Sustainability in Isolation

 

A sense of isolation could be holding back many beauty professionals from introducing real positive change for the planet. A new survey into industry attitudes towards sustainability found few are immune to climate fears, with air quality, water scarcity and depletion of ocean life highest on the list. But many still feel too shy to discuss openly and unable to act in the face of perceived opposition from other owners, colleagues and guests. 

This year’s annual survey from Sustain Beauty Co, Sustainability in the Beauty Industry, revealed a fairly universal desire to clean up our industry. Of the respondents, 60% rated sustainability as “extremely important” for themselves, suggesting there is a real desire for change. However, when they were asked about whether their team, guests and community prioritized sustainability, opinion dropped dramatically. Just 32.9% believed their team and colleagues considered sustainability important and even fewer were convinced their guests (20.5%) and community (19.3%) cared, despite findings in many other studies. 

“The findings imply that many owners and stylists believe they are on their own; working towards sustainability in isolation. Social pressure is real, particularly for business owners and especially in an election year, but if 60.5% rate it as ‘highly important’, we are all clearly on the same page behind closed doors,” says Valorie Tate of Sustain Beauty Co, distributor and representative for sustainable beauty tools and strategies. “I believe the results show perceptions are an indication of trying to be politically correct, and quietly working behind the scenes. Yet, that is doing a disservice to those around you who clearly believe we can and should be doing more.”

The survey into Sustainability in the Beauty Industry, now in its second year, was created to capture the ongoing attitudes, practices, and challenges related to sustainability within the beauty industry. This year included opinions from nearly 700 professionals, up by 15% from last year, showing a real shift in concern for the environment. However, unless the misalignment of personal belief and perception of others is self-correcting, action on sustainability could be slower to spread. 

“Sustain Beauty Co was born with the mission to help identify authentic, credible and environmentally responsible brands that put the artist at the forefront of their purpose,” added Tate. “Our annual survey and report is an important part of that, showing changing attitudes and how important genuine sustainable options are for the professional beauty artist. But unless we can get the messaging across the industry more aligned with actual beliefs, we will not be able to sync our efforts.”

A big part of SBCo’s mission is to deliver educational materials, such as the Sustainable Salon Checklist, implementation guides and marketing tools that help support sustainability efforts and ensure messaging is aligned across the salon and its community.

Download the free SBCo survey report here. Access the free Sustainable Salon Checklist from SBCo here.