Business, CSR, News
Why We Recycle with the Green Salon Collective
The
Because
The land on which we live is both beautiful, supportive, wondrous and finite. just because human society has normalised viewing natural resources as free, infinite and less valuable than our manufactured produce. It is necessary for our own sake that we re-evaluate what is important.
The |Salon Of Chi is part of a national movement that is doing the impossible.
MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Why is this a revolutionary idea
The Green Salon Collective finds creative ways to recycle our business waste resulting in a vast reduction in landfill and increase in second life chances for the products we use most as a business.
We recycle the impossible
A major challenge facing retail businesses is how to do more with less. Large retailers are handing back their keys and empty units are the mainstay of every high street across the country Small retailers have an asset in our size and flexibility that is something the high street could look at more closely unfortunately the initial reaction from landlolrds is to limit flexibility instead of increasing it. The Salon of Chi has been in Henley-On-Thames for over 14 years. And at least half of that time has been spent finding ways to make the business more ethical, more balanced and move away from the fudging for profit that has become the expected headlines on business practices up and down the country and indeed around the world. The latest round of “Green washing” is not a new thing but changing markets have taken it to a whole new level of chaos for the consumer. “This just wasn’t me” says salon director Nicole Hewitt. “I always wanted to do something I could be proud of. And I couldn’t sleep at night if I thought that what I was doing in my business was detrimental to others. But when I started to look into it. I was astounded at just how easy it is to start accepting sub standard services just to keep a business going. It turns up absolutely everywhere. So we set about to make changes. And we began with ourselves. One step at a time looking at what we could do better
“it’s not about being the best
it’s about consistently moving
in the best direction we can see”.
Honesty Can Be Challenging
Because of this we have changed many things. But the biggest thing we changed was our relationships. How we manage our suppliers, contractors, staff and our customers. We took the view that our business is like a family. There are roles but also equity, and understanding. Flexibility and also responsibility. But ultimately it’s been about accepting people. And this type of honesty brings fresh challenges
LOOK AT WHAT THE GREEN SALON COLLECTIVE ARE DOING FOR US. EVEN HAIR AND NOW PPE ARE RECYCLED
In months or years to come this maybe the new normal. But right now this is nothing short of a green revolution. Not far to go now to see a full 360 degrees recycling of our business waste.
We listened when they said it couldn't be done
We listened when waste management companies said that they were collecting recyclable waste and still diverting it to landfill in 2021. And we listened when a small startup called the Green Salon Collective found a way recycle much more of our waste than any organisation we had worked with before. How do they do it? Simple they find small operators that are able to handle the recycling process for specific groups of waste generated by a business like ours. Aluminium, paper, glass, plastic and even PPE and hair are recycled. This is just ideal for us as it makes use of the extra investment we make in bringing a very high quality of natural , organic and biodynamic product practice for our guests. Amber glass helps preserve the integrity of these ingredients in transit and the glass can be recycled or reused at home making attractive candle holders or dispensers. But two things definitely tipped the balance for me. Salons use a fair amount of chemicals in the colour and activating recipes This has the benefit of raising the standard of our business impact management. Our customers now also can rest assured that self care doesn’t have to also come with harmful waste and negative impacts to the planet. The Green Salon Collective have definitely filled a very practical and much needed gap in the business recycling landscape. To know that we have a much-reduced level of waste going to landfill is just what we need. Even the hair we sweep up at the end of the day is reused to clean oil spills or redirect wildlife from wandering into sensitive areas. The only downside is that this level of recycling costs a bit more. But it is so much better than what we did before. In the light of transparency we decided to tell our customers about the cost. For each guest bill we add 1 or 2 pounds maximum as a contribution to meeting this added expense. So far everyone has said what a great idea it is. No one has said we shouldn’t do it or that its not something they support. Which is great to know that our guests and community see the benefits too. Its taken a while to get here but its great to work with The Green Salon Collective . I think it’ll be a grand surprise and a welcome new venture for many to discover. We hope this is the beginning of great things
NEW GOALS
MAKING IT HAPPEN
We want to find a way to make this a reality in 2023. By respectfully using only what we need to and selecting products with a high content of organic and Biodynamic ingredients we ensure that even when products leave the salon the negative impacts to the planet are reduced. even so there will be some wastage and this is our next challenge to solve
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