Here’s a hair-raising fact: every single minute, the beauty industry sends 877 pounds of waste to landfills in the United States and Canada. With haircare brands that are mainstays in salons across North America, Henkel has long been committed to finding sustainable solutions for products and packaging — and partners who can help foster these efforts.
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Henkel, Green Circle Salons make beauty industry greener
One such partner is Green Circle Salons, the leader in providing recycling solutions for the professional beauty industry in the United States and Canada. Green Circle Salons provides a seamless process to recycle salon waste ranging from shampoo bottles to the foils used to highlight hair.
Marc Stucky, Head of US Beauty Care Hair Professional Open Research & Development, Henkel North America, was first introduced to the recycling innovator in 2018, as Henkel opened the doors of its state-of-the-art #AcademyofHair in Culver City, California. He readily recalls his first conversation with Bill Deliman, Global Director of Stakeholder Engagement at Green Circle Salons.
“At the time, we were setting up our #AcademyofHair and our R&D salon studios, and we were putting out a lot of waste,” says Stucky. “My first conversation with Bill was inspiring, as it was immediately clear that our organizations had a shared objective. Partnering with Green Circle Salons fit perfectly within Henkel’s long-standing commitment to the circular economy and overall sustainability goals.”
As leaders within the Beauty Care industry, it’s our responsibility help minimize our impact on the planet. Our partnership with Green Circle Salons is such a critical relationship for Henkel, and we are committed to spread awareness about organizations like this, to help promote sustainable practices across our entire value chain. This is just not a Henkel thing; this is an Earth thing.
Marc Stucky, Head of US Beauty Care Hair Professional Open Research & Development, Henkel North America
Today, Henkel has Green Circle Salons programs in place at its R&D centers in Culver City, California, Stamford and Darien, Connecticut, as well as the Test Salon and the #AcademyofHair in Culver City. Ninety-five percent of the materials collected at these locations are re-used and given a second life. Since the partnership took off in 2018, Henkel has recycled nearly 111,000 pounds — roughly 55 tons — of salon waste.
In an industry known for its creativity, Green Circle Salons doesn’t shy away from recycling challenges.
“The team at Green Circle Salons never says no,” says Stucky. “Even if they do not have a solution for a particular type of waste, they will help you find one. That’s what I value most about our partnership, and a big part of why it is so successful.”
By creating more sustainable products and packaging up-front — and working on the back end with organizations like Green Circle Salons — Henkel is delivering on its commitment to reducing waste, while encouraging our partners to do the same. Henkel Beauty Care Hair Professional brands actively promote Green Circle Salons to salons across North America, to increase education and awareness about the availability and benefits of their programs.
Most recently, in celebration of Earth Month in 2021, Green Circle Salons partnered with the Plastic Bank — another valued Henkel partner — on a campaign to clean up plastic waste worldwide. As a proud sponsor of the campaign, Henkel brand Joico® helped recruit more than 100 new salon members to join Green Circle as “Waste Warriors” (in collaboration with other sponsors).
“Joico helped to rally the salon community to recover ocean plastic. Together, with other participating beauty brands, we were able to keep 2.2 million plastic bottles from entering the world’s oceans — double our goal,” says Deliman, noting that the campaign also generates revenue for local recyclers. “The social and environmental aspect came together in a force for good.”
The partnership between Henkel and Green Circle Salons proves that you can create beauty, while minimizing waste.
