What is a Sustainable Beauty Salon?

Sustainability and eco-friendliness have been buzzwords in the beauty industry for over a decade. However, “going green” should be more than just a trend, but a responsibility towards our planet. Different organizations and sectors are striving to take steps towards improving their sustainability—and the beauty industry is no exception.

A sustainable salon is a salon that promotes “green” or eco-friendly choices every step of the way. It starts with, but is not limited to, improving waste management, reducing water and energy usage, and lowering the eco salon’s overall carbon footprint.

As consumers become more conscious about the environmental impacts of the services and products they consume, the demand for sustainable beauty salons will continue to rise. The key to raising the popularity of eco salons even higher is through increasing environmental awareness.

Now… Let’s learn more about what sustainable beauty salons are and why you should choose one for your next appointment.

Sustainable Beauty Salons

A sustainable beauty salon offers its services in environment-friendly ways—from start to finish. It is proactive in its efforts. A sustainable salon doesn’t stop at simply recycling wastes, but aims to create less waste in the first place. Cleaning the salon furniture using eco-friendly salon cleaners, swapping cotton towels for eco salon towels, implementing innovative solutions to save water, and reducing electricity use are all ways a sustainable salon works towards “greening” its services. Sustainable salons are evidence that the beauty industry is trying to become more climate and environmentally positive.

It is estimated that in the next 20-30 years, ensuring clean air and water will be the biggest challenge the human race will be facing. There is no denying that we can and should make changes in our lifestyles now to get a head start on tackling this challenge. Choosing a sustainable salon isn’t an option anymore but an obligation to preserve natural resources and safeguard the planet for the future.

By opting for eco salons, you empower yourself with the ability to directly influence the environmental impact of your beauty routines. Every time you step into a salon for a haircut or a color treatment, your choice contributes to steering your hair waste away from the burgeoning landfills. With the green beauty movement gaining momentum, there’s an ever-increasing number of sustainable salons welcoming clients. This is the perfect opportunity for you to align your personal grooming needs with your eco-conscious values. Choosing an eco salon is a multi-faceted win: not only do you leave with a stunning new look, but you also play an active part in minimizing waste and bolstering the holistic beauty movement that’s set on preserving our planet. It’s a tangible way to marry style with sustainability, ensuring that your beauty routine contributes positively to the environment and supports the growth of eco-minded practices within the beauty industry.

 

 

Sustainable Beauty Salon Programs

Green Circle Salon

Shane Price, CEO of Green Circle Salons, started the movement with one motto in his heart: to make beauty beautiful. To revolutionize the waste management of the beauty industry, he launched Green Circle Salons, the world’s first sustainable salon solution. To this day, Green Circle Salons recycles and repurposes up to 95% of the salon’s beauty waste, including hair clippings, used foils, color tubes, excess hair color, and more. There are currently over 2,077 Green Circle Certified eco salons across America, and you can quickly and easily locate a sustainable salon near you using their salon directory.

Since 2009, the company has managed to keep 7,027,160 lbs. of beauty waste out of landfills and waterways—and that number continues to grow. They have over 16,000 waste warriors who have pledged to keep the planet beautiful. Green Circle Salons’ approach offers a proven method of recovering and repurposing waste that makes sense for the industry. Rather than charging separate fees for waste removal by type, a general environmental stewardship fee is paid by the salon. Then, this fee is built into the final service ticket for each guest at an average of $1-$2. Customers know a portion goes to support these “greening” efforts, and it makes them feel good about the services they receive—inside and out.

Sustainable Salons

Sustainable Salons is the UK’s first comprehensive resource recovery program designed for the salon environment. It rewards salons and gives back to the community. Founded by Paul Frasca and Ewelina Soroko in 2015, Sustainable Salons specializes in collecting up to 95% of the salon waste bin and redirecting the materials for reuse, recycling, and repurposing.

The Sustainable Salons program began in hairdressing salons. There are now sustainable beauty salons, dermal clinics, barbers, and pet groomers in QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, SA, WA, and New Zealand. They provide consumers with an easy way to eliminate 95% of the negative impacts of their salon service at a cost less than a cup of coffee, simply by choosing a Sustainable Salons member salon. There are more than 950 Sustainable Salons members, and consumers can find one near them at:sustainablesalons.org/salon-locator.