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Sustainable Salons

GET A HAIRCUT AND HELP SAVE THE PLANET

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You may be surprised to learn that the salon industry sends more than 1,500 tons of recyclable aluminium back to landfill each year in Australia and New Zealand alone. That’s one and a half million kilos, about 715 cars, or four jumbo

jets! Unfortunately aluminium doesn’t degrade easily, it actually contaminates the soil for 500 years. Add to this the waste of plastics, colour tubes, cut hair and more, and you soon see that beauty at any price is no longer an option.

After joining Sustainable Salons, local salon Beautify Hair Design is set to change all this.

Beautify Hair Design

Now recycles 95% of its waste by using the comprehensive resource recovery program offered by Sustainable Salons.

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“We are committed to sustainable growth that encourages social responsibility and respect for the planet. This simple initiative can make all the difference to what was once landfill waste become a future resource”, says Dana Kovacic, owner of Beautify Hair Design

Rather than contaminating the waterways, excess chemical waste now go to a chemical recycler to be neutralised into recycled water used in construction and roadworks. Plastics are also recycled into outdoor furniture and underground sheeting to protect the NBN.

What’s more, Beautify Hair Design staff love that all proceeds from recycling are donated to OzHarvest and KiwiHarest to fund meals for disadvantaged people – Sustainable Salons donates more than 2,000 meals every
month! Collected ponytails are redirected to charitable wig-making services and organisations to provide wigs for those suffering from alopecia or cancer, while cut hair is made into Hair Booms used in oil-spill clean-up operations.

As clients become more aware of the impact products have on the environment, they have also welcomed the opportunity to make a difference.

“The salon industry needs to take action now, and take care of the environment as much as we take care of clients”, says Paul Frasca, co-founder and Managing Director of Sustainable Salons.“ Dana Kovacic really cares about making their
salon as eco-friendly as possible. When they looked at what they could do to become more sustainable ecologically and economically, Sustainable Salons was the obvious choice.”

By joining Sustainable Salons, Beautify Hair Design is happy it can support charities and benefit the community, while also taking care of a huge waste problem.

Sustainable Salons rescues up to 95% of salon resources from landfill and finds repurposing
solutions that benefit the environment and give back to our community. .

  • The program has hundreds of salon members (and growing!) in the hairdressing, beauty and pet-grooming sectors across Australia and New Zealand as part of the journey to zero waste.
  • Sustainable Salons provides all in-salon separation bins and outside collection bins to suit the salon’s needs, and offers a fortnightly collection service directly to the salon door.
  • Plastic packaging is sent to specialist local plastics recyclers where it’s cleaned and made into outdoor furniture and new product packaging, keeping it in circulation and out of our oceans!
  • All aluminium, foil, colour tubes, cardboard, paper, magazines, razor blades, unwanted tools and select disposables are sold for recycling, and the proceeds are donated to OzHarvest and KiwiHarvest to provide meals for hungry people. A full head of foils provides a quarter of a meal to someone in need!
  • Hair clippings are collected from the salon floor and stuffed into stockings to make Hair Booms that will help clean up oil spills along our coastlines! Hair is also repurposed in local community gardens for
    composting or used in sustainable art installations to educate the community.
  • All collected ponytails 20cm or longer are distributed to charitable organisations to create wigs for those suffering from cancer or alopecia. Sustainable Salons is the largest donor of ponytails in the Southern
    Hemisphere!
  • By collecting small amounts from a large salon network, Sustainable Salons is the first company to recycle excess chemicals in the salon industry. These are pooled and sent to chemical recycling plants where they’re neutralised and
    turned into recycled water used in roadworks and construction.
  • In partnership with Endeavour Foundation, Sustainable Salons is creating stronger futures for people with a disability by providing purposeful work within our material collection and processing streams. Supported
    Employees head out on the road with trained staff members to collect resources from salons in several areas across our network, while another team sorts and processes the materials for repurposing!
  • Sustainably-minded solutions are promoted to help the salon make greener choices! Via Rewards Points, salons can accessenvironmentally-friendly options for everyday salon products, such as eco cleaning products,
    recycled toilet paper, biodegradable coffee pods, recycled foil, biodegradable towels, biodegradable gloves and more!
  • Through various community organisations, salon professionals in the Sustainable Salons network are encouraged to volunteer their time and skills for those who don’t have access to these services in our local
    area.
  • The Sustainable Salons Creative Ambassador, Shaun McGrath, creates artistic head pieces using the materials collected from our Sustainable Salons to highlight how amazing solutions can be found when we learn
    to give things a second life.
  • The Sustainable Salons Directory (http://sustainablesalons.org/storelocator) is a simple search function on the website where sustainably-minded clients can go to find a Sustainable Salons member in their area. This
    feature helps drive more clients through the salon’s door and attracts a new calibre of environmentally- and community-minded staff.
  • Salons interested in joining the program should register their details at http://sustainablesalons.org/ and the Sustainable Salons Manager in their area will get in touch directly to discuss how they can join the journey
    to zero waste!

THE SUSTAINABLE SALONS FOOTPRINT

The Sustainable Salons Network is committed to reducing its ecological footprint, supporting charitable causes and implementing environmentally-sustainable practices in all that we do. Here’s what we’ve achieved on our journey to zero
waste!*

  • 52,000kg of plastic kept in circulation and out of landfill
  • 70,800kg of paper recycled
  • 81,700kg of metals diverted from landfill
  • 7,500 litres of excess chemicals recycled back into water
  • 7.1 tonnes of hair collected for The Hair Boom Project
  • 25,300 ponytails collected resulting in 1,265 wigs for cancer and alopecia sufferers
  • 48,000 meals provided for the homeless via OzHarvest
  • Saved the same amount of CO2 as 180 flights from Sydney to London
  • Recycled 800kg of e-waste, reducing the amount of raw materials mined and preventing toxins from leaching into the environment
  • Saved enough water to fill 248,620 baths

This information reflects Sustainable Salons activities from Feb 2015 – Nov 2017.