With everyone shouting about their eco credentials (or not, as the case of green hushing proves), we take a look at some of the original sustainable salon pioneers of the hairdressing industry. They explain, in their own words, their sustainability journeys so far.
Butchers
“There are too many misconceptions about becoming a more sustainable salon, which often deter salon owners from trying to improve their business’s green credentials.
“This is the most common myth and the most untrue. Switching to LED bulbs, fitting low-flow shower heads, or partnering with a recycling scheme like Green Salon Collective are all great advances for a salon looking to become more sustainable, and none of these changes will break the bank. Most of these adjustments also recoup any costs through lower bills within a year. The expensive route is trying to overhaul everything at once. The smart route is doing it one decision at a time.
“Almost everything that made the salon sustainable happened gradually over years rather than weeks; one supplier swap here, one waste partner there, and one energy provider changed quietly in the background. Build it slowly, and the transformation is barely visible until you look back at where you started.”
Susanna Richardson, co-founder, Butchers
Anne Veck Oxford
"We refitted Anne Veck Oxford back in 2013 , aiming to combine sustainability with the Anne Veck brand to create a stylish, green, destination salon. The focus was on on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, together with using products which are manufactured using renewable energy, recycled packaging and naturally derived ingredients.
"What we didn't totally expect was the immediate increase in business we experienced as a result! We discovered that being a more sustainable salon – and of course talking about it – attracted new clients in their hundreds, increasing from 700/month to 800/ month over 12 months and continuing to grow to 900 plus over the next few years! And even more so today, clients are searching out salons which are not only kind to their hair but kind to the planet too.
"We sold the salon to the manager, Kelly Spragg, in March 2022 and later that year, we were thrilled that, still trading as Anne Veck Oxford, the salon won Sustainable Salon of the Year at the British Hairdressing Business Awards. Now Kelly's Hair Oxford, the business continues to operate as a sustainable salon and to meet the demand from clients for planet-friendly hairdressing.
"As well as energy and climate, these days there's a huge emphasis on reducing chemical waste and plastic, so Kelly has teamed up with Green Salon Collective, including focusing on those so important eco-conversations with clients stimulated by their Mirror Talkers project."
Anne Veck, founder of Anne Veck Education
Gina Conway Salon Spa
En Route
"What makes En Route stand out from the crowd is that we not only work sustainability within every aspect of our business, but we use our business as a platform to promote sustainability to our clients, community and industry. En Route works with and supports local businesses to become more sustainable; we offer clients refill services to reduce their own plastic use and we donate hair to the village allotments to help grow local produce.
"En Route is active in our community, we host sustainability evenings to raise awareness about the effects of palm oil and teach the public new ways they can become more eco friendly. We are active in our industry too, where we have led global training with Schwarzkopf teaching salons all over the world how to run a more sustainable business. We have been awarded Yorkshire's Most Sustainable Salon and we were one of the first salons to receive the Green Salon Accreditation.
"The whole team is accountable for the eco standards at En Route. We continually look for new practices we can introduce to become more sustainable and keep up to date with all industry news and events. We believe that focusing on the ‘why’ helps us connect with people who may not be sustainability oriented by giving them more of an understanding of the impacts our industry has on this planet and what we can all do to make a difference."
Melenie Tudor, Salon Director, En Route
Andrew Mulvenna Hair
Perfectly Posh Hair
"At Perfectly Posh Hair in Hungerford, we are completely committed to sustainability and have significantly reduced our environmental impact by recycling 100% of our waste since 2020. Our salon has taken numerous steps towards sustainability such as only using eco-friendly products, becoming completely digital, creating recycling partnerships, reducing our energy and water usage and sourcing from sustainable suppliers only.
"We feel a responsibility to educate others and therefore, actively engage with the local community through online campaigns, promoting sustainable products and in-salon measures. We are aiming to be an industry leader in sustainability and it’s an essential aspect of the Perfectly Posh identity, driving all business decisions."
Krysia West, owner and Salon Director, Perfectly Posh Hair
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