What is Sustainability?: How amika is Trying to be More Earth-Friendly

As you may know, our salon is committed to working with products from companies with sustainability in mind. In the spirit of that commitment, we wanted to spotlight our friends at amika‘s new push to keep sustainability at the forefront of their minds in 2020 & beyond. But what is sustainability? What does is ACTUALLY mean to be sustainable? Keep reading to find out what sustainability means in terms of businesses, individuals, and what steps amika is taking to be more sustainable as a company.

What is Sustainability?

According to the Environmental Science Organization, sustainability is “the study of how natural systems function, remain diverse, and produce everything it needs for the ecology to remain in balance. It also acknowledges that human civilization takes resources to sustain our modern way of life.” This sounds a little complicated, so the Assistant Purchasing Coordinator of amika and recycling enthusiast, Jamie Richards, broke down this definition. She said, “essentially when talking about sustainability we’re talking about balancing and maintaining a system/function/process whatever really so it’s the same for future use. It’s about creating a business that gives and takes an equal amount so it can be operated indefinitely.”

What we’re really talking about here is closing the loop, which means amika continuously reuse the materials in their supply chain to minimize impact on the earth. Closed-loop systems are developed so that all of the materials in manufactured goods can be recycled. Not only does this make sense for the environment and our bank of natural resources, this also makes sense in an economic way. Scientists are actually asking world leaders to address climate change more seriously. According to the Institute of Industrial Engineers, “a commitment to more sustainable practices will save money by mitigating the damage to people, infrastructure, and systems.”

How is amika Trying to be More Sustainable?

Since we know more than ever that sustainability needs more emphasis, let’s talk about what amika is doing in hopes of becoming increasingly sustainable as a company.

Composting

Amika now composts! They have separate bins for compostable material that is collected and then taken to a golf course where it’s turned into nutrient packed soil & then sent back into the environment!

Recycling

Amika is now an active recycler and have gone through training as a company on what can and cannot be recycled. They’ve also learned about NYC waste management and what that process looks like.

Clothing Collection

Amika is collecting clothes from office mates on an ongoing basis that are routinely donated or recycled.

Obviously, this is a very small place to start, but as a brand, amika is super excited about the journey ahead. Here is what is in the works for 2020:

TerraCycle Collection Program

An organization that aims to “recycle the unrecyclable.” By working with TerraCycle, amika hopes to be effectively reducing their carbon footprint by practicing cradle to cradle recycling, which essentially means it is a closed loop. The idea is to collect empty bottles from customers and salons, which then get used to make other materials.

Green Circle Salon Partnership

They will be getting salons on board as well. Their goal here is to collect everything from amika products to hair, and provide a stream recycling service so there is no hassle to the salon.

sourcing more sustainable materials

Jamie and her team are working everyday on bringing new and innovative packaging options to the amika team. They are working to identify materials that will work best for their products and the environment.

We are so excited that amika is continuing their journey to sustainability and being a bigger + better friend to our planet!