In the second of our mini series of Guest Blogs, our friend Gina Conway shares her tips on reducing plastic use in salons. Thanks too to Salon Gold who published this in the first place.

Gina is a leading salon owner and UK Brand Ambassador for Philip Martin’s, and has been named Marie Claire’s Best Sustainable Salon, a Green Libertine for Green Salon Collective, and serves on the Sustainable Beauty Coalition board, where she drives carbon-zero initiatives across the sector.

The plastic plague
In a world where convenience reigns supreme, plastic has become an almost invisible companion in our daily lives. Its production has been as critical to our existence as the industrial revolution. However, this convenience comes at a staggering cost. The plastic crisis—an urgent, global epidemic—is choking our oceans, polluting our environment, and affecting our health.

The alarming reality
Did you know that every year, around 300 million tons of plastic are produced globally? To put that into perspective, that’s equivalent to the weight of the human population! Alarmingly, only about 9% of this plastic is recycled, the rest destined to clutter our planet for centuries. What’s worse? Every piece of plastic ever created still exists in some form today. Our landfills are overflowing, our oceans are becoming plastic soup, and wildlife is being dramatically affected. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, birds are feeding their chicks bits of plastic instead of food. Let’s look at how together, we can break free from the chains of plastic dependency and move toward a cleaner, healthier environment for us while leaving a positive legacy for generations to come.

Here is how we can help in our salons and at home to fight the plastic plague…

Refuse
Create a plastic free culture. Just say no to single use plastics! No water or drinks in plastic in the salon. Make it your culture to do the right thing and ensure your team are planet saving warriors. I even encourage my team to bring in lunch in Tupperware or paper bags rather than buying food from the shops wrapped in plastic or if they do, separate the non-recyclable film from the paper of sandwich boxes.

Reuse
Your plastic containers, reuse for holding sugar cubes, tint brushes, add drainage holes for potting up seedlings or growing from plant cuttings.

Recycle
Choose a recycling partner that can also recycle your hard to recycle items separately. These include some botte dispenser pumps, coloured plastic and bags that say recycle at your supermarket. Make sure your instructions on the bins are clear so that your team aren’t mixing the wrong type or it will end up in landfill anyway.

Reduce
Ask yourself “Do I really need this item? Do I have something similar that I can adapt? What is this item’s life-use span? Will it end up in landfill and if so, how long will it take to degrade?

Research
Microplastics in formulas can lead to leaching into the soil and waterways which will end up in the food chain and into our bodies! Choose products that don’t contain silicones, or microplastics. Opt for working with companies that don’t use these ingredients in their formulas and if they do, use only if it is essential and extremely minimally. Encourage your clients to do the same when they shop for beauty items like body scrubs or hair serums.

The good news is that change is within our grasp! Small choices add up! Every plastic bottle you refuse is a step toward a cleaner planet.

Making the change fun and engaging. Challenge your teams and clients to a “Plastic-Free Day” or host a “Plastic cleanup walk and pub crawl” crown your best advocates “Zero-Waste Hero!”. Share your victories on social media and celebrate your success!

And for more, check out the Anne Veck toolkits!