Hair and beauty businesses urged to reduce carbon footprint to avoid tax increases

Hair and beauty businesses are being called upon to sign up to the SME Climate Hub and commit to reducing their carbon footprint. The Sustainable Beauty Coalition (SBC) warn that unless businesses can demonstrate they are making real progress in reducing their carbon output, they face the potential threat of higher tax rates. Jayn Sterland, chair of the Sustainable Beauty Coalition, says: "We know that our industry uses a lot of water, heat and electricity. All of us are trying to do our bit, but we could be in danger of facing water shortages or tax hikes on industries like ours that are higher carbon output, so let’s do something now to change this. "We need your help and direct action now by signing up to the SME Climate Hub. The Climate Hub's resources are free and help give support and direction on where to start.  Let's work together. By doing this, we can work with the government and help shape the ways in which we solve this climate crisis,” continued Jayn. The SME Climate Hub is for small and medium-sized enterprises to make a climate commitment and access high-quality tools and resources for free. When businesses sign up, they pledge to halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. They will also be recognised by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign. Tools provided by the hub include The 1.5°C Business Playbook, which provides guidelines for reducing your emissions and those from your value chain emissions, and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – a widely used accounting standard to report and measure emissions in a business. While also providing businesses with access to some of the UK’s biggest companies – including Google, Scottish Power and BT – and leading climate experts to support them in taking the simple and practical steps to protect the planet, and the benefits of future-proofing and growing a low carbon business. Keith Mellen, of Oxford-based salon Anne Veck, has signed up the climate hub. "We believe that the purpose of business is to save the planet. UK hair salons emit more CO2 than many small countries, so we are committed to taking action to help reduce our industry's carbon footprint. We have been certified net carbon neutral by carbon footprint and we have signed up to the SME Climate Hub's race to zero,” says Keith For more information and to sign up to the hub, visit: Smeclimatehub.org