Hair Festival 2024 had sustainability top of mind, with installations, waste management plans and education leading the way.

Entering the event, the lanyard wall, with lanyards sponsored by Paul Mitchell, was an innovative installation of recycled shampoo bottles, where attendees could take and then return their lanyards for seamless recycling. The wall also offered messages of sustainability and the opportunity to pledge your commitment to sustainable practices.

Partnerships with with Sustainable Salons and Waste Free Systems proved pivotal. During the event, Waste Free Systems collected 3.5 kilograms of foils, 1.2 kilograms of hair and 245 bottles and cans, as well as general waste, while Sustainable Salons collected 4.6 kilograms of paper cups, 1.3 kilograms of plastic cup lids, 1 kilogram of aluminium lids, 500 grams of plastic bottles, half a kilogram of hair and 1.6 kilograms of glass bottles. Sustainable Salons additionally reported half a kilogram of hair collected, as well as 1 kilogram of metal, 3 kilograms of paper, half a kilogram of plastic and 1 kilogram of general waste.

“I want to commend the Hair Festival organisers for spotlighting sustainability at the event. It plays a crucial role in raising awareness among the 80 per cent of salon owners who have yet to take this issue seriously. The sustainability panels were a fresh way to engage with salon owners, and I hope this initiative continues to grow,” shared Bernie Craven, CEO of Waste Free Systems. “Exhibiting at the event allowed us to connect with many salon owners who recognise the need for sustainable practices but haven’t yet taken the plunge. It was also an opportunity for them to explore market options and understand that even small steps can make a significant impact.”

Both Sustainable Salons and Waste Free Systems, as well as sustainability in small business advocate Greener for Business, were on stands in the Festival Hub, with dynamic activities to excite attendees around sustainable practices. Sustainable Salons and Greener officially launched their new partnership, which offers exclusive deals for salons to save on set-up fees and memberships across both organsiations, making sustainability easier and more lucrative than ever. Waste Free Systems showcased their new digital technology pertaining to these environmental practices.

“We were thrilled to introduce the first-to-market Waste Free Green app to salon owners. This app provides a daily tool on their smartphones to instantly see the positive impact of their recycling efforts in the salon. It’s free to download and available to all salon owners,” Bernie said.

“Having our art bins systems on stage to collect hair and plastics, as well as around the exhibition floor for drink bottles, sparked new conversations, which is always valuable,” he added. “Just as Nike encourages action with ‘Just Do It,” at Waste Free Systems, we say, ‘Imagine a world where waste isn’t pollution—it’s a solution’.”

Education was, as always, paramount, and these three organisations teamed up on THE STAGE. throughout the event to educate on these important principles in the Festival Hub. Paul Frasca, Founder of Sustainable Salons, and sustainable brand O’Right, also spoke to these topics at the REALtalk Business Forum, across business, innovation and the planet at large.

“Sustainable Salons has had a really good year at Hair Festival, we seem to constantly be growing and attracting more and more people who want to be sustainable,” Paul said. “When we first started people didn’t really understand sustainability, today they really do get it, we can now talk about now just sustainability, but how it’s actually good for business.”

“Hair Festival is the hub of the hair industry and, just as innovation, education, networking and competition are all essential components of the industry and the event, sustainability will always be close to the heart of Hair Festival,” said Jo Cowan, Sales Director for Hair Festival, INSTYLE and Styleicons. “We look forward to continuing these valuable partnerships and further educating, recycling, pledging and growing the industry’s environmental awareness through Hair Festival in the years to come.”

For more information visit www.hairfestival.com.au

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