A More Sustainable Future

With salons across the UK and Ireland once again facing lockdown, Anne Veck and Keith Mellen are encouraging hairdressers and business owners to use the enforced downtime to make some positive changes towards a more sustainable future.

Anne and Keith launched Salon Re:Source in 2020 as a free, three-part guide, packed full of tried-and-tested tips for running a more sustainable salon. Broken down into small changes, next steps and major changes, Salon Re:Source has been compiled by the duo after years of research and personal experience and features easy-to-implement advice, resources and real-life recommendations.

Since embarking on their own sustainability journey, Anne and Keith have transformed their Oxford business into the UK’s first and only carbon neutral salon and have made drastic changes to the way they work – saving themselves money, as well as contributing to a greener, more mindful future for hairdressing.

Keith says:

The best possible outcome of this lockdown would be to use the time to make positive changes to your salon business, which will benefit not just your bottom line but the future of both the industry and the wider world. Our three-part Salon Re:Source guide is full of advice and ideas to make quick, easy changes and the first part in particular has lots of simple steps that cost little or no money to implement. In challenging times, we know that getting productive can be a real mood booster – particularly when it’s doing something positive for the planet.

As well as encouraging salons to get involved with Salon Re:Source, Anne and Keith have also kickstarted 2021 by joining the UN’s Race to Zero Campaign; a commitment to producing zero carbon emissions by 2030. The salon has already drastically reduced its existing emissions thanks to its sustainable practices – their current output is approximately 11 tonnes a year, offset through a community tree-planting project in Kenya. The average business produces 26 tonnes CO2/year, making the Anne Veck figure an impressive one – especially given the increased carbon emissions produced by salons thanks to the use of electricity and water.

To find out more about Salon Re:Source and sign up to receive the free guide, click here.

Follow @SalonReSourceUK on social media for more ideas, updates, and inspiration.