How to make your hair & beauty business plastic free
We all want to do our bit for the environment. So it’s good news that single-use plastic will be banned in the EU from 2021 and cotton buds and plastic straws will be banned in the UK from next year.
But as a hair and beauty professional, the idea of making your business more sustainable can feel quite daunting, especially when many of your products come in plastic bottles. Here are seven easy tips for starting your plastic-free journey.
1. Offer product refills for customers
One simple way to reduce the amount of plastic waste you - and your customers - are producing is by offering product refills. All your client needs to do is bring their empty shampoo or conditioner bottle to your salon and you can top it up with the same product.
This refill service is becoming increasingly popular - both among salons and standalone businesses like Unpackaged - and is a way of showing your clients your commitment to being eco-friendly.
If you can’t offer refills, why not encourage customers to return their empty product bottles for recycling by giving them a discount on their next purchase.
“The thought of going 100% plastic-free can feel quite intimidating. So take small steps to make your business more sustainable”
2. Use plastic-free alternatives
From bamboo cotton buds to paper bags, there are lots of plastic salon essentials you can swap for ones made from sustainable material.
And a reduction in single-use plastic can’t come soon enough: according to research, plastic bottles can take 450 years to decompose.
3. Look at your plastic use across your whole business
Remember that plastic waste is not just caused by the hair and beauty products you use every day. Think about any other plastic waste your business might produce.
A good starting point is looking in your weekly business waste and recycling which should give you an idea as to what measures you could take to become more environmentally friendly.
Do you use disposable individual pots of milk for your tea and coffee? Replace these with large cartons. Instead of offering clients bottled water why not invest in a glass water dispenser and use glasses rather than disposable cups. You could also encourage clients to bring their own reusable cups for teas and coffees. And if you’re offering individual biscuits wrapped in plastic, give your snacks an overhaul and look for products with no packaging.
You could also encourage clients to bring their own reusable cups for teas and coffees. And if you’re offering individual biscuits wrapped in plastic, give your snacks an overhaul and look for products with no packaging.
4. Stock up on refill packs
Opting for refill packs that use far less packaging is another great option for reducing your plastic consumption. We offer a huge range of refill packs for everything from wax to hand sanitiser, which is both kinder to the environment and your bank account.
5. Invest in a coat rack
Do you use plastic hangers for your customer’s coats? Why not invest in a coat rack - made from sustainable wood - that clients can hang their jackets on.
6. Recycle
Install a recycling bin in your salon for your staff to use. Also, make sure they know exactly what can and can’t be recycled and encourage them to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
7. Take it step by step
The thought of going 100% plastic-free can feel quite intimidating. So take small steps to make your business more sustainable. For example, reduce your plastic waste by opting for larger sizes of wax, shampoos and so on. Not only will you reduce the amount of plastic your business consumes, larger sizes often work out cheaper in the long run, so you’ll save money too.
