Sustainable Salons - Learn From the Best

With everyone shouting about their eco credentials (or not, as the case of green hushing proves), we take a look at some of the original sustainable salon pioneers of the hairdressing industry. They explain, in their own words, their sustainability journeys so far.  

Anne Veck Oxford

"We refitted Anne Veck Oxford back in 2013 , aiming to combine sustainability with the Anne Veck brand to create a stylish, green, destination salon. The focus was on on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, together with using products which are manufactured using renewable energy, recycled packaging and naturally derived ingredients. What we didn't totally expect was the immediate increase in business we experienced as a result! We discovered that being a more sustainable salon and of course talking about it, attracted new clients in their hundreds, increasing from 700/month to 800/ month over 12 months and continuing to grow to 900 plus over the next few years! And even more so today, clients are searching out salons which are not only kind to their hair but kind to the planet too.

We sold the salon to the manager, Kelly Spragg, in March 2022 and later that year, we were thrilled that, still trading as Anne Veck Oxford, the salon won Sustainable Salon of the Year at the British Hairdressing Business Awards. Kelly's Hair Oxford continues to operate as a sustainable salon and to meet the demand from clients for planet-friendly hairdressing. As well as energy and climate, these days there's a huge emphasis on reducing chemical waste and plastic, so Kelly has teamed up with Green Salon Collective, including focusing on those so important eco-conversations with clients stimulated by their Mirror Talkers project." Anne Veck, founder of Anne Veck salons

Gina Conway Salon Spa

En Route

"What makes En Route stand out from the crowd is that we not only work sustainability within every aspect of our business, but we use our business as a platform to promote sustainability to our clients, community and industry. En Route works with and supports local businesses to become more sustainable, we offer clients refill services to reduce their own plastic use and we donate hair to the village allotments to help grow local produce. En Route is active in our community, we host sustainability evenings to raise awareness about the effects of palm oil and teach the public new ways they can become more eco friendly. We are active in our industry too where we have led global training with Schwarzkopf teaching salons all over the world how to run a more sustainable business. We have been awarded Yorkshire's Most Sustainable Salon and we were one of the first salons to receive the Green Salon Accreditation. The whole team is accountable for the eco standards at En Route. We continually look for new practices we can introduce to become more sustainable and keep up to date with all industry news and events. We believe that focusing on the ‘why’ helps us connect with people who may not be sustainability oriented by giving them more of an understanding of the impacts our industry has on this planet and what we can all do to make a difference." Melenie Tudor, Salon Director, En Route  

Andrew Mulvenna Hair

Santi's London Aveda

"Hidden away from the hustle and bustle of London’s busy Soho area, Santi’s London Aveda is a sustainable haven. An eco-friendly salon offering naturally derived products from an eco-friendly responsible company. The salon design reflects everything that the company ethos stands for. We don’t have any décor with plastic, we have natural plants to provide us with a closer feel to nature when being at the salon. We use digital booking systems; we offer digital receipts to avoid paper wastage. All in salon treatments are vegan friendly, non-chemicals. All lights are LED lights to help reduce energy use." Santiago Figueroa, owner, Santi's London Aveda

 

BE Ironbridge

"BE Ironbridge was home to one of the first Authentic Beauty Concept refill bars in the UK. We are an award-winning salon recognised for its commitment to sustainability, we're a former finalist for the British Hairdressing Business Awards Sustainability Award. I have transformed a previous derelict garage eyesore into a beautiful salon improving aesthetic impact on the local environment. We are an eco-ethical salon and as such aim to work with local suppliers both to support neighbouring businesses and reduce our carbon footprint. Our refreshments are provided by local companies, our in-salon bar sells beer, wine (UK produced only) and spirits from a local like-minded company." Brooke Evans, owner, BE Ironbridge

 

Perfectly Posh Hair

"At Perfectly Posh Hair in Hungerford, we are completely committed to sustainability and have significantly reduced our environmental impact by recycling 100% of our waste since 2020. Our salon has taken numerous steps towards sustainability such as only using eco-friendly products, becoming completely digital, creating recycling partnerships, reducing our energy and water usage and = sourcing from sustainable suppliers only. We feel a responsibility to educate others and therefore, actively engage with the local community through online campaigns, promoting sustainable products and in-salon measures. We are aiming to be an industry leader in sustainability and it’s an essential aspect of the Perfectly Posh identity, driving all business decisions." Krysia West, owner and Salon Director, Perfectly Posh Hair