Robert Scott – the UK’s leading manufacturer and distributor of cleaning products and Europe’s largest manufacturer of mops – is the epitome of a Trailblazer.
Published: October 15th, 2025
5 min read
Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the company combines a deep heritage of innovation with a firm focus on leading its sector into a more sustainable and tech-focused future.
An innovator from the start, Robert Scott himself initially trained to become a lift engineer and brought those skills to the business his father had formed. This expertise enabled the company to build the first custom-made knitting and weaving machines of their like, giving it an early competitive advantage in terms of speed, quality and cost. With the concentration of mills on its doorstep in Oldham, Robert Scott identified the need for rags to clean the many tonnes of machinery producing oil, dirt and grime, and began to make wipers specifically for the machines.
The company has been a sustainability trailblazer from the start, with an early focus on recycling waste into new products. In its early years, the company re-used the yarn off-cuts and end-of-runs from the mills that surrounded it – something which would have otherwise been deemed wastage – turning them into mops by tying together the strands. This commitment stands to this day. Robert Scott has moved many of its core lines to 70%+ recycled content, saving over 300 tonnes of virgin plastic a year. Design changes to socket mops to reduce their profile, meanwhile, save another 150 tonnes of plastic. The company has also pledged to become carbon neutral by 2045, reducing its carbon emissions by 21% over the last four years alone.
Being one of the largest employers in its area, community has always been important to Robert Scott. The regard in which the company is held locally is demonstrated by loyalty and dedication of its employees. Out of a total of just over 200, an incredible 46 employees have been with the business for over 25 years and 18 for over 40 years. The company invests strongly in supporting its local community: in 2020, Robert Scott purpose built and financed a new school building for Bright Futures School for autistic children, right across the road from its HQ. This year, it has led in the redevelopment of an old Co-op shop next to its mill for converting into a junior boxing club and creative arts club for young people.
Today Robert Scott continues to leverage its years of expertise to maintain its position at the leading-edge of the UK cleaning industry. This includes being one of the first companies in the country to introduce advanced collaborative robotics (cobotics) into the market. It also includes Robert Scott’s innovative and highly sustainable Toucan Eco chemical-free cleaning system, which uses just water and salt to create an eco-friendly, multipurpose disinfectant solution. Looking forward, the company is committed to continuing to evolve its product range and ways of working to meet the future of the commercial cleaning sector.