Green is the New Black
With global warming on the rise and an apparent lack of responsibility from major corporate polluters, many small businesses are starting to take matters into their own hands. By combining business savvy and environmental consciousness, Italian beauty company Davines has created a worldwide green movement in the salon industry. Saving the planet just got a lot more glamorous.
Sustainable Beauty Month
Sustainable Beauty Month began in 2010 as Sustainable Beauty Day, first held in Italy. Developed by Davines, SBD was a way for businesses – more specifically, salons – to give back to the environment and promote environmental consciousness. Davines wanted to create a synergy between business and the environment, with concrete, positive results for the planet and salons. Soon, SBD was celebrated in many countries all over the world, including France and Canada. Since it has become an international event lasting a whole month! Sustainable Beauty Month has reached the U.S. and many salons are taking action.
To participate in Sustainable Beauty Month, a salon will offer a promotion where all proceeds go to benefit socio-environmental projects and/or organizations. Each year, target goals were set and incredibly exceeded each time. In 2011, Canada and the United States raised over $25,000 and $62,000 in 2012 by 80 salons!
For the past several years, Davines has partnered with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation to plant fruit trees in developing countries. Currently, Davines is committed to helping fund the planting of 10,000 trees in El Salvador. It is one of the most deforested countries in the world with more than 46% of the rural population living in poverty. The average cost of planting and maintaining one tree is $100, or about 4 large bottles of Davines’ award-winning OI Shampoo.
What We’re Doing
Barron’s London Salon is proud to partner with Davines and other eco-friendly salons across the globe for Sustainable Beauty Month 2016. In celebration of Sustainable Beauty Month, BLS is offering all Davines products for 15% off! Not only will you be entered to win an actual fruit tree, but also all proceeds will be donated to the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. With the money raised, fruit trees will be planted in impoverished villages in different parts of the world.
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation is “an international nonprofit charity dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to alleviate world hunger, combat climate change, strengthen communities, and improve surrounding air, soil, and water.”
What You Can Do
You don’t need to use eco-friendly products, like Davines’, to take “green” action in our beauty regiments and our daily lives.
All those empty bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion and body wash are all recyclable! The average American has 8 products in plastic bottles in the bathroom. If we all took steps to recycle these bottles, the effect would have an instrumental effect as recycling water bottles. Simply check out the product bottle for the well known recyclable logo (a triangle of three arrows), rinse it out, and toss it into the blue bin. This includes your metal aerosol cans, as well – just make sure to throw them in with your empty soda cans and other aluminum products.
If you’re not sure about whether you can recycle your tube of hair gel, check to see if that company offers a recycling program for their products. You would be surprised as many do! Garnier® has partnered with recycling behemoth TerraCycle® so you can send them your used shampoo caps, conditioner caps, hair gel tubes and caps, hair spray triggers, hair paste caps, lip balm tubes and caps, soap dispensers and tubes, body wash caps, lotion dispensers and caps, lipstick cases, lip gloss tubes, mascara tubes, eye shadow cases, bronzer cases, foundation packaging, powder cases, eyeliner cases, eyeliner pencils, eyeshadow tubes, concealer tubes, concealer sticks and lip liner pencils. Basically, almost every beauty product you own and the kitchen sink can be sent to TerraCycle® to be recycled.
If that seems like a lot of work to save the environment, simply switch to eco-friendly products with biodegradable recipes and containers. While the containers might be a bit more difficult to find, there are many natural products (like Davines) that are not only great for your hair, skin, and body but also the environment.
Lastly, help spread the word and awareness of Sustainable Beauty Month. Share a picture with the Davines mascot (pictured below) on your social media with the hashtag #ISustainBeauty. The androgynous mascot represents all genders, races, and cultures and serves as a reminder of the unity of our own beauty with the natural beauty of the environment. Ultimately, we are a part of nature. The same care and time we take into beautifying ourselves for our own fulfillment can and should be applied to our only home – the earth.