Why eco is the way to go

Promotion – Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure Clean Performance

For many, it was the turtles. When Blue Planet II aired five years ago, taking action to minimise the impact of plastic pollution and climate change suddenly switched from being a ‘nice’ thing to do to a necessity for millions of people across the UK and Ireland.

The reality of our current ecological situation was brought into sharp focus, and the damage twenty-first century throwaway culture causes simply couldn’t be ignored any longer. Laws changed (bye bye plastic straws and cotton buds); shopping and travel habits shifted away from single-use bottles, fast fashion and diesel cars; and vegetarian and vegan lifestyles were adopted en masse in an effort to reduce the rapidly rising global temperatures being recorded year after year. And then… Covid struck.

Suddenly, reusing and ride-sharing was off the table and public health demanded that tonnes of protective plastics were reintroduced to circulation. Used PPE and packaging began to pile up (with over 75 per cent of the five tonnes of plastic the UK uses annually now ending up as waste) and although normal life appeared to be on pause, the climate crisis continued to advance. As a result, in 2022 the demand and need for eco-friendly personal and business practices is higher than ever, making improving your salon sustainability not only a sound ethical choice, but an economically savvy one too.

CUSTOMERS, BRANDS AND COMPETITORS ARE ON BOARD

It’s not a fad and to put it simply, if you’re not taking the steps to make your salon or barber shop cleaner, greener and more sustainable, you’re going to get left behind! Across the board, the world’s biggest haircare, styling and colour brands are investing millions of pounds and making changes to both their packaging and the way they work… and customers are taking notice.

Davines, Kao Salon Division and Great Lengths extensions are among the names who have worked to achieve B Corp status (certifying their ongoing commitment to societal and environmental change) and L’Oréal Professional Paris, Paul Mitchell, Aveda, weDo/ and more are scaling back on plastic packaging, while upping their renewable energy usage and recyclability. Clients are actively looking for businesses on a global and local scale who can demonstrate they are eco-conscious, and are opting for clean and vegan products and services like Schwarzkopf Professional’s Bonacure Clean Performance line. YouGov data shows approximately 10 per cent of the UK population is now vegan or vegetarian and those same people (and then some!) are taking their spending power to places where their hair experience will have the least environmental impact. If you’re not aligned with their green ethos, be warned: before too long, even previously loyal customers will very likely take their business elsewhere.

IT CAN SAVE YOU MONEY

It’s natural to think that switching the way your salon operates will be a lengthy, complicated and expensive process, so you may be surprised to learn that making small, progressive changes could actually save you money (and not just in the long run). Minor salon sustainability swaps, such as replacing energy-guzzling towel washing routines with biodegradable alternatives and reconsidering your energy supplier can cut your operating costs as well as your carbon output.

Plus, reassessing how much you buy and chuck away can be transformative. Tools like Vish can reduce colour wastage (and your net spend), whereas offering product refills on the retail front can remove the need to devote as much space to stock and storage. Upcycling, as well as offering another creative outlet, can provide fantastic furniture and interior talking points too.

YOU’LL BE BROADENING YOUR POTENTIAL CLIENT BASE

As well as helping you hold onto existing clients who are becoming increasingly eco-conscious, improving your salon sustainability has the power to attract a whole host of new customers. In the shadow of the Cop26 summit in late 2021, 40 per cent of Britons said the environment was of major concern to them (marginally behind only health and the economy in shaping their day-to-day living), showing that those with or adopting a green way of thinking are now far from a minority.  Seize the opportunity, for the benefit of the planet and your bottom line, and get them to spend with you!

Ready to clean up your business, but not sure where to start? We’ve just the thing. Check out our two-part guide to making easy green changes in your salon >