In 2026, being sustainable in business is expected rather than an afterthought but making it relatable and aspirational for your clients doesn’t have to be a big deal.
According to Susannah Richardson, co-founder of salon group, Butchers, your sustainability should be visible the minute clients step through your doors “Your clients don’t want to be lectured on how sustainable you are; they should just see and feel the benefits on every visit to the salon,” she says.
Butchers, which has salons in London, Leicester, and Chester, has been named Best Sustainable Aveda Salon in the World. Here, Susannah shares her thoughts on how sustainability is the new normal in hairdressing
- Lead with the feeling, not the ethics
Clients don’t book a sustainable salon because of the recycling bin in the corner. They book it because their time in your chair is the calmest hour of their week, and that calm comes directly from the choices behind it – the reclaimed wood, the plants, the products that smell like something you’d actually want to inhale. Sell the atmosphere first, and the values will land without anyone having to make a speech.
- Turn the products into a ritual
Aveda has a story inside every bottle and every drop, but it only becomes seductive when a stylist takes the time to share these stories. Choosing the right aroma for a guest’s head massage, talking through what’s in the colour going on their hair, explaining why this conditioner smells the way it does, will turn every service into a luxurious ritual. Sustainability becomes something a guest feels on their scalp rather than something they skim read on a label.
- Sell the upgrade, not an apology
Nobody wants to hear that their old salon was doing it wrong. They want to hear that what they’re walking into now is better. They’ll experience cleaner air around the chair, lower-fume colour technology, and towels that haven’t been overly bleached. Frame every sustainable choice as something they’re gaining rather than something they’re being asked to sacrifice.
- Show the receipts in plain sight
The numbers carry more weight than any aspirational caption ever will. Talk about the water saved per client, the kilos of foil being recycled, and the energy reduced through the new equipment on the salon floor. Drop those facts casually into Instagram, into consultations, and onto your website.
- Make the space do the work
A sustainable salon should look like the most beautiful salon a client has ever set foot in. Plants thriving by the windows, reclaimed beams or floorboards, and ceramic mugs in their hands instead of plastic cups. When the room itself tells the story, the message lands without anyone in your team having to push it.
@butcherssalon
