Which are the best towels for hair salons? And which are the best for the environment and the people who make them?
In this blog we reproduce some important research by Green Salon Collective about the environmental impact of compostable and cotton towels and add our own views on the importance of where and how these alternatives are manufactured plus a very brief comment on micro fibre towels.
First up, here’s what Green Salon Collective have to say:
All about salon towels…
You might have seen our research on Salon Towels a couple of years ago, and the main conclusion was that it’s not so much what towel you use, but how you use it!
From our research, the most sustainable option is to use a compostable salon towel but only use ONE per client.
If you can’t stick to one, then use reusable towels and launder them – or a mix depending on the client’s hair needs.
If you’re using compostable salon towels, then it’s important to actually compost them! Otherwise, they could end up in landfill or incineration where they’re no good to anybody, and can end up causing more harm…
You can read their report in full here.
So far, so good. We would add that some other downsides of cotton towels are a) that growing cotton uses large amounts of water, a resource that is becoming increasingly scarce in many cotton growing areas, b) most cotton is grown with chemical inputs which damage the soil and c) some major cotton producers (e.g. China) allegedly use forced labour. On the other hand in India and Bangladesh there are many small cotton farmers supported by the Fair Trade movement.
The key issue with compostable towels is that they are made out of trees. Which tree species, where are they grown and are the forests managed sustainably? Both Scrummi and Easydry carry the necessary independent accreditation giving reassurance on these questions. Enki, Ecotowels and Replant are certified as compostable but we can’t find independent certification relating to what they are made from, on their websites. Maybe we didn’t look hard enough? if you guys read this, please let us know.
As for synthetic, plastic, micro fibre towels, when you wash and dry them, you’ll release tiny microplastic fibres into waterways, as well as having to use lots of water, energy and chemicals. Micro fibre brands may claim sustainability credentials on the basis that they dry more quickly, etc, but they won’t mention the dreadful environmental impact of the micro fibres they release (and not just in the oceans and marine wildlife, these are in your body too!). Made from oil of course as well.
Hope this helps when you choose which towels to order. For much more on salon sustainability get our Salon RE:Source play book!