Did you know that salons and sustainability can go hand in hand? Enter Green Circle Salons who make it their business to address the waste of the styling industry. Founder and CEO, Shane Price, was appalled at the amount of waste that was being generated by salons “not only is it bad for the environment, in Canada, you pay a fee for every bag of trash you need picked up,(source).” This led him to further investigate into how the waste generated in salons could be put to good use. “Founded in Toronto in 2009, the organization has quickly expanded across the country and into the U.S. and set up a regional office in B.C. two years ago, (source).” More than 3200 salons are already on board and Price wants the entire industry on board by 2020. Green Circle Salons focus on three pillars: helping salons be genuinely green, helping them build revenue and helping them gain new clients through its green salon directory.
Going Green
Green Circle Salons truly saw a basic need and facilitated a positive change to benefit the environment and salon owners themselves. If you’re a salon owner and you walk into a recycler with one big bag of foils, that recycler will refuse to recycle them. “Many salon owners keep their businesses “green” through recycling, LED lighting, energy conservation and other eco-friendly practices. But there are still a lot of materials that go to waste every day, including hair, leftover color and foils, (source).” According to the Green Circle Salon they “collect, recycle & repurpose your salon or spa’s hair, foils, colour-tubes, papers and plastics, glass, spa waste AND divert excess hair chemicals from being rinsed down the drain, (source). Green Circle makes weekly rounds to collect hair, paper, plastic, metals, and chemicals. The foils and plastics are then cleaned and recycled, while the chemicals are sent to a chemical-waste plant. What about the hair you might ask? It’s being diverted from the landfill and being made into oil-absorbing booms for oil-spill containment by inmates at the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women in Maple Ridge. They are paid to stuff the hair into used stockings which not only benefits them but also is an amazing resource for oil control .
After a salon signs on with Green Circle Salons a representative from Green Circle Salons will come in and do a 45-minute orientation with the team. “We explain that being green means you’ll recycle hair clippings, foils, chemicals, paper, plastic, batteries, lights—that’s 85 to 95 percent of salon waste we’re able to divert,(source).”
The Salon Movement understands that as an entrepreneur you understand that every interaction with a client or a potential client is a chance to leverage towards fulfilling your goals. So whatever the reason you want to be a eco-friendly salon … it is a great one! Contact us to find out more on how you can become a Green Circle Salon and how you can join the conversation about the sustainable movement!
Leave a Reply