With so many businesses focusing on making eco-friendly changes, now is a good time to get involved.
If you’re wondering how you can make a salon an environmentally conscious business, here are a few tips:
- Start Small
One simple change to make is to examine your disposable tools and consider if you can replace them with more eco-friendly, ethical versions. Cotton can be problematic, so it’s worth looking at your cotton wool, cotton buds, tissues, couch roll, and toilet roll. Look for companies that deal with organic and fair-trade cotton products if you can. It’s a small step in the right direction.
- Reduce Plastic Waste
Many of us are reducing plastic in our day-to-day lives, so this is another simple step to take. If you have a water dispenser, for example, you can switch to recyclable cups. You can also make a difference by making it easy for staff and clients to recycle, by having clearly marked recycling bins in place.
- Swap Out Magazines
Magazines go out of date very quickly, and you’ll end up recycling them much more quickly than you would books – so why not invest in a selection of books over time for your clients to flick through? Travel books, fashion books, cookbooks and kids’ books are all great choices.
- Think About Lighting
It’s a quick swap that could make a difference over time – swap out your light bulbs for LED versions instead. Better for the planet, and easy to do.
- Reduce Your Washing
Towels and linens require frequent washing, which uses up a lot of energy. Look for single-use biodegradable towels and linens – while these sound expensive, you’ll save money on washing costs, and there will be less micro-fibres in the water system as a result.
- Go Paper-Free
With so many businesses harnessing the power of social media, now is the time to step up your game in terms of eliminating paper from your business. While it’s handy to have printed brochures and business cards around, you can use biodegradable paper and vegetable-based inks to make this a more environmentally conscious choice. Instead of printing hundreds of leaflets to post through your local area, invest that money in social media advertising instead. Facebook advertising can be very effective.
- Reuse Everything
Not everything can be reused, but a lot of things can. For example, old towels can be cut up to be used as cleaning cloths. You can get creative, so that you can get the maximum use out of everything.
- Look at Product Ingredients
While this might sound like a chore, it’s worth examining the ingredients of the products you use. These products will be eventually washed away – they don’t just disappear (which is why the war on micro-plastics in facial scrubs was a big thing a little while ago). Look at choosing ocean-friendly options with natural ingredients.
Make Your Spa Eco Friendly
You can also consider how these ingredients are sourced. Where does the manufacturer get the raw materials for these products, and are the workers being paid fairly? These are great questions to ask, so you can invest your money into manufacturers that are committed to fair trade.