Sustainability and eco-friendly options tend to feel overwhelming–especially when it comes to applying them to your entire barbershop.
But the fact of the matter is, opting for a more earth-friendly barbershop doesn’t always take an enormous push or an all-or-nothing approach.
Sometimes, it just latkes a few small efforts to make an enormous difference. Here’s a major spoiler alert about running an eco-conscious and earth-first business–it’s anything but a sprint. Think of your eco-friendly business as more of a marathon-style effort–one that takes small but consistent efforts every step of the way.
If you’re feeling ready to catch onto this whole go-green thing (in a small way) but you’re not quite sure where to start, this blog is for you. We’re going to dive into some small but meaningful steps your barbershop can take to tackle sustainability–one swap out at a time.
Swap Wasteful Showerheads for Sustainable Ones
Stop buying and replacing your showerheads with the same ones–you’re not doing your shop (or the world) any favors. There are lots of eco-friendly faucets out there that can help you cut back on your water waste without reducing pressure or ruining your client’s shop experience. Try out brands like ECOHEADS to get a feel for how these work–trust us; you’ll see the difference in a big way with this small change.
Sustainable Products are a Must
Being a smart business owner is also about being a smart consumer. Think about it–you have to buy supplies and products for your salon, too, right? You can’t just offer sustainable products in your shop for your clients to buy–you need to purchase sustainable products that you use, too. Swapping out your go-to products for ones that are sustainable is a super effective and streamlined way to put the earth first in your shop. You might not be able to make this a full swap (it’s probably not cheap), but just swapping out a few products at first can make a difference.
Focus on a Carbon Neutral Approach
If you can’t change a ton of your carbon footprint approach, you can try to cancel out your impact. How? By opting for a carbon-neutral strategy. How do you make this happen? First, do the math and calculate your carbon footprint. Next, figure out how to offset that carbon footprint. You can tackle this through various strategies, like:
Buying sustainable products in bulk
Eliminating one-use containers
Running an energy audit
Swapping out for LED bulbs
But that’s not all. You can also donate to organizations that plant trees and other fauna in order to offset your calculated carbon footprint.
Hang Dry Those Linens
If you’re not ready to sacrifice your time and sanity to hand wash everything (hey, we get it), it might be worth it to consider just swapping out how you dry your towels. On sunny, beautiful days, opt to turn that dryer off and hang dry the laundry you just took out of the washing machine. Save the dryer for times when you need new towels, like ASAP.
Stop Leaving Your Hot Tools On
We know what you’re thinking–but it really is this easy sometimes. Listen to us carefully–turn your hot tools off! Listen to us one more time–take it a step further and unplug those hot tools when not in use. Why? Because even though you’re plugged-in hot tool isn’t being used, it’s still drawing a small amount of power. And all of that power is going nowhere–in other words; it’s being wasted. This small change can make a big difference!
At the end of the day, what you choose to tackle in terms of sustainability is up to you and your business. But if going green or being eco-friendly is on your radar for your barbershop, know this–you don’t need to change every giant thing in your shop to make a substantial difference. Sometimes, the smallest changes–like turning off your tools or line drying your laundry more often–can make the biggest difference.
Looking for more sustainable business tips? Make sure you stay in the know and up-to-date by subscribing to the National Association of Barbers right here and now. We’re here to give you the best career advice, change the way you think about your business, and help you improve your shop seamlessly.
