Earth Month is a time that brings about conversations about eco-friendliness and the footprint we have on the environment, both personally and professionally. While the salon industry has historically been known to have a massive impact on the environment, it’s a concern that more salon owners and operators are growing aware of and being active about reducing.
According to Green Circle Salons, the salon industry in Canada and the U.S. generates nearly 900 pounds of waste per minute. With this in mind, more beauty pros are committing to being more environmentally friendly with their salon services and operations.
Knowing Your “Why”
While it is reported that 84 per cent of guests care about a salon’s environmental impact, business owners must also have a personal interest in implementing eco-friendly processes, outside of customer appeal, for them to become long-term commitments.
“I believe in creating a company that is good for the people, good for the earth and good for my well-being,” says Victoria Radford, owner of Radford Studio in Toronto, who’s implemented a checklist of sustainability-focused measures that her and her staff follow to keep the salon accountable to the goals they have set as a team.
“They need to be real alternatives and not just alternatives that present themselves as something that will be good for your marketing,” she says. “They need to be real positives that actually are better for the environment.”
Similarly, Heidi Epp and Aly McRae, co- owners of Refinery House in Chilliwack, B.C., have had an environment-first approach from the onset of their business, which opened eight years ago.
“It’s a mentality of long-term thinking,” says McRae. “What are the things that we need to do for us all to survive—literally and figuratively—for as long as possible, happily and healthily, together?’”
“It’s a shift for us from a model of independence to a model of interdependence,” adds Epp. “For us to have a sustainable model, we have to recognize the way we’re impacting each other. And if we can do that in a way that creates trust and interdependence, then we have a more sustainable model moving forward.”
“THAT’S WHAT DRIVES ME— I BELIEVE THAT IT CAN BE DIFFERENT. I BELIEVE IT CAN BE BETTER. AND I’M COMMITTED TO THAT.”—VICTORIA RADFORD, OWNER, RADFORD STUDIO, TORONTO
Starting Small
For those looking to get started, Francesca Rizzuto of Lineage House in Winnipeg recommends starting simple.
“One of our main things is that everything needs to be unplugged at night. We don’t leave anything plugged in when we leave,” she says. “You
would be surprised how much [energy] leaving small appliances or tools plugged in uses.” Starting with smaller, simpler practices like this can be more approachable for business owners looking to dive into sustainability as it requires no capital investment and can save energy and money for the company in both the short and long term.
Epp seconds this, adding that business owners shouldn’t underestimate the power of small changes: “Being mindful of electricity usage, the way your faucets are or the kind of cleaner you’re using are the small steps along the way that get to the long term,” she says. “It’s those small tweaks that shift the direction of our businesses and our world.”
While simple measures like this can be a good place to start, continuing to implement larger practices can be both difficult and costly. There are programs available, such as Green Circle Salons, that can make the process much easier to manage waste in your salon. The program is currently used by more than 16,000 members (a.k.a. “waste warriors”) across North America and “empowers salons to offset their emissions and recover up to 95 per cent of their beauty waste.” This waste includes previously unrecoverable materials and hard-to-recycle items like hair clippings, foils, excess hair colour, aerosol cans and colour tubes.
Rizzuto’s salon has incorporated Green Circle’s recycling program and she notes that it often drives client interest within the salon, spurring questions about why materials are being separated and leading to larger conversations about sustainability within their space and the ability to educate customers about the impact of these types of programs.
The Power of Partnership
Looking to your partners can also be a great way to leverage the work and knowledge that is already in place. “I love collaborating—every single inch of my business is some kind of collaboration,” says Radford. “I love partnering with like-minded people, and then ultimately creating something better than I could ever create on my own.”
Radford and L’Oréal Professionnel are teaming up to create the first eco-salon in Canada. Located in Toronto’s Yorkville Village, Radford’s new salon will utilize the new L’Oréal Water Saver system, which is the company’s latest innovation in water efficiency that saves nearly 70 per cent of the water used at washbasins. The salon will also be implementing low-emitting materials and furniture and a complete LED lighting system throughout the space.
Alongside this, looking for partners outside of the traditional realm can be a great way to leverage the power of collaboration. Before starting Lineage House, Rizzuto discovered Kevin.Murphy had a refill program and was able to help her salon implement this program for its customers.
Since then, the salon has seen a massive uptick in customers purchasing products from the salon and, even better, reported that nearly 90 per cent of clients return regularly to take advantage of the refill program. She notes that even some outside customers participate in the program, which has become an additional revenue driver for them.
“IN OUR EXPERIENCE, IT HAS BEEN FINANCIALLY WORTHWHILE TO CREATE THIS BUSINESS MODEL.”— ALY MCRAE, CO-OWNER, REFINERY HOUSE, CHILLIWACK, B.C.
The Bottom Line
Being environmentally conscious doesn’t come without a cost, though. Implementing these eco-friendly systems and practices can have a significant impact on salons’ margins and bottom lines. Radford notes that while customers often aren’t aware of the practices put in place and they aren’t used as a selling feature for her business, they absolutely have an impact on her bottom line.
As a business owner, there is an understanding that some costs will need to be incurred that will impact your margins. However, don’t be afraid to pass some of the cost onto customers by raising rates slightly or implementing an eco-fee to help offset some of the additional costs associated with being sustainable in the salon.
“We call it an e-fee,” says McRae. “How we explain it to staff and clients is that it’s a fee attached to our tickets that [contributes to] the ongoing education and sustainable efforts of the business broadly.”
“This budget is specifically used for and accountable in spending in terms of environmental efforts, as well as education efforts,” adds Epp. “By no means does it cover all of the things that we do—that would be nice – but it helps for sure.”
The Bigger Picture
Sustainability is not just eco-friendliness. It also refers to the longevity of the practices in terms of their lifespan. This could include your employees, materials and even your business itself. One way to do this is through a broader commitment, such as B-Corp Certification.
“We recently recertified for a B Corp,” says McRae. “What that means is we comb through all of the facets of the business. We’ve been able to demonstrate ways that we creatively impact our communities, our employees and, in fact, the world around us. It also impacts things like ongoing education opportunities, investing in advanced education for our employees and our team, very specifically looking at opportunities for them to increase their skill sets in ways that create sustainability and diverse opportunities for them in the future, both within our company and outside our company.”
B Corp Certification measures a company’s entire social and environmental impact, and those who earn the certification are known to be leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy. It is an extensive process but one that those new to the sustainability space might consider using as a goal for the future.
The Next Step
For true leaders, it’s not just about implementing sustainability practices within their own businesses—it’s about advocating for better industry practices moving forward and bringing others along on the journey with them.As salon owners continue to work towards a more environmentally friendly industry, it’s crucial to remember what they have already accomplished and how far there is to go.
“We can sincerely say, this is something that we started at the outset because of values that Aly and I share,” says Epp. “As we move forward into the next eight to 10 years, we’re going to be challenging the way the industry understands beauty.”
Environmental Impact
Learn how professional beauty manufacturers are making positive changes to their business practices, packaging and ingredients to care for the planet.
L’Oréal Group
The L’Oréal Group is committed to reducing the use of plastic in its packaging by using recycled materials, reducing intensity of packaging, using materials from renewable sources as much as possible and limiting its single-use packaging with refillable options. By next year, 100 per cent of its plastic packaging will be refillable, rechargeable, recyclable or compostable. The company is also working on its goal of having plastic that’s 100 per cent from recycled or bio-based sources by 2030 (and will reach 50 per cent in 2025).
L’Oréal Professional Products Division has also launched Hairstylists for the Future, a sustainability program to assist its salons and hairstylists in their eco-friendly journeys by helping to improve waste management, reduce water consumption and use renewable energy.
Wella Company
As an update to its commitment to the environment, Wella Company published its first Environmental and Social Impact Report last year for 2022, which recorded key global achievements across its pillars: people, planet and products. For scope one and two in carbon emissions, the company reduced them by 10 per cent and achieved zero waste to landfill in its operations. Wella registered a 5.5 per cent savings in water withdrawn per unit, produced in three of its factories in Mexico, Germany and Thailand. The company also achieved 98.85 per cent of non-animal derived ingredients in its factories and 77 per cent of recyclable, refillable or reusable packaging (with a goal of 100 per cent by 2030).
Green Circle Salons
Green Circle Salons reached an impressive milestone last year, collecting 10 million pounds of beauty waste since the company started in 2009, thanks to its network of more than 16,000 “waste warriors.” In August 2023, the company achieved The Carbon Trust Standard for Zero Waste to Landfill, which means no non-hazardous waste was sent to landfills for incineration without energy recovery. This certification is valid for two years and marks the third time that Green Circle has been recognized. In addition to its recycling programs, Green Circle provides its partners with annual waste diversion certificates, consumer take-back programs, responsible material destruction for expired materials and education on sustainability and waste diversion.
Aveda
In addition to its 100 per cent vegan ingredients, B Corp Certification and other sustainability efforts, Aveda is continuing its mission to care for the world while also finding ways to give back. The company has partnerships with more than 100 global nonprofits and NGOs, which fall into three categories: providing clean and safe drinking water, mission partnerships that address some of the biggest issues faced by our planet and additional partnerships, such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for cruelty-free research and Audubon Minnesota and University of Minnesota Bee Squad.
Davines
In addition to its circular approach to sustainability, B Corp Certification and other initiatives to further its commitment
to the planet, Davines has partnered with 1% for the Planet, an organization that connects businesses to environmental nonprofit organizations, to put one per cent of every purchase made on the Davines website toward a donation to a charity that’s working on bettering the planet and communities.
Intelligent Nutrients
Founded by renowned hairstylist Horst Rechelbacher—who shared his love for the healing power of plants with his daughter, Nicole, and longtime partner, Kiran Stordalen, who both now co-own the brand—Intelligent Nutrients (I-N) offers active, plant-derived ingredients that are cruelty-free and responsibly produced to minimize its impact on the environment. I-N sources more than 225 plant-based ingredients from around the world, uses biodegradable, biocompatible and plant-based ingredients whenever possible to reduce the toxic burden on the planet and requires that 90 per cent of its ingredient library be comprised of plant-based ingredients, such as butters, waxes, emollients, beads and seed oils. The brand uses 90 per cent post-consumer recycled (PCR) HDPE plastic bottles and 100 per cent PCR paper for its sample pouches, which are also certified by Green-e, a renewable energy program that allows the brand to participate in and purchase wind energy.
Kevin.Murphy
As part of its continued commitment to the environment, Kevin.Murphy has partnered with Reforest’Action, an organization that deals with global environmental issues like global warming and the erosion of biodiversity. Kevin.Murphy has committed to planting 21,000 trees in forests across the United Kingdom as a response to the climate emergency.
Comments are closed.