FIVE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR CLINIC MORE SUSTAINABLE

Contributing reporter Becki Murray discovers the simple changes you can make for an eco-friendlier business

Making your clinic more environmentally friendly is not only good news for the planet – it can also be a sound business investment.

At a time when worldwide sustainability discussions are everpresent, businesses should be increasingly prepared for greater legislation. Plus, clients are now searching for clinics that not only provide incredible aesthetic results. They also want transparent practitioners whose practices openly align with their drive for greater eco-consciousness.

Luckily, there are simple changes you can make, almost immediately, which will have a positive impact on your clinic. These are five ways to ensure your business is more sustainable.

1. GO PAPERLESS

It’s never been easier to be a paperless office and there are multiple benefits. Decreasing paper usage across your business, by moving to online software for forms, bookings, and diary entries, significantly reduces carbon emissions and encourages less waste in general. The use of iPads or other electronic devices can offer a sleek and effective way for clients to fill in consultation forms (including giving signatures), as well as being used to take and store client before-and-after photographs. Digital planning programmes, for managing appointments and stock-take, can simplify the day-to-day clinic processes too. It requires investment in technology at first, but you’ll likely save money in the longer term, as you’ll need less storage space, save time, and provide better data protection once the team is trained. If you haven’t already made the switch, this is a good place to start.

2. THINK ABOUT YOUR SPACE

Your clinic’s interior design not only says a lot about your aesthetic preferences; it reveals your environmental outlook too. Consider using energy-efficient light bulbs in non-treatment areas; installing auto-off taps and hand dryers in the toilets; using smart meters to measure energy consumption; and boosting the insulation of your rooms to help efficiency. Other design ideas include using upcycled furniture in the waiting room or putting up ecoconscious artwork to enable discussions between appointments. You could also partner with services such as TerraCycle, a company that helps recycle beauty product packaging, as well as eco-friendly disposal companies for biomedical waste, such as Enviro Waste. Moreover, if you’re yet to choose a new clinic location, consider whether there are good public transport links and if there are local sustainable suppliers you can build relationships with. This in turn can help boost your business.

3. LOBBY YOUR SUPPLIERS

Single-use products have important safety and sanitation considerations in the aesthetics industry. However, excess and/or non-recyclable outer packaging of tools and masks, for example, can be addressed. You could also consider the material of employee uniforms, the ethical sourcing of clinic décor, and the products you have in the bathrooms and waiting areas, such as diffusers and soap. Speak to your current suppliers to identify how they are monitoring and improving their environmental impact and include that evaluation in choosing new suppliers in the future. You can reassess your stock-take approach too, by seeing whether you could bulk order key supplies or cut down on less necessary ones. This can save you money too.

4. REVAMP YOUR SKINCARE OFFERING

Environmentally friendly skincare has never been more popular, so revisiting the brands you stock in your clinic could be a very effective way to boost both interest in your skincare offering and your sustainability goals. A simple first step is to look for brands with recycled and recyclable packaging, although brands that market themselves as ‘vegan’, ‘organic’, and ‘carbon neutral’ tend to particularly peak interest, especially if they have the evidence to back up their claims. The aim is to generate excitement at something a bit different in your clinic, but, of course, results are still paramount. Luckily, this sector is also increasingly investing in clinical research and producing effective innovations. That means you can be confident that the in-treatment and aftercare products you offer can help with healing and results.

5. CONSIDER CHARITABLE PARTNERS

While efficacy will always be at the forefront of any clinic choice, clients increasingly want to feel that their aesthetic doctor is going some good for the world. A simple way to acknowledge this is to publicly promote and support a sustainable charitable partner that is already close to your heart – whether that be a humanitarian charity or something animal or land focused. Perhaps it is a pledge to donate a certain percentage of profits from your treatments to the cause annually; discussions around why you support a certain charity on your social media channels (with links to appropriate donation pages); or acknowledgement of certain national days, such as the United Nation’s World Environment Day on June 5. Just make sure it’s authentic to you and your business.