Vish and kao salon division partner to eliminate colour waste

Vish has announced its new partnership with Kao Salon Division, designed to aid the colour house and its salons towards greater sustainability efforts. In the first deal of its kind between Vish and a major colour manufacturer, thousands of salons are being encouraged by Kao to use Vish technology to monitor and reduce how much colour they dispense – and ultimately waste.

Why are Vish and Kao Salon Division partnering?

Research shows salons across the UK are wasting nearly 30% of colour through over-mixing. This excess colour is either over-applied to the hair or leftover in the bowl, before being unnecessarily rinsed down the sink or sent to landfill, and having a negative impact on the environment. As a result, Vish is building partnerships with industry and manufacturing companies to make sustainability more accessible to salons. “Sustainability is about the environment and more. It’s about stopping 30% of colour going into the water systems or to landfill, about reducing packaging and the pollution involved in transporting product. It’s also about the viability of a business,” said Tom Bentley-Taylor, MD of Vish EMEA. “If a salon is pouring its profits down the sink as wasted colour, then its long-term business health is unsustainable. Working with Vish helps protect and build profits as well as protect the planet.” Kao is committed to enhancing its contribution to society through a renewed focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG). Vish is a tool that eliminates waste in salons, which currently accounts for more than a quarter of product purchased. Following its successful trial in 10 Kao Salons in the UK, this partnership is being launched officially to help Kao focus on its own sustainability corporate goals. “2020 was a challenging year with the entire organisation adapting to the myriad of changes triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Stephanie Bruce, director of education, Salon, EMEA, at Kao Corporation. “However, this did not hinder but rather accelerated our commitment to Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance. As an industry, we need to seek ways to reduce any negative impact our actions have on the planet. Partnering with Vish will help our salons continue to produce beautiful, creative colour while reducing waste and costs. That must be good for everyone,” she added. Kao is working towards cutting CO₂ emissions to zero by 2040, and becoming carbon-negative by 2050 to combat global warming. It is also committed to responsibly sourcing raw materials, including using only 100% certified-sustainable palm oil for consumer products and industrial purposes by 2025.