IS YOUR SALON ECO-FRIENDLY AND SUSTAINABLE?

Your salon may be the top choice for beauty enthusiasts, but is it also reducing the impact on the environment? We picked a few popular salons across India, and Rachna Virdi delved into the eco-conscious practices they are adopting to reduce the carbon footprint.

The post-Covid beauty industry has witnessed a massive shift in salons and their hygiene practices.

The rising trend towards a cleaner and ethical business model has led to a significant number of salons also leaning towards sustainability. Eco-friendly and environmentally safe are the emerging buzzwords in the salon industry. A majority of salons are consciously adopting a sustainable approach in their effort to be responsible and contribute towards a greener planet.

They are actively focussing on integrating greener initiatives and ecofriendly practices in their daily routine.

The journey towards sustainability begins with the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Investing in energyefficient devices to reduce energy, reusing material and recycling water and disposal of salon waste. While a lot of salons are already on the road to achieving their sustainability certificate, some are slowly getting there by adopting simple practices in their services. A few others are getting their staff to adapt to a culture and commitment that helps them go greener.

As a salon owner, if you wish to reduce the impact on the environment but are looking for the right measures to get started, here’s all the help you need. We have got for you a checklist of the sustainable practices adopted by some salons.

Treat these guidelines as your key takeaways to reduce the impact on the environment.

Remember, this is your time to pay back to the environment.

Don’t just scroll through, follow them as your makeup blueprint and see your clients leaving your salon on a happy note this summer.

JEANE-CLAUDE BIGUINE SALON, MUMBAI

“Amidst this pandemic, we have seen a conscious approach amongst consumers towards choosing clean and natural products,” says Samir Srivastava, CEO, Jeane-Claude Biguine Salons. “People are revaluating their choices and leaning towards quality over quantity underscored by mindfulness. Toxin-free, plant-based and ethical sourcing are replacing the quick fix, massproduced solutions. JCB Salons is consciously taking giant strides towards creating a more sustainable future. We are trying our best to reduce our carbon footprint and opting for eco-friendly choices. We ensure we only associate with the finest global brand partners who match our core ethics and principles.”

Sustainable steps adopted by the salon include:

• Energy conservation: Energy is used wisely in the salons, with having switched to energy-saving light bulbs.

• Conserving water: New service formats like waterless manicures have been introduced to save water.

• Plastic consumption: Using plastic in the salon has been skipped and pet bottles have been replaced with an eco-friendly option.

• Waste management: An efficient waste management system has been ensured.

• No business cards: Business cards have been discontinued.

• Ethical sourcing: JCB has partnered with brands who believe in its principles of ethical sourcing and environment-friendly packaging.

• Vocal for local: We have joined the Vocal for Local tidal wave, adding the ‘Make in India’ stamp of authenticity with the introduction of Pahadi Local, an honest home grown brand that bottles clean, pure and chemical-free ingredients with ethical sourcing.

BOUNCE SALON, CHENNAI

“I have been in this industry for more than 15 years now and it is not as bad as other industries that let out harmful chemicals or major pollutants damaging the environment yet we need to do out bit to save the planet,” Vikram Mohan, Co-Founder, Bounce Salon, elucidates.

He elaborates, “Of late, everybody is speaking the language of sustainable beauty; and having a business that not only services the client but also has a lower impact on the environment. I always thought that if I was a customer, would I like to go to a salon that is conscious about the environment and taking sustainable measures or not. Of course, I would. At Davines, we have made the choice to stand for sustainable beauty with various practices. We know it is not going to be an easy journey but we have stepped out of our comfort zones as we know this will the future. We have 25-plus salons across the country and are taking efforts to become sustainable and to bring down the carbon footprint – may be not to zero level but lesser than before. And in our two newest salons, we have taken plenty of eco-conscious efforts.”

Eco-conscious measures adopted by the new salons include:

• Energy consumption: 75 per cent solar power is used in the salons. Lighting is of high-grade LED that requires minimum consumption of power.

• Plastic consumption: We have got rid of plastic bottles to serve water. We are having an RO plant in the middle of the salon where we serve fresh alkaline water in hemp cups.

• Recycling plastic: We have not yet come to the stage where we can avoid completely plastic shampoo bottles but the quality of our bottles is of the highest grade and these can be recycled.

• Sustainable decor: The reception table is made of from reclaimed tiles. The windows are cladded with old soda bottles. And all the feature lighting is made up of cork.

• Water conservation: We have waterless urinals. In the WC, the water used for flushing is recycled water coming straight from the hair wash basins.

• Paper conservation: We do not place physical magazines or newspapers in the salon. We only use tabs and digital magazines. We avoid paper billing and only do electronic billing unless specified by the client.

• Ecological products: We have biodegradable towels that can be re-used for 60 days. This reduces the use of detergents in the water.

YLG SALON, BENGALURU

Throwing light on his salon’s vision and direction for sustainability, Rahul Bhalchandra, CEO, YLG Salon, claims, “We have been extremely conscious of the environment from its design stage. There are a few measures we have been taking as a matter of conviction.”

Environment-friendly initiatives by the salon include:

• Reducing the energy footprint: We use solar water heaters, LED lights and energy efficient air conditioners to reduce the energy footprint. The air-conditioner temperature is set at a standard 24o C for comfort and optimum power saving.

• Eco-friendly products: Most of our skincare product range is either herbal or aroma-based. We use natural products with minimum chemical formulations.

• Water conservation: We are committed to conserve water for our planet. We use a water-saving shampoo service that saves over 50 per cent of the water requirement.

• Salon waste: The chemical waste or paper or recyclable waste at the salon is separately handled with a special arrangement with the Bangalore Municipal Corporation.

• Sustainable transport: Most of our staff uses public transport and e-bikes for transportation.

ROD ANKER SALON, NEW DELHI

“Sustainable is a word thrown around frequently in the need to be ‘conscious’ when, in fact, it should be a way of life,” affirms Rod Anker, Founder, Rod Anker Salon. “At Rod Anker salon, we don’t believe in clutter and ensure that what you see is what you get with a very minimal approach to everything we do. The salon has been taking some eco-conscious steps towards sustainability for several years now.”

Greener practices by the salon include:

• Conserving water: Our wash basins are fitted with a pressure valve which helps to increase pressure yet reduces the consumption of water.

• no business cards: We avoid business cards as we consider it useless, especially when everyone is on social media today.

• avoiding carry bags: We do not provide carry bags to keep any stuff, as most likely the client’s car is just a few metres away. PBHJ