These salons are making sustainability pledges and amnesties

For HJ's Sustainability Week we asked salons what pledges and awareness days they are planning for the year ahead. Innovative, committed and hard-working these salons and barbershops are proving that salons can be sustainable.

At Anne Veck Oxford clients will be invited to bring in ALL plastic containers, including water bottles, food containers as well as hair product on their Plastic Amnesty Day. Running all day on Earth Day 22nd April from 8am-8pm, this is the first year . t Anne Veck they regularly accept clients' used product bottles at any time as they offer a refill service for Davines' products and are members of the UK wide Refill scheme, a scheme for the public to fill up their water bottlers, saving on single use bottles. Re-use is better than recycle. Reduce is better than re-use!

Anne Veck says: "The beauty and personal care product industry is one among many that damages the environment, marine wildlife, and contaminates the human food supply chain. The UK hair industry is part of this problem and we need to do everything we can to change, from manufacturers to salons and clients. That's what inspired us to spread the message about how salon owners can help save the planet by utilising our sustainable Salon toolkit Salon Re:Source and in particular is the inspiration for our Plastic is the Problem Amnesty Day!"

1981 barbershop

At 1981 Barbershop in Truro, Cornwall they are striving to become fully sustainable by 2023. Most aspects of the barbershop already carry the ethos and practice of being fully sustainable so it's only a small push to become fully sustainable. Everything from the electricity supplier, to the fact that they use an eco accountant has been made eco. "If it can be switched to be environmentally sound, we have strived to tick the boxes!" says owner Damien Diablo.

One of the things they are campaigning for is for the council to install electric car charging ports in their car park. Damien says: "As soon as we can afford it we will also change the company vehicle to run on biofuel." Aside from regular personal beach clean missions (there will be more organised group ones arranged when over six people can meet), the team are producing their own oil booms and donating them to local fishermen and harbour masters to tackle local spills on the Cornish coasts. They also have a box for industrial composting in the shop that people can drop off their non home compostable items as there is no industrial composting facility in the county. The barbershops then sends it off regularly to avoid the items ending up in landfill. Most recently the team has spearheaded a charity fundraiser. "Throughout lockdown 3.0 we set up a fundraiser for a Cornish eco icon. He’s a single dad of three, a full time worker and a super-badass beach cleaner. His name is ‘Frosty’ and you can find him on Instagram @turnthetidecornwall. We launched an exclusive run of organic cotton tees and stickers alongside an auction with some rad custom items. 100% of the money is going to Frosty to enable him to build a plastic sorting workshop for all his clean up find," explains Damien. The barbershop now has a full collection of custom eco cotton gowns that have been designed and made by a local fashion designer (@tmmyng_). "So the compostable single use gowns that we used in the beginning, have now been replaced with super dope ones that look and feel awesome for the clients," adds Damien. "And of course it’s still one per client to keep everyone safe." They also launched their own reusable coffee cups made of hand-blown Borosilicate Glass and food grade silicone. Damien says: "We teamed up with a local independent coffee shop so every time you take our cups to their shop, you get a discount. We love the community spirit and connection that collaborations like this bring to the town – and it’s one less disposable cup in the bin!"