2 minute read
Community 5 &10 Environment
SALON
SUSTAINABILITY!
As the fight against climate change intensifies, individuals and businesses are all having to do their bit to reduce their carbon footprint.
Salon owner Ina Ellis is certainly playing her part in this mission. Having run Zone Hair Advisers on Sidcup high street sustainably for the last 21 years, she has now teamed up with Green Salon Collective on a new venture that takes waste from salon owners and recycles, reuses or composts it.
Green Salon Collective already has the backing of several big brands, including cosmetics giant L’Oréal.
Ina explains: “In lockdown I had lots of time to think of new ideas and I wanted to do something that would help the environment. They now take waste from the salon and find a use for it. They use hair to clean up oil spills and we generate clean energy using discarded PPE and general waste. We recycle foil, plastic and paper and we even compost salon towels. We thank G.S.C and the support from Sidcup Partners.
G.S.C say: “Essentially, we’re trying to get hairdressers to run and manage their salons in a sustainable way. It’s a fantastic industry to work in but there’s a lot of unnecessary waste, with people pouring toxic hair colour down the sink and throwing hair cuttings in the bin. Our aim is to transform every piece of rubbish – or what people previously thought as rubbish – into something useful.” Green Salon Collective is also benefiting worthy causes in the community. All of the money raised from recycling the raw materials or new products made from the waste goes to local charities.
Members of the Green Salon Collective receive starter kits, marketing material, next-day collections and ongoing support.
Ina says: “G.S.C share useful education material on all matters regarding sustainability with the whole hairdressing industry. It’s good for your brand reputation if you act sustainably. They’ve developed unique accreditation programmes for salons and other businesses in the hair and beauty industry. Salons that achieve Green Salon Collective accreditation can demonstrate to their clients, staff and the wider industry that their business goes above and beyond when it comes to looking after people and the planet.”
Ina has also taken steps to reduce the carbon footprint of her own salon.
“We’ve changed a lot in recent years,” she says. “We’ve invested in eco heads that filter and reduce water flow, saving on unnecessary water usage and nowwe recycle 90% of our waste – even the hair.
