5 minute read
TAKE A MINUTE - Paul Frasca
THE MODERN Eco-Warrior
Sustainability in salons is a movement that is escalating in the beauty industry as owners race to Go Green. One of those leading the change is Paul Frasca, Founder of Sustainable Salons, who reveals how the movement is gaining momentum and why it has been a cause close to his heart for more than 20 years. By Anita Quade
The moment that changed my life and started my sustainability journey was when…
“I moved to Amsterdam in 2002 and ended up living there for the next eight years and after a few years of living in Amsterdam I met my partner Ewelina. I was just working in a hair salon, coming up with all my crazy ideas about what I wanted to do with my life and I talked to my partner who was studying fashion sustainability and it really blew my mind about all the supply chain issues of waste etc. I remember thinking about the damage it was doing to the planet. I thought what is happening in the hair industry? I went back to my salon and looked at all the waste that was going on the floor and wondered why no-one was trying to solve this problem.”
I became more serious about the cause when I moved to Australia...
“We moved to Australia in 2011 and set out on a journey to study salons waste and wrote a detailed report. We found that this problem was far deeper than what we thought and realised that we have to build something that is more than recycling, we have to build something under the banner of sustainability which is people, planet and profit and that is really what set us off on a journey of discovery.”
We’ve come so far since then at Sustainable Salons am so proud because...
“Today we have 1200 members in our program that are a reflection of who we are – people that care about the planet, that love business and also want to make sure they are taking care of the people in our community.”
I would say Sustainability is so close to my heart because of…
“My partner - she really woke me up to the importance of sustainability. Before that I grew up on a farm where we were growing roses, we lived off the farm - we had chickens and olives, so as an Italian boy growing up our weekends were spent making salami or pasta, so I grew up understanding the importance of the land – from that and meeting my partner its been a passion project ever since.”
I think the one thing the beauty industry can start doing immediately is…
“Asking why? Why are we as an industry not embracing sustainability? why are we not an industry producing product lines and essentials that we use every day in our business more environmentally friendly? Meaning why are these materials being made to just be one use and you can’t even recycle it after use. Why are brands not embracing the conscious consumer who is demanding product lines to have better packaging and better natural ingredients?. Organisations like Sustainable Salons can come in and provide you with the platform needed to elevate your beauty salon to a new level for the conscious consumer.”
In my experience everything comes from the top down this is important because…
“If the CEO is not on board with sustainability and with the future of where the conscious consumer is moving as a brand then they are going to find it really hard to catch up later. I like to give this analogy – everyone was laughing at Tesler 10 years ago saying this is not the future, we are a well established car industry with diesel and unleaded – it’s impossible. The reality is that its not that Tesler was bigger than the car companies it was that Tesler understood the consumer. They allowed people to put $1,000 deposit on a car before it was made - most knew it would take many years. Over 600,000 people worldwide put that deposit down so that shows they had a customer base even before the car was made – no car company had ever seen that before. There is an epic market out there today called the conscious consumer who is waiting for their favourite brands to switch and if they don’t switch the customer will go elsewhere.”
My proudest achievement is really just…
“Having the courage to take a leap into this sustainable world – it wasn’t easy for us to take a huge risk in our lives to set up Sustainable Salons, so I am proud of that. I have to thank the first adopters of Sustainable Salons who took that leap with us to come along the journey.”
There are many pinch myself moments on reflection but a standout is when…
“We put on our charity events. One of the biggest is the Eat, Shop and Chop event - there are 500 people including homeless, refugees etc that come along to our shelters and we provide free haircuts, beauty services and products you can take home. I do pinch myself and say to my partner look at what we created.”
On my journey I look back 20 years ago and see…
“We got really entrenched in this but no-one else was so onboard at that time, so we felt quite silly. We had to lay it out in a certain platform that people could digest easier. Everyone wants to see blue skies and clean oceans – if you don’t there must be something wrong with you.”
There are so many plans going forward but the main goal is…
“To pivot the company into a tech company and what that means is that we are becoming tech. All aspects of the company are going to be driven through platforms that offer everything you expect today from technology. It will be one click here and you should be able to do most of the things you need to do with us through that platform. Our next big thing outside of that is to grow our organisation to be accessible anywhere, anytime both here and in New Zealand.”
My advice to beauty salons looking to be more environmentally aware is…
“Just make that leap and just say ‘I am going to plug this into my world. I want to be plugged into the conscious consumer’. Be loud about it and make your voice heard.”
Three things that sum me up are…
“I never give up, I’m future thinking and grounded.”
Professional Beauty magazine had the honour of hosting Paul Frasca as guest speaker at the first of our breakfast series titled Sustainable Beauty in May. To find out more about how you can go green check out: www.sustainblesalonsanz.com
