1. Upcycle & Recycle salon equipment and furniture. If you are starting out setting up a salon then look at sourcing pre-loved equipment and furnishings. Reduce landfill by buying second hand items that can be used as they are or repainted and upholstered to breathe a new lease of life into them.
2. Use eco friendly décor, recyclable, produced sustainably, locally sourced or caused no harm to animals during the production.
3. Use VOC free paint, VOC’s are known as Volatile Organic Compounds and are emitted as gas into the air. They are known to cause considerable health threats in those exposed, such as throat irritation, breathing issues, and possible carcinogenic effects in humans.
4. Install Solar Panels, if you are in a position too, then this can have not only environmental but financial benefits also.
5. Use energy saving light bulbs or LED lighting in all light fixtures, energy saving bulbs not only last longer they also use far less electricity. Using less electric helps to not only save the environment by reducing carbon emissions, reducing landfill but also saving money too!
6. Turn off lights when not in use or use motion sensors in rooms. Staff rooms, toilets and treatment rooms do not need to be lit during the full opening hours of the salon. Install motion sensors for even more efficiency.
7. Use dimmer switches in rooms where light can be adjusted. This allows lower energy consumption during use.
8. Unplug any electrical equipment when not in use. This reduces the consumption of energy, reduces your electric bill and can also preserve the life of any machinery.
9. Look for energy efficient equipment that has great energy ratings to preserve energy consumption. Computers, cleaning equipment, washing machines and salon equipment can all be checked and the most energy efficient items purchased.
10. Regulate temperature control during cold weather, radiators use more energy to heat from cold, keep them low during opening hours but high enough to maintain a comfortable working temperature.
11. Choose ceiling fans over air coolers during hot weather. Ceiling fans use less energy than air cooling units or air conditioning units.
12. Seal up windows and doors to prevent drafts and heat loss during colder weather. Look at all potential gaps or drafts coming in and seal them up, use draft seals around all external doors. Insulate loft space and look at cavity wall insulation to further prevent heat loss from your salon.
13. Implement water saving tactics and systems. How can your salon reduce the water consumption it uses? Replace shower heads with water saving heads, do not leave taps running apart from hand washing and pot washing.
14. Check your plumbing for leaks, fix dripping taps or leaking pipes. This can increase water consumption and increase your bills.
15. Install water recycling systems, great for flushing toilets or watering plants.
16. Wash towels efficiently, using energy saving settings on your washing machine and using the lowest heat setting for the load. Only use the washing machine with full loads.
17. Use eco friendly soaps and detergents when washing towels to reduce chemicals entering the water system.
18. Replace all cleaning products with eco friendly alternatives. Reduce chemical use in your salon by replacing all cleaning products with eco friendly items. Not only are they safer for the environment but are safe for human health too!
19. Put in recycling bins for paper, glass and plastic. Get your staff to recycle as much waste as possible. Check out what can be recycled in your salon and arrange recycling contracts with your local council or take the items to a local recycling centre.
20. Start a compost bin for unused food waste from staff lunches, coffee granules and cotton pads. Donate compost to local allotments.
21. Use proper glass or cups instead of using plastic or paper cups, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.
22. Use towels instead of cotton wool in facials. Use hot towels in pedicures instead of soaking the feet.
23. Replace towels with microfibre towels as they are quicker to dry between washes.
24. Replace plastic stemmed cotton buds with paper ones as these biodegrade quicker in landfill. Stems can also be recycled.
25. Use biodegradable alternatives for disposable items such as wax strips, gloves, aprons and other PPE.
26. Reduce the use of disposables such as bedroll and cotton pads by splitting them in half. Look at where you can reduce the amount of disposables used during treatments and train your staff to be conscious of how much product they use.
27. Only use cruelty free products, look at how they are produced and the company’s ethics to see if they are in line with your own beliefs. Make sure ingredients are ethically sourced and with minimal environmental damage.
28. Ensure products used and sold are in recyclable packaging, like hair colour tubes and skin care products. Make sure plastic is BPA and Phthalates free. Look for biodegradable packaging.
29. Offer a refill service for retail products to clients helping to reduce the amount of waste produced.
30. Use glass bottles in the salon that can be refilled. Reduce waste of salon product packaging and purchase in items in bulk.
31. Stock products with a negative carbon footprint. Look at where items are produced, how they are made and where they source ingredients.
32. Produce your own oxygen, place plants and shrubs around the salon to help counteract carbon emissions.
33. Invest in a water purification system instead of using bottled water for clients.
34. Use ethically, vegan or locally sourced biscuits and cakes. Look for locally sold teas and coffees, that have been ethically produced and have low carbon footprints.
35. Use outdoor space to grow plants, herbs and flowers. Not only will it look nice, but it helps the eco system.
36. Get staff to carpool, reducing the carbon footprint of workers and petrol costs.
37. Go paper free! Stop producing pricelists and appointment cards and instead refer clients to emailed digital downloads of your pricelists or refer them to your website. Appointment reminders can be done via email. Go digital for your consultation forms, invest in a couple of iPads and store your forms digitally. Download digital subscriptions for magazines for clients to read from eReaders whilst they are waiting.
38. Reduce ink consumption, by making your business as paper free as possible. If you need to print anything out, recycle your ink cartridges and/or use a refill service to reduce waste consumption.
39. Run a swap shop! Like what a great way to get your local community together to swap and exchange their unwanted clothes, shoes and bags! A great way to promote your salon in the process and get new clients!
40. Promote your ECO policies in local papers and online! Use your new policies as a great way to promote yourself in local papers and with local vegan, ethical bloggers or online publications. Many clients are seeking out more ethical and natural treatments and this is a Unique selling point over your competitors.
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