In a perfect world, every salon and spa owner would have a completely environmentally sustainable business. The truth is business owners face a number of challenges to achieving a neutral eco-footprint. From budget constraints to services that at their core, are not eco-friendly, a neutral eco-footprint is an uphill battle for many salon or spa owners. Fortunately, business owners do not have to make drastic transformational changes to limit their impact on the environment.
Taking a green approach
Becoming an eco-friendly beauty business will not happen overnight, but salon and spa owners can take steps to start small and early. Doing so can eventually yield substantial business-wide results if there is a commitment to strategies from your entire team. Consider the following when taking your first sustainability steps:
- Be a resource: To avoid the potential of green-washing or misrepresenting the environmental impact of a product, business or service, salon and spa owners should work to understand the reasoning behind their sustainability efforts. Having a nuanced understanding of the steps your beauty business is taking and what they mean will also help answer client’s sustainability questions as a salon or spa’s green efforts become more important to their decision-making.
- Adopt technology: Technology can not only benefit your salon from an organizational perspective, it can also help limit the use of paper for items such as receipts, appointment reminders, client records and more. Marketing efforts and materials can also go fully digital, while potentially reaching more people and gaining more exposure through email and social media.
- Consider your products: A truly sustainable beauty business should also consider the products it uses and sells. Salon and spa owners should research their products to find those made with recyclable packaging, sustainable ingredients and more. Thoughtful research and fact-checking of the products and the companies that sell them will also help minimize the chance of selling green-washed merchandise.
Cutting waste
According to data from Green Circle Salons, the U.S. and Canadian salon industry produces approximately 877 pounds of waste per minute. The data also states the top waste contributors are metals, hair clippings and hair coloring. To run more sustainable businesses, waste can be a tangible, cost-effective place to start making a difference.
Many salons and spas already operate with or have access to a recycling program through their local municipality. Such programs allow waste to be reused for other purposes. In most cases, however, such programs are limited to paper, plastic, glass and some metals. Salon and spa owners can go a step further by exploring specialized recycling programs that cater to the industry. Hair clippings, as just one example, can be used to create mats for oil spills. In addition to recycling programs, salons and spas should evaluate how they can reduce their overall waste by using refillable products or limiting paper products such as paper towels.
Small steps taken to make your salon or spa more sustainable might seem insignificant, but when combined with other efforts over time, these efforts can make a big impact. Beginning with manageable, practical eco-friendly efforts like technology adoption can also make it easier for team members to commit to new policies, participate in recycling programs, offer paper-less options to clients and sell new, environmentally friendly products. Consider evaluating how your salon or spa is approaching sustainability and where little adjustments can help reduce your eco-footprint.
Kathy Lopez, Account Manager for SASSI, the Salon and Spa Specialty Insurance program at Brownyard Group. She can be reached at klopez@brownyard.com.
