FAQs

+What is Green Salon’s definition of sustainable?

The first question many people ask is what does “sustainable” actually mean? That really depends who you talk to. So many brands now call themselves “sustainable” that many people feel the word has been watered down to become almost meaningless. However, at the moment, it’s the most widely understood term for defining products and services that are better for the planet. So we’ve decided to stick with it.

The UN defines it as placing the focus on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. However, at Green Salon, we go one step further: we define it as creating conditions on earth where life as a whole can flourish. We see this as achievable by sourcing and using products and services which not only minimise their impact on the planet, and it’s inhabitants, but also actively support them. And by the creation of a circular, regenerative economy, where we think not in terms of extraction and disposal, but of creation and conversion.

We also love the simplicity of Josh Dorfman, the Lazy Environmentalist’s definition: “living as well as you possibly can in balance with nature”.

+What is a Sustainability Coach?

Think of a Sustainability Coach as a mix between a personal organiser, motivational coach and eco-guru. We are here to help you make your life-style more sustainable, in a way that is time-efficient, streamlines your shopping and enables you to buy more beautiful, natural and healthy products, without the hassle of searching for them yourself. We know that changing any patterns of behaviour can be hard, and that sometimes we need an understanding and helping hand to make those changes.

+What is a Sustainable Stylist?

A Sustainable Stylist will help you hone your own personal style by suggesting styling combinations as well as restyling the clothes you once loved but no longer wear. She’ll help you edit out the ones that no longer make you shine, and show you how to sell them, donate them or responsibly recycle them. For those you keep, she’ll show you how to take care of them, from the best way to store clothes to fabric care. She’ll also give advice on upgrading to vintage, and what are the best sustainable brands on the market. Her role is to create a carefully created wardrobe of clothes that you love and that will last.

+How does Green Salon work?

We will come to your home and learn exactly how you shop, what your favourite products and brands are, where you like to go shopping and what is your signature style. Then we will work with you to show you sustainable alternatives that fit with your routines, your shopping habits, your tastes and your way of life.

We will also help with lowering your energy consumption, which is kinder to your wallet and the planet. We can also help you set up shopping systems for your home, if you wish, that enable you to make use of the new sustainable online shops subscription services: so that shopping is as simple and uncomplicated as possible.

+Do I really need a sustainable consultancy?

In theory, no. You could search for the sustainable companies that you need online and integrate them into your life. But do you have the time? The reality is that, at the moment, finding the best and most stylish sustainable companies is a labour of love. You can spend countless hours online trying to find the perfect organic moisturiser or organic woollen slippers. We know, because we’ve done it.

It can also take weeks of trial and error to find which refillable food companies have the ingredients that you always use and love to cook with. A Sustainability Coach and Stylist can help you work out sustainable swaps more efficiently, and get you the results you’re looking for, in a time-frame that you can live with.

+Why can’t I just use the Directory?

You can and we’re delighted if you do so. However, if you are looking for a faster, more tailored approach to greening your life, our Sustainability Coach and Stylist can help you with that. We take the time to find exactly what products you love to use, and find the best possible sustainable replacement. We also help you to streamline your shopping as so many sustainable shops have online subscription services, which means you never have to run out of any products again.

+What difference does it really make if I make changes to my lifestyle?

Sustainable living is about living in balance with nature. It's about curating a life of beauty, rather than one of unfettered consumption. Each time we make a conscious choice we have an impact. When we choose organic produce we are helping to restore depleted soil. When we swap out carbon intensive products we reduce emissions. This makes a difference when two-thirds of global emissions are linked to private households, according to UNEP’s 11th Emissions Report.

Every time we buy or rent sustainably, we are growing sustainable companies that are better for the planet. According to the government, in order for the UK to meet its goal of Net Zero by 2050, each of us needs to halve our carbon footprint by 2030.

Green Salon is here to show you how.

+Aren’t I just giving things up?

Change can be bewildering and alarming. We often approach it from an unconscious attachment to the way things currently are. From an evolutionary point of view, this makes sense: it is less risky to carry on doing the things we have always done. However, life never stays still, and change is, ironically, a constant.

The UK government’s pledge to get to Net Zero by 2050 means that the next decade is going to be a decade of disruption. The way we live our lives is going to fundamentally change: from the cars we drive to the way we heat our houses.

However, thanks to the brilliance of human ingenuity, many of the new alternatives that will replace the current products we use, will be a positive improvement. You will find that the products and services which we recommend are often more gorgeous to look at, healthier and can help you feel better about the part you are playing in society.

+Are there any benefits to my life in becoming greener?

Our world has become increasingly polluted with serious consequences not just for nature, but also for us humans. The World Health Organisation estimates there are more than 6 million premature deaths a year due to air pollution, including household air pollution.

Many of the products we use in the bathroom not only come wrapped in plastic, but contain a host of man-made chemicals. Phtalates, siloxanes and triclosan are some of the chemicals in our soaps, shampoos and body lotions that leach chemicals into the tissues of acquatic wildlife, and disturb the balance of our eco-system. And scientific research is increasingly finding that what is bad for the health of the planet, is bad for our own health. There is a lot of recent research about everyday chemicals that, while not Green Salon’s area of expertise, is useful information when thinking about the potential benefits of “greening” your home. For more information, you may want to visit Made Safe, a US-based organisation that are experts in this field.

+What qualifications do you have?

Our founder, Lucy Johnson, is a former journalist, who covered politics and the environment for 16 years. She is, therefore, well-versed in the politics of climate change and the ecological crisis.

She is also a trained psychotherapist, with nearly a decade of experience, and so understands the complexities of behaviour change, and how hard it can be for all of us to alter our way of life. She has spent the last few years making her life and that of her families more sustainable, and knows the pleasures and pitfalls that can come from making alterations to long held ways of doing things.

Our stylist, Rosanna, started her fashion career in Chanel and has been a stylist and personal shopper for 15 years, helping women find their signature style. She has always been an advocate of choose well, buy less, and make it last. She has an in-depth knowledge of the sustainable policies and practices of many of the leading sustainable fashion houses. In recent years, she has studied the rise of sustainable fashion at Future First, in association with Kering and the London College of Fashion.

+How do I know that the companies you recommend really are green?

We do the research! We spend several hours researching each sustainable brand before we invite them on to the Green Salon Directory. To do this, we look through their website to find out about their sustainability policies and plans, as well as any certification they have. We also look at any impact reports they have produced, and then where possible we speak to the brands.

However, we are not a certification body or auditors, and we have taken the approach that we trust the brands to tell us the truth about their sustainability policies and plans. We are aware that sustainable brands are on a journey and so we also take into account progress and awareness.

+What criteria do you use for including companies in the Green Salon Directory?

In consultation with sustainability experts from around the globe, we’ve come up with 70+ criteria that we believe are vital in calling yourself a sustainable brand in the 2020s. Here’s the list.

+What about greenwash?

There is lots of it about! That’s why we are here – to champion sustainable brands that really do what they say.