Where margin pressure is building - and how to stay ahead

If you weren’t able to join our recent webinar, we wanted to share a clear view of what’s changing and what it means for your contracts and margins.
We heard directly from Metsä Tissue, Polyco Healthline, Cromwell Polythene Ltd, and Selden Research Ltd, alongside our own perspective at Foremost.

Across paper, plastics, PPE, and logistics, costs and availability are shifting at the same time. For many cleaning companies, that pressure isn’t always visible immediately; it’s starting to show where contracts were priced months ago, and no longer reflect the cost to deliver today. 

Most suppliers expect this to continue in the near term. The challenge isn’t just the movement itself, but how quickly it’s reflected commercially. What we consistently see is that margin isn’t lost when costs move; it’s lost in the gap between cost change and response.

That gap tends to build quietly: client conversations happen later than they should, pricing adjustments are delayed, or diluted decisions become reactive once pressure is already there. 

By that point, options are more limited.

Those maintaining control are taking a more proactive approach - opening earlier, evidence-led conversations with clients, reviewing product specifications and usage before costs fully land, and managing ordering carefully to avoid unnecessary pressure on supply.