While the beauty industry hasn’t always been the most environmentally friendly of industries, over the years, beauty practitioners have found new innovative ways to put sustainability at the forefront of their business. As a beauty salon owner, you can work on your environmental and social impact as a business. Here are 5 tips to get started on making your beauty business more sustainable.
- Choose sustainable products
Going back to the source of your products is a great way to check your salon’s sustainability. Whether you’re restocking on acrylic nail sets or hair dyes, getting in touch with your suppliers to discuss how they’re also doing their bit for the environment means you can evaluate which companies you want to continue to work with. You can also make suggestions to your suppliers like asking them not to send products in plastic bags. The more suppliers hear feedback like this, the more they’re likely to address overly wasteful packaging and packing materials.
- Cut down on plastic
Following the UK government’s imminent ban on single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays, you can also do your bit in the salon. Why not completely remove single-use plastic and instead bring in recyclable paper cups for your clients? Many states in the US are also introducing single-use plastic bans, encouraging reusable shopping bags, and the like.
Being on top of these movements means you’ll be ahead of your competition, and also doing your part toward helping the environment.
- Recycle what you can
An easy place to start making your salon more sustainable is to encourage recycling. Adding recycling bins for paper, glass, plastics, hair-colouring tubes and foils will prompt both customers and staff to throw away their rubbish in the correct place. If you’re lucky enough to be the owner of a spa, an innovative way to recycle old towels and linens is to cut them up into cleansing mitts! Genius.
- Swap out simple things
Sometimes it’s the smallest changes that make the biggest impact. Simple swaps like changing all your light bulbs to energy-saving LED lightbulbs or switching out your monthly magazines for hardback books that instead promote a healthy mindset instead of celebrity gossip, are all a step in the right direction. Offer coffee to customers in actual coffee cups, versus disposable ones.
- Build partnerships with other organisations
By partnering your salon with sustainable charities and organisations, you can not only give back and support the movement towards a sustainable future with your business, but you can also help your clients do their bit for the environment as well. No doubt they’ll feel even better knowing they have done their bit just by visiting you! A great example of a typical sustainable organisation is working with restaurants to plant trees in developing countries – brilliant for offsetting the environmental impact of your business.
If you’re a salon owner looking to become more sustainable and do your bit for the environment, these easily implementable tips will help you quickly get on the right track. From simple swaps in your salon to going directly to your suppliers to check they’re also working on their environmental impact; you’ll feel like you’re making big changes in your salon almost immediately.
