Going green - and not just for a week

A great success

Go Green Week, a national week of action to help raise awareness of environmental issues and to promote more sustainable lifestyles, has been a great success for us. Our spa management students have used this time to discuss and make decisions on how we can move forward as an environmentally conscious business.

We have discussed how we can make use of biodegradable disposable consumables in a bid to conserve energy in terms of the mountains of laundry we get through per day... not to mention the cost!

This did bring up some good discussion between Haley Mantell, our Technical Instructor at the Devonshire Spa, the students and myself around the balance between the comfort of guests and being 'green'. Perhaps the use of biodegradable mitts to remove products during a facial are a good idea. We tested the ones from Scrummi Spa and I have to say they were very soft and felt lovely. However, we decided to draw the line at paper robes as guests still enjoy that feeling of a soft fluffy gown.

Also, it was a difficult decision to make but we have decided to stop using disposable slippers in an attempt to bring down the amount of waste the spa creates.

Sustainability

Of course, within the spa, our products are our most widely used resource and it is safe to say that our product brands are also making the effort to reduce packing and plastic and contribute to a more environmentally friendly experience.

Sustainability, environmentally conscious formulations and recyclable plastic are the hottest topics everyone is talking about within the spa industry. It is really important that we offer our guests and clients the purest solutions at every part of their journey with us. That's something Sonya Dowson said to me the other day. She's Business Development Manager for leading skincare company Comfort Zone. They are our core brand and we're working with them to ensure the products we use have zero CO2 impact.

They are taking steps to eliminate parabens preservatives, mineral oils and silicones from their ranges. Their Tranquillity range was first on their hit list and their reformulations mean these products are now vegan friendly!

Green brands, brown bags

We do make a conscious effort to ensure that we keep our staff and guests up to date with the latest news from our brands. We love that Ishga are 100% organic, certified by the Soil Association. They use locally farmed seaweed within their products to form a sustainable source. Not only is this a great talking point with guests but we at the Devonshire Spa love that our order is delivered in brown paper bags!

We are also very proud to work with Caudalie, a brand whose products are based on grapes and vines and who donate 1% of their global sales to funding reforestation projects. We believe that sharing a passion for corporate social responsibility with our industry partners is key in making a difference within the wider spa industry.

Although the prospect of a zero-waste spa seemed like a distant vision rather than a reality, we believe that, with our brands and student-led research and projects, we can make a change.