In April, businesses all over the world are turning over a new leaf to help reduce their impact on the environment for Earth Month.
Our planet is precious, and it gives us so many things for free – clean air and water, pristine wilderness, breathtaking views… It’s so easy to take it all for granted.
We all take so much from nature, but how often do we stop to think about how we can give back?
There are a few simple, practical steps you can take to help your business become more environmentally friendly, so our planet will continue to sustain us for generations to come.
Go paperless
Fess up, how many times a day do you hit print, skim read something, then throw it straight in the bin? The average Aussie goes through 20 reams of paper a year – times that by a few employees and soon you’ll be knocking down a small forest just to feed your salon’s printing habits!
Always, always, always think before you print – and make sure you use the double sided setting and use recycled paper. Or how about replacing your hard copy client information cards with digital ones, so your clients can enter their details directly into your system on an iPad or tablet?
Buy renewable
Everything from the packaging of the products you use in-salon, to the foil you use to achieve a unique look for your client, to the super soft squares you use on your derriere can be sourced sustainably.
Look for products that are recyclable or biodegradable, or which have recyclable or biodegradable packaging. Seek out with natural ingredients from sources that are sustainable and renewable, and which are harvested in such a way as to avoid harming the environment.
Educate your team
Your team looks up to you for inspiration and guidance, so if you make the environment a priority, your choices will rub off on the next generation of hair stylists, colourists, managers and business owners.
If you make sustainability a core value, both within your business and beyond, you will help create a new mindset across your team, so they will understand why it’s so important to minimise their impact on the planet we call home.
Recycle almost anything
Did you know, 95%of the waste created by your business can be recycled? That’s right, everything from your leftover colour to those little plastic glasses protectors can be recycled to create something brand spanking new.
When your foil is recycled, the profits provide meals for the homeless via OzHarvest, and your plastics become heavy duty sheeting that protects the NBN underground.
You can even turn all those bits of hair into giant floating hair booms to soak up oil spills! How’s that for contributing to the future of our earth!
Take a green fee
To help take the financial burden of sustainability off your business, you can set up a “green fee” which will automatically charge your clients a tiny fraction of their total transaction amount. It’s simple to set up and will work automatically – here’s how.
If you let your clients know why you’ve chosen to be sustainable, and they will be happy to contribute to making the world a cleaner, greener place!
