SUSTAINABILITY

Marisa Dimitriadis, Founder, The Spa Consultants and Spa Professionals Guild, UK, discusses the importance of building sustainability into the fabric of your spa business and the dangers of greenwashing.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - by now you have no doubt heard those words very often as the world moves toward everything more eco friendly.

Sustainability is the ability to exist and develop without depleting natural resources for the future. We cannot maintain our Earth’s ecosystems or continue to function as we do if more sustainable choices are not made. If harmful processes are maintained with no change, it is likely that we will run out of fossil fuels, huge numbers of animal species will become extinct, and the atmosphere will be irreparably damaged.

There is no doubt that building sustainability into your business will connect you to your clients in a much deeper and more meaningful way as well as help you attract new clients who want to make a difference by making sustainable lifestyle choices.

What’s greenwashing?

Have you heard of the term greenwashing? I am shocked to have discovered this is even happening out there but it is important that you are aware of this and avoid it at all costs.

Greenwashing is when a company focusses more on marketing and sending out the environmentally friendly message than actually committing and doing it. This can be irreparably damaging to your business.

I have a few ideas to share with you on how to start your sustainability journey and how important it is to get your clients involved in the process.

1) Reduce the laundry: Communicate this from the start on your website, at the reception when the client checks in, in the changing room and all the areas where clients may use towels or gowns. I would go as far as issuing towels so the client thinks twice before asking for more towels. Don’t restrict the amount of linen they use, just get everyone thinking twice before reaching for a second towel. Whilst we are on linen, ensure your linen is organic and unbleached, so choose fabrics like bamboo or birch fibre.

2) Stop single use plastic: No plastic water bottles, no plastic single use cups!\ Offer your clients a cashback when they return their empty skincare containers and get your brand partners involved in effective recycling methods, if they are not already doing this.

3) Support local trade: A huge step towards sustainability is supporting everything local as this goes a long way towards reducing carbon footprint.

4) Use non-toxic and eco-friendly cleaning products and paints.

5) Add recycling bins in common areas with the three compartments for glass/plastic, paper and trash.

6) Switch to energy efficient lighting and fittings throughout the space.

7) Install low-flow, water-conserving toilets, taps, shower heads and sinks.

8) Make purchasing decisions with sustainability in mind. So, with wood for example opt for recycled wood or wood from renewable forests. Remember that the compressed board gets sprayed with harmful toxic chemicals.

9) Recycle water wherever possible.

10) Reduce the amount of deliveries -Now that’s an idea I bet you have not thought about! Think about the deliveries made to your business by your suppliers. Instead of ordering every week, place monthly orders, and even work towards ordering more every second month. This can dramatically reduce carbon footprint.

Make the decision to start somewhere and start TODAY. Speed of implementation is once again the key! Appoint your sustainability officer in the business and let them drive initiatives.

Let’s all do our part to conserve our Earth’s ecosystems. PBHJ

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marisa Dimitriadis started her career in the UK’s spa industry at the age of 19. With The Spa Consultants, she is answering a need in the market for a turnkey consultancy to drive spa projects from the ground up. She has also formulated her own skin (SIX Skincare) and body (Spalicious) ranges. During the pandemic, she launched an online retail platform -Send me That- for spas and salons. Her latest project Spa Professionals Guild is a global online platform for ongoing business coaching and transformational management courses. She is also a part of the Sustainable Spa Association, a non-profit organisation established to assist the spa operators in becoming an environmentally friendly force for change.