You chose this profession because you love it. The clients, the creativity, the community. But somewhere between the colour appointments and the treatment room bookings, it is easy to overlook the environmental footprint that comes with running a busy salon or spa.
The good news? Making your business more sustainable does not mean compromising on the quality your clients expect. It means making smarter choices, one switch at a time.
Here are 6 sustainable switches every hair and beauty professional can make right now.
1. Switch your salon foils
Traditional aluminium foils are used once and thrown away, contributing thousands of pieces of waste per salon every year. Switching to recycled or biodegradable foils is one of the simplest changes you can make with an immediate environmental impact. Many are just as effective as conventional foils and your clients will never notice the difference. But the planet will.
The impact: A busy colour salon can use hundreds of foils a week. Switching to recycled foils could divert thousands of pieces of aluminium from landfill every year.
2. Switch your salon towels
Cotton towels are one of the most overlooked environmental costs in a salon. A single laundry cycle uses up to 150 litres of water, multiply that across thousands of salons washing towels daily and the environmental impact adds up fast.
Scrummi biodegradable hair towels are single-use, plant-based and made from sustainably sourced wood fibres. No laundry, no energy bills and no environmental guilt. Just a fresh towel for every single client.
The impact: Scrummi salons have collectively saved 15 million litres of water and avoided 3.5 million kg of CO₂ by making the switch.
3. Switch your colour bowl and brush
Most conventional colour bowls and brushes are made from virgin plastic that contributes to the growing problem of plastic waste in the salon industry. Given how frequently they need replacing after heavy use, the cumulative environmental impact is more significant than most salon owners realise.
Switching to colour bowls and brushes made from recycled or sustainably sourced materials is a simple but meaningful change. Several professional brands now offer eco-friendly alternatives that are just as functional as their conventional counterparts, without the environmental compromise.
The impact: Choosing recycled or sustainably produced salon tools helps reduce demand for virgin plastic and keeps more waste out of landfill with every colour service.
4. Switch your salon capes
Traditional salon capes are washed repeatedly, adding to your laundry load, your energy bills and your environmental footprint. And over time the constant washing degrades the fabric, meaning they need replacing more often than you would like.
Scrummi biodegradable salon capes are single-use and fully compostable, giving every client a fresh, hygienic experience without a single wash cycle required. Better for your clients, better for your business and better for the planet.
The impact: Salon capes have one of the highest laundry cost weightings of any salon product. Switching could save your salon up to £0.98 per cape in laundry costs alone.
5. Switch your wax strips
Conventional wax strips are typically made from synthetic materials that are not biodegradable, adding to the growing problem of single-use plastic waste in the beauty industry. Given that a busy beauty therapist can get through hundreds of strips a week, the cumulative impact is significant.
Switching to biodegradable wax strips made from natural fibres is a simple change that makes a real difference, without affecting the quality of your treatments.
The impact: A therapist carrying out 10 waxing treatments a day could divert over 3,000 strips from landfill every year by making the switch to biodegradable.
6. Switch your dye bowl and brush
Most dye bowls and brushes are made from conventional plastics that contribute to the growing problem of single-use and low-quality plastic waste in the salon industry. Given how frequently they need replacing, the cumulative environmental impact is more significant than most salon owners realise.
Switching to dye bowls and brushes made from recycled or sustainably sourced materials is a simple but meaningful change. Several professional brands now offer eco-friendly alternatives that are just as functional as their conventional counterparts, without the environmental compromise.
The impact: The salon industry generates significant plastic waste annually from tools and accessories. Choosing recycled or sustainably produced alternatives helps reduce demand for virgin plastic and keeps more waste out of landfill.
The bigger picture
Every switch on this list is small on its own. But together they add up to something significant, a salon or spa that genuinely cares about the world its clients live in and the planet its profession depends on.
At Scrummi, we believe the best professionals do not just deliver great results. They make great choices. And sustainable ones.
Ready to make the switch? Explore the full Scrummi range.
