Definition is stepping into the future

You may be surprised to learn that the salon industry sends more than 1,500 tons of recyclable aluminium back to landfill each year in Australia and New Zealand alone. That’s one and a half million kilos, about 715 cars, or four jumbo jets!

Unfortunately aluminium doesn’t degrade easily, it actually contaminates the soil for 500 years. Add to this the wasted resources of plastics, colour tubes, hair clippings and more, and you soon see that beauty at any price is no longer an option.

After joining Sustainable Salons, Definition is set to change all this.

Definition now recycles up to 95% of resources used within the salon just by being a part of the Sustainable Salons program. Rather than contaminating the waterways, excess chemicals such as peroxide and hair colour now go to a chemical recycler to be neutralised into recycled water used in construction, roadworks and community gardens. Plastics are also repurposed and recycled into closed-loop products such as outdoor furniture, coasters, sunglasses, combes and more.

What’s more, the staff at Definition love that all proceeds earned from the sales of metal and paper recycling are donated to OzHarvest and KiwiHarvest to fund meals for disadvantaged people – Sustainable Salons donates more than 5,500 meals every month! Collected ponytails are sent directly to charitable wig-makers and organisations to provide charitable wigs for those suffering from alopecia or cancer, while hair clippings are made into items such as Hair Booms used in oil-spill clean-up operations, OLED displays and even Hairy Soil.

As consumers become more aware of the impact the products they use have on the environment, they have also welcomed the opportunity to make a difference.

“The salon industry needs to take action now, and take care of the environment as much as we take care of clients”, says Paul Frasca, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sustainable Salons. “Definition really cares about making their salon as sustainable as possible. When they looked at what they could do to become more sustainable ecologically and economically, Sustainable Salons was the obvious choice.”

By joining Sustainable Salons, Definition is happy they can support charities, benefit the community, and attract clients who hold the same values, while also helping Make Sustainability Reality.

www.sustainablesalons.org
FB & IG: @SustainableSalonsANZ

Introducing Sustainable Salons

Sustainable Salons is a for-purpose enterprise dedicated to getting people, planet, and profit working for each other. What started as a resource recovery program in 2015, has now grown into an organisation that inspires leaders across the feel-good industries to align their actions with their values. They empower conscious businesses and their consumers to make a real and measurable impact, helping divert resources from landfill and transform them into a positive force for good.

The program has 1,500+ members (and growing!) in the hairdressing, barber, beauty, dermal and pet-grooming industries across Australia and New Zealand as part of the journey to Make Sustainability Reality.
Sustainable Salons provides all separation bins and adaptable marketing material to suit the salon’s needs and offers either fortnightly or on-demand collection service directly to the business.

Plastics are collected and sent to specialist local plastics recyclers where it’s cleaned and transformed into closed-loop products such as outdoor furniture, plant pots, dog leads, combs and glasses, keeping it in circulation and out of our oceans!

All aluminium, foil, colour tubes, cardboard, paper, magazines, razor blades, unwanted tools and select disposables are sold for recycling, and the proceeds are donated to OzHarvest and KiwiHarvest to provide meals to help feed the hungry. Re-melting used aluminium saves up to 95% of the energy and 97% of the water needed to produce the primary product.
Hair clippings are collected from salon floors, barbers and pet groomers, and their untapped potential is absolutely staggering. Hair clipping can be stuffed into stockings to make Hair Booms that can help clean up oil spills along our coastlines. It can also be used in flexible OLED displays, helping stabilise solar panels so they last longer! The potential of hair as an additive in compost has also been extremely beneficial in understanding the valuable nutrients hair can provide in order to supercharge soil.
All ponytails collected that are 20cm or longer are sent directly to charitable organisations to be made into charitable wigs for those suffering from cancer or alopecia or to fund life-changing programs. Sustainable Salons is the number one donor of ponytails in the Southern Hemisphere!
Sustainable Salons is the first company to recycle excess chemicals in the salon industry. These are pooled and sent to chemical recycling plants where they’re neutralised and turned into recycled water used in roadworks, construction and community gardens.
In partnership with Mylestones (QLD), Mambourin (VIC), WorkPower (WA) and Kilmarnock (NZ) Sustainable Salons is creating stronger futures for people with a disability by providing purposeful work within our material collection and processing streams. Supported Employees sort and process the materials for repurposing!
Sustainably-minded solutions are promoted to help the business make greener choices! e-commerce platform through which members can shop for salon essentials sustainably. Everyday salon products, such as eco-cleaning products, recycled toilet paper, recycled salon foil, biodegradable towels, biodegradable gloves and more!
Through various community organisations, professionals in the Sustainable Salons network are encouraged to volunteer their time and skills for those who don’t have access to these services in our local area.