability targets
- Consistently high-quality service driven by a stable, well-treated, and motivated workforce
When you partner with us, you’re not just outsourcing laundry – you’re investing in excellence, sustainability, and people.
Looking Forward: Building on Success
As we move into 2026, we’re not resting on our achievements. Our commitments include:
- Maintaining carbon neutrality while continuing to reduce absolute emissions
- Achieving 50% local supplier participation by 2030
- Solar integration across all facilities
- Development of a Site Health Index for more granular environmental impact reporting
- Expanded community engagement programmes and exploration of industry apprenticeship opportunities
A Heartfelt Thank You
As we draw the curtain on another remarkable year, we – the leadership team – want to express our heartfelt gratitude to every member of the ALS family.
Thank you to our colleagues who show up every day with dedication and pride. Thank you to our clients who trust us with their textile services and support our sustainability journey. Thank you to our partners, suppliers, investors, and local organisations who collaborate with us to make a difference.
Your commitment to high standards, innovation, sustainability, and care is exactly what powers our progress. Because of you, we’re not just cleaning linen – we’re raising the bar for what a service provider can be.
Here’s to another year of growth, impact, and great service, together.
