Eco solutions to reduce the running cost of your business

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Posted April 30, 2018

SPONSORED BY WASTE FREE SYSTEMS

With the current waste crisis that has engulfed Australia, it is even more imperative that as business owner you become part of the environmental solution. We need to look at this as an industry opportunity to streamline processes looking at your product mix, the services you provide and how you and you team can reduce the environmental impact while improving your profit margin at the same time.

It is exciting to know that becoming eco-friendly and creating waste-free solutions for your business can become a driver to motivate your team and attract clients to your door because it is such a current topic and a growing movement. Here are some key steps in creating eco solutions to reduce the running cost of your business.

Base Line assessment

The first place to start is do a baseline assessment of where you are now, including how you go about business in your salon and what resources do you currently use to make it all happen.

Successful salon owners know at a glance how many clients come through the door every week, what their costs are for each area of the business and what their hourly cost is in keeping their doors open. From there, you can look at ways to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

When we look at reducing environmental costs in salon, identifying the main areas is the place to start.

Main areas:

• Energy efficiency: The use of power – one of the major rising costs currently in any business.
• Chemical usage: Hair colour and solutions – one of the critical cost centres in a hair salon.
• Water Consumption: Now charged for in most cases and factored into leases.

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ENERGY

Power costs are calculated per Kwh usage and then a supply charge, so make sure to check that you are individually metred and not part of a group calculation and paying for others usage.

Power companies are in a price war at the moment with up to 25% discount being offered, so be prepared to change suppliers for a better deal. Look for energy companies who supply green or renewable power for the most eco-friendly option. If you do decide to change providers, its highly likely that your original supply company will come back to you and offered the same deal or better before change over.

Get yourself a cheap usage checking device or app for your phone so you can work out what is using the most power in the salon so you can change your habits.

Air Con units

These use a lot of power so when choosing new units look at the star rating. Speak to the manufacturer to see how you can get the best performance out of the unit with minimum usage of power and set the thermostat one degree higher, or use the dehumidifier setting so it is providing airflow but not refrigeration. It’s important to upgrade old units as they use the most power and replace them for one with a better energy rating and better efficiency.

Lighting

Switching your lights over to LED’scan slash the cost of overall lighting with lower wattage giving brighter lighting. Look for globes or fittings with a good warranty and keep track of when you bought them – if they don’t last the distance get them replaced under warranty. Make sure you turn off all power points at night and use low wattage signage or night lighting.

Hot water

Units can chew up power, so make sure they are on the right tariff or check their rating or usage before buying. Smaller units tend to need to be on all the time if the salon is busy, so they will likely be using more power. Invest in a larger unit for better efficiency.

Blow dryers

Look for lower wattage dryers or use a hair chamois on the hair first. A hair chamoise has been proven to extract more moisture from the hair and you use less drying time for your staff and less power for your dryers.

Straightening irons and tongs

These heat instantly now, so there is no need to turn them on early or leave them on for long stretches, saving you plenty in electricity bills.

Washing machines

Look for high star ratings and low water volumes per wash, and make sure they are set to the shortest wash and cold wash. When working out the cost of running a washing machine, remember that you use power, water and detergent and these are all separate costs. Make sure that you are loading up your machine properly each cycle to get the most out of these resources.

Tumble dryers

Again, mke sure you look for the most energy efficient models and make sure they are only used on full loads for best efficiency.

Turn all appliances onto standby lighting, except computers if connected to the net for appointments.

 

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CHEMICAL USEAGE

Chemical wasteage can be the difference between a salon being profitable or not, such is its importance. While sourcing the most environmentally-friendly product companies is a better environmental outcome, the state of play is that there are a lot of companies out there who don’t really care and will only change if you start asking them why they are not doing something about it. Choose product providers who are committed to less waste and creating products that are easy to get the most out of containers and require less chemical steps in mixing solutions for the most eco-friendly option.

It’s important to consult each and every colour appointment as a starting point, and not blindly follow a client card each time. Each colour service in the salon needs to be accurately recorded and measured by weight or device.

Having a chemical bucket in the colour mixing area is the only way to guage what wastage you have, so we recommend tackling this first. Small batching of colours is the best way to go and while it can be so annoying running out of colour with the last few foils to go, most of the wastage happens when the second batch is mixed. All left over colour needs to be scraped into the chemical bucket at the end of the service this way you will know exactly what is happening. This is a great chance to then tighten up the rules with your team so that the waste stops happening. This is the same for all chemical services, from colours to perms and treatments. By looking in the chemical bucket, it offers a great opportunity for all team members to learn and change their habits as everyone can see the results and work towards reducing the amount of waste. If you are not using a waste management system in the salon, wrap what’s in the bucket at the end of the week in paper and put it in with the rubbish not down the sink.

 

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WATER CONSUMPTION

The hairdressing industry uses a lot of water – it is a precious commodity and now it is being charged for in most cases. The basin area is the hub of the salon, as most clients go through this area at some stage, some multiple times, so having firm rules about what happens there is important.

There is a case for cutting hair first in the salon, dry cutting or water sprayed, therefor going to the basin with less hair to wash there is less water and product used. This may not work for everyone but its worth thinking about as a change in process for your salon.

There are water flow reducing tap heads available in the marketplace which are a really simple way to reduce the amount of water you use. Making rules around not leaving taps running while doing basin services is a must, as well as using lower pressure and temperatures. Washing bowls and brushes after services is another area that can use lots of water, so instead consider using a bucket to soak them in first then a light rinse afterward.

The Washing Machine is another heavy water user, so look for low water volume machines or use the express wash and only use on full loads.

If you have the option to dry your towels and wraps in the sun it is a bonus; or using a reusable chamois or bio-degradable towels is another way to reduce water usage in the salon. Bio-degradable towels can then also be dried and used as weed cover in your garden or given to clients to use as well.

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You can support the minimizing of waste in your salon by participating in or using a waste free system that deals with all other aspects of the salons waste reduction needs. If you’re interested in implementing a waste system in your salon, Waste Free Systems are a HABA Alliance Partner with fantastic offers exclusive to HABA members. Get in touch with the team via their website www.wastefreesystems.com.au