Sustainability in the Wellness & Beauty Industry

Our ideal of beauty finds its inspiration in the concept of equilibrium between substance and shape. Our style is inspired by simplicity, harmony and good taste.

By creating “beauty” we want to encourage people to take care of themselves, of the environment in which they live and work, and of the things they love.

Sustainability deals with the responsibility we owe to ourselves, the people with which we work, our customers, and the world in which we live and operate.

Spas and beauty salons have a huge impact on the health of our planet, and the way they’re run makes more of a difference than one might think.

Today’s hairdressing salons, beauty clinic or spas often have a range of services that can affect the environment in many ways. Most hairdressing salons or beauty clinics offer nail and skin treatments, such as tanning, facials, body wraps, manicures, and make-up applications, as well as many retailing many products.  In providing these services, however, many wastes can be generated.

The most notable environmental issues for salons are:

• The use  of  chemical  products  (dyes,  bleaches, solvents)
• Air pollution (odours)
• Water use and wastewater disposal
• Energy use
• Solid Waste  (Paper  towels,  product  containers etc)

A hairdresser’s day-to-day decisions regarding wastes can make a large impact on environmental issues. By implementing some basic environmental practices, salons can increase their facilities’ environmental responsibility, and often lower many costs.

There are a wide range of chemicals used in the hair and beauty industry.  Many of these chemicals are hazardous to the environment, but are also of concern to human health.

One study in the United States of America has shown that up to 20% of hairdressers leave the business because of allergies or dermatitis.

If a tap drips once every second, 10,000 litres of water are wasted in one year!!

We as individuals working in the wellness & beauty industry can do a lot by being mindful in the following ways:

• Not leaving lights on when there is no one in the salon.
• Making sure of using energy-efficient bulbs and not old-fashioned low-efficiency fluorescent tubes. Energy efficient bulbs might seem more expensive to buy, but they last longer and waste less energy.
• Not leaving any equipment on standby. It is far more economical to turn appliances off at the power point. (If you have a photocopier, computers or televisions that aren’t being constantly used, turn them off each time you have finished using them.)
• Screen savers do not save electricity they simply protect the screen. Leaving a photocopier on overnight uses enough energy to print more than 5,000 A4 copies.
• If one lowers the temperature in the hairdressing salon building by 1°C one can cut on the  heating bills by almost 10%. It is best to set the thermostats to between 16°C and 19°C.
• Checking the water heater thermostat and making sure it is  at the right temperature.
• Lighting will account for a large proportion of electricity bills. Ensuring that windows are kept clean to fill the salon with as much natural light as possible.
• Installing sensor lights in area of the salon/ spa what are not in constant use. The light will only operate when someone enters the area and switch off when there is no further movement.
• It is also worth regularly servicing the heating system. Costs can increase by about 30-40% if the system is poorly maintained. Closing windows when the heating is on and not heating unused rooms.
• Laundering of towels & linen will have a major impact on the environment. You may be able to switch to cold water with newer washing machines.

This article is a part of a 3-parts blog post, here is the link to the 2nd part: https://www.world-wellness-weekend.org/sustainability-in-the-beauty-industry-ii-part/

Author of the article is Reena Sheth, an Award winning Spa professional, with over 15 years of experience in operations, with a diploma in Naturopathy from Medicina Alternativa & INPA.