The BHive Salon is one of the most eco-friendly salons in the country with owners Angela and James Alba dedicating their careers to sustainable beauty. Part of this journey has been a constant focus on research and innovation, looking for new and credible ways to slowly but surely reduce their carbon footprint. When the Alba’s ran the numbers on switching from their in-house laundry system to disposable salon towels by Scrummi, it not only made sense for the environment, it blew them away on cost savings.
The Cost of Salon Laundry
Have a look at their numbers related to salon laundry showing before they ditched laundry and how much money they saved switching. Yet another example of how sustainability and profitability are linked.
Cost Breakdown
| Ave Monthly Cost of Replacing Towels (annual towel cost / 12) |
$21.88 |
| Washing Machine Cost (monthly depreciation + repairs) |
$45.00 |
| Tumble Dryer Cost (monthly depreciation + repairs) |
$45.00 |
| Electricity Costs (estimated monthly usage for laundry) |
$17.00 |
| Water Costs (estimated monthly usage for laundry) |
$6.21 |
| Detergent | $7.72 |
| Labor Costs (using $15.00 minimum wage) |
$600.00 |
| Total Cost of Laundry | $742.81 |
| Cost per Towel | $0.93 |
| Cost per Scrummi | $0.40 |
| Cost of Scrummi | $320.00 |
| Scrummi Savings Monthly savings by switching to Scrummi |
$422.81 |
BHive Laundry Details
- 100 clients per week
- Two towels per client
- One washer/dryer in salon
- 300 towels in circulation
- Each towel costs $3.50 and lasts four years
- Estimate they spend two hours a day on laundry
The Dirty Facts on Laundry’s Environmental Impact
This example represents an extremely common scenario of costs of laundry outweighing the costs of switching to a luxury single-use towel. In fact, costs are the driving factor for many salons who are looking to save on expenses and combatting labor onstacles. But it’s not the only cost of laundry. The impact of laundry on the environment far outweighs that of Scrummi. Seems strange, right? The secret is in the ultra-low impact of the Scrummi towel, from the selection of regulated forestry instead of water-stressing cotton, to the fact that Scrummi is certified compostable and biodegradable.
Facts on Laundry
- A high-efficiency washing machine uses 15 gallons of water for every load.
- It takes 6 to 9 months for a 100% cotton towel to biodegrade.
- Cotton is one of the most water-intensive crops, using 5,283 gallons to produce enough cotton to make one shirt and jeans.
- The production of Scrummi towels uses less energy than laundering a single towel and it biodegrades in 100 days.
