Marc Carey Interviews Paul Rossi From Goldwell About Recycle My Salon

[Paul Rossi] 

Hi I'm Paul Rossi, I work for KAO Salon Division. I've been working KAO for over 25 years. I've been running the UK operation in the wholesale industry for roughly 18 years.

[Marc Carey]

So tell me a little bit about HBSA and your involvement with them.

[PR] 

As a company we've been a member of HBSA for as long as I can remember. I got more involved with the HBSA once I was running the wholesale team, mainly because I know pretty much everyone in the industry. I'm seen as one of the influencers in the industry, I recruited a lot of members for the HBSA and in September this year I became the president of the HBSA.

[MC] 

You mentioned that you're an influencer, do you think that having those industry experts and influencers like yourself has been really important for the Recycle My Salon scheme?

[PR] 

Yes, and it will become more apparent once we've finalised everything. It's a strategy we can take to the industry, I will go to every wholesaler throughout the country and sell it. I've tentatively talked about it over the past few months and the reactions were very good. So through my influence we'll get into most if not all wholesalers.

[MC]  

Have you personally seen changes in the rhetoric and the narrative from your client base talking about environmental matters and social responsibility?

[PR] 

To a certain extent yes. Of course COVID gets in the way of that and you get very little time in front of clients now. I think the biggest benefit is in salons and of course I don't walk through salon doors. But my understanding from our company is that there is a buzz out there about sustainability. There's a keenness to get this up and running.

[MC]  

Yeah, I think it's important that most of the industry now are starting to take this seriously. We've been talking about it for the best part of 20 years now, in terms of really making a difference, and I guess social media and the sharing of knowledge through the internet has informed people about the reality of what's going on. So what would you say is the key message of being part of the HBSA and the Recycle My Salon scheme? Is it about, to coin that old phrase, thinking globally and acting locally or is it more than that?

[PR] 

I think through social media and various channels there is an awareness in the industry, in particular with the company that I work for KAO who are doing a lot of work to be fully sustainable by 2030. The industry is listening but like most businesses they need encouragement, they talk the talk but don't necessarily walk the walk. If you talk to them about sustainability then it's something they know about that they know they need to take action on it. If you encourage them and push them in the right direction, they will all get on the bus and join the party.

[MC]

You mentioned COVID there, one of the things I've heard from business owners in the past is that during the lockdown rather than working in the business you end up working on the business. I think that's allowed a lot of people to look at their businesses from a different perspective. So I'm wondering how much have you seen at grassroots level as well, feeding back to you as a supplier? Had you been starting to get asked those questions directly which then encouraged you to share your thoughts and views on this approach? Or, is it something that's happened organically?

[PR]  

It's a bit of both. Yes, people are looking at their businesses in a different way and we have to do things in a different way right now. The questions that I'm asked through wholesalers are the same as the salons, for example are we vegan? Our packaging has been changed and now we're working on our products with the four R rule which is reduce, replace, reuse and recycle. So, we are educating our salespeople and our marketing people and they will carry that message to the salons.

[MC]

Yeah, for sure. Of course there is a small cost to the Recycle My Salon scheme, do you think that's been important in the way that the scheme has been pitched so that it is accessible and affordable for a salon owner? Because often even if the services will benefit the business, if they don't make financial sense it can be off-putting, do you think the schemes got it right?

[PR] 

I'm not going to throw mud at any other company that's doing this but the message coming back to us was that they're too expensive. So from the outset I've said we need to get this right. The HBSA are a charity so it's not about us making money but of course, we can't lose money either. Our message is this is the right way to recycle and it's right for everybody financially. I know the cost of collecting the recycle boxes is astronomical, at a recent event in October a few salons mentioned that the cost of recycling was a problem, especially for busy salons. So, as much as we need transparency of what we're doing and how we're doing it, it has to be cost-effective for salons as well. This is going to take up time and space in their salons and they're going to have to educate their staff on the recycling process so this is not an easy project but it's a project that everyone needs to get behind. We've estimated between 25 to 30 tons of hair foils and 30 to 40 million tubes go into landfill with chemicals on them. We all know we need to do something about that but if you make it too expensive, the pound sign will overrule the conscience. The QE lifestyle plan consists of three main pillars. Pillar one is making my everyday more beautiful and we're saying that by 2030 we aim to improve at least 1 billion people's lives to enjoy more beautiful lives, greater cleanliness, easy ageing, better health and confidence in self-expression. We're doing this through improved quality of life, habits for cleanliness, health and beauty, universal product design and safer healthier products. Pillar two is making thoughtful choices for society. By 2030 100% of KAO brands will make it easy for people to make small but meaningful choices that together will shape a more resilient and compassionate society. So sustainable lifestyle promotions, purpose-driven brands, transformation and innovation and responsibly sourced raw materials, so we're looking at every aspect of the business. The third pillar is making the world healthier and cleaner. By 2030 100% of our products will leave a full life circle environment footprint that science says our world can safely absorb, focussing on decarbonisation, zero waste, water conservation and air and water pollution prevention. So as a company KAO is fully behind sustainability.