SUSTAINABILITY

The professional hairdressing industry is making it easier than ever for you to make sustainable changes within your salon. Here are just a selection of the sustainable initiatives and steps that are already under way...

amika brand president Chelsea Riggs says: “We acknowledge that we are in the business of consumption, but we believe we can take necessary steps together to move towards conscious consumption.” amika has partnered with TerraCycle in the US to fund the collection of its bottles for recycling. Its long-term vision is to have fully closed-loop packaging where bottles are collected and used for new production. The brand has re-worked all of its plastic bottles to use 90% post-consumer recycled plastics with rollouts this year and has changed its hero ingredient sea buckthorn berry to a fair-trade, organic and sustainability-sourced farm in Tibet.

Aveda is proud to be the first beauty company to implement 100% post-consumer recycled packaging, and use 100% renewable energy at its primary manufacturing facility in Minnesota through wind and solar energy. The brand announced its transition to being 100% vegan in January and has raised almost $65m for local and global environmental organisations.

The annual Earth Month initiative and partnership with Charity:

Water has so far provided more than 60,000 people with clean water in key sourcing countries including India, Nepal, Madagascar and Ethiopia.

Paving the way to a complete sustainable assortment, Balmain Hair Couture is dedicated to improving its ecological footprint. All of its hair care bottles are made from 100% recyclable HDPE plastic and 80% of the Care and Styling products are produced in a solar-driven factory during the summer months. The Couleurs Couture colour tubes are produced with 100% clean energy derived from renewable and zero-emissions sources.

Plus, a recyclable carton is used for the shipment of orders to customers.

CLOUD NINE’s initiatives include the world’s first and only hair iron recycling scheme, eco-packaging, a tree planting partnership with Ecologi and low carbon shipping methods. This April, in line with World Earth Day, CLOUD NINE is expanding its world-first hair iron recycling scheme to include hairdryers and curling wands.

Plus, the brand will plant 10 trees and give customers a free rose gold sustainable water bottle for every online purchase made throughout the month.

B Corp certified Davines improved on its certification score in 2020 by continually choosing to invest in actions with a direct sustainable impact, such as the use of machines that are sanitised with steam rather than chemicals. The company is on a quest along with over 500 B Corp organisations to achieve a net zero emission goal (CO2eq) by 2030. The quantities of CO2eq that cannot be reduced or zeroed will continue to be compensated thanks to the EthioTrees reforestation and soil regeneration project in Ethiopia, which is exclusive to Davines.

Hair Tools is offering more affordable and sustainable alternatives to hairdressers and salons to help those who want to make small changes for our planet. Whether its Head Jog’s eco-friendly Straw Brushes or 100% Bamboo Combs, Hair Tools’ Straw Tint Set, Eco Gowns or new eco-friendly Microfibre Towels – there are ecofriendly items for different areas of the salon. Disinfection range Disicide is certified vegan and environmentally friendly meaning salons can protect clients without damaging the environment, and the electrical range Parlux is ozone free to save energy and reduce pollution.

Henkel, which includes Schwarzkopf Professional, JOICO, Authentic Beauty Concept, Indola, Alterna Haircare and Sexy Hair sees sustainability as an integral part of its culture. By the end of 2020, 89% of the company’s packaging was already recyclable or reusable and the proportion of recycled plastic in its consumer goods packaging was 15% globally. By 2025, Henkel aims to have 100% recyclable or reusable packaging, to have cut fossil plastics by 50% and have zero waste. By 2030, the aim is to have replaced the last remaining fossil fuels used in production with climate-neutral alternatives.

KeraStraight and Innoluxe use biopolymers from sustainable sugarcane and 100% recycled content in all its packaging.

Education is incredibly important so all packs are being given clear recycling instructions with entire packs being made recyclable to encourage salons and clients to recycle. The company is also removing wasteful processes and single-use plastic across its brands. This includes using recycled and uncoated paper for brochures, removing wasteful foils from packaging and working with suppliers who recycle and reuse.

Kao Salon Division, which includes Goldwell, KMS and Oribe, was listed within the world’s most ethical companies list for the 15th consecutive year in 2021. Kao’s president and CEO Yoshihiro Hasebe says Kao is never satisfied with the status quo. Goldwell’s Light Dimensions range represents the brand’s commitment to sustainability. The new SilkLift packaging has been transformed from a traditional box, to an FSC-certified foldable pouch made of 80% less plastic, reducing the waste volume by 85%. All folding boxes are produced under climate neutral conditions.

While, KMS has launched three solid shampoo bars to bring Kao Salon’s overarching commitment to sustainability to life with a formula designed to save water.

L’Oréal Professional Products (including L’Oréal Professionnel Paris, Redken, Kérastase, Pureology, Matrix, Shu Uemura, Biolage and Pulp Riot), are part of the L’Oréal Group which has made a number of sustainability commitments as part of its L’Oréal For The Future Program. By 2025 all L’Oréal sites will have achieved carbon neutrality. In fact, 73% of L’Oréal Professional Products brands are already made in carbon neutral plants. The company’s Salon Emotion Sustainability Savvy program is already helping salons look at waste, water, energy, carbon emissions and salon furniture. Plus, in 2020, the L’Oréal Group unveiled a salon backwash device to reduce water use by 80%. “We are committed to a more sustainable and responsible hairdressing industry,” explains Omar Hajeri, L’Oréal Professional Products Division president.

Oway has grown officinal plants and herbs in its agricultural estate for over 10 years with biodynamic methods to obtain the active ingredients used in its certified biodynamic Oway treatments.

It certifies producers who share the same attention towards sustainability, disseminating a healthy, clean and truly eco-friendly and agricultural method. Oway is a carbon-neutral company that uses 100% recyclable glass and aluminium for all its formulas.

FFØR, which stands for Free From, Organic and Real, lives by an ethos to ‘Do Good, Look Good and Feel Good’. This means the brand is committed to making sure all of its ingredients are as naturally derived as possible and sourced ethically.

Plus, all of the products sit within fully recyclable bottles, jars and tubes that are made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials.

Revlon Professional and American Crew use sustainable packaging to reduce their footprint and divert waste from landfill. “For launches in 2021, we’re using FSC card boxes and eco print ink making them fully recyclable in client’s normal recycling at home. It is a journey, but we are on the right track and look forward to moving more of our classic lines to sustainable packaging in the near future,” explains Matt Horder, Revlon Professional UK & IE commercial director.

Wella Professionals has partnered with the Green Salon Collective with salons receiving a 15% discount on their opening order.

All Wella Professionals Studios now implement Green Salon Collective’s recycling system.

Wella Professionals is also moving its packaging and appliances to more sustainable production. The brand’s European manufacturing facility is moving to zero waste to landfill, using 100% renewable electricity supply, 100% green electricity and 100% carbonneutral gas consumption.

Wonderful Brands works with companies committed to reducing their environmental impact and have a vision for greater sustainability such as ELEVEN Australia, ECOHEADS and YELLOW by AlfaParf.

All ELEVEN Australia products are 100% recyclable and the brand is making steps to reduce its carbon footprint. The ECOHEADS Shower head is 100% recyclable and doubles water pressure to reduce water consumption.

Plus, along with 100% recycled post-industrial aluminium colour tubes, YELLOW by Alfaparf Group is providing QR codes with colour information to reduce paper consumption.