The Institute of Beauty and Wellness lives by the Aveda Mission, which is to care for the world we live in. As an Aveda institute, the Institute of Beauty and Wellness promotes environmentally responsible values and practices to students. To advance the mission, the Institute of Beauty and Wellness partnered with Green Circle Salons, Canada- and California-based beauty recycling company, to become a Green Circle Salons certified institute.
The beauty industry generates 877 pounds of waste every minute. Between hair clippings, excess product, foils and product packaging, North American salons produce 421,206 pounds of waste each day. In a world where consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, they want to spend their money on sustainable solutions. Green Circle Salons offer beauty lovers an eco-friendly option by partnering with salons and spas to recycle excess product, packaging and other waste.
Guests can enjoy guilt-free hair services, and students can take pride in knowing that their education is eco-friendly. The Institute of Beauty and Wellness recycles all salon waste that can be repurposed, including foils, hair clippings, hair dye tubes and excess hair dye, aerosol cans, plastic packaging and other spa waste.
The recycling process starts in the salon. Instructors and students deposit waste into separated containers to avoid cross-contamination. The separated waste containers then get collected by UPS carriers and taken to the Green Circle Salons warehouse for processing. Recycled hair clippings, for example, often end up being used to manufacture pet beds or to contain oil spills. Up to 95% of waste materials received at the Green Circle Salons warehouse get recovered or repurposed.
Recycling not only prevents pounds of waste from getting dumped in a landfill each day, but it also saves chemicals from excess products (like hair dye) from being poured down the drain where it can contaminate water supply. Additionally, recycling helps to alleviate the demand for extracting raw materials in the manufacturing of new products.
Green Circle Salons has many affiliates, including Aveda, and works to help partners be more sustainable in their product offerings and services. Clients can trust spas and salons with the Green Circle Salons certificate to be committed to the environment, which in turn, helps spas and salons build their clientele. As the demand for green business and services rise, the Institute of Beauty and Wellness positions itself and its students as responsible stewards of the Earth.