MW Hair Carbon Neutral Certified

Lisa Walsh (left) and Nikki McCart

MW Hair Studio is making a difference.

 Known for their exceptional hairstyling skills, Lisa Walsh and Nikki McCart have also made a name for themselves through their commitment to environmental sustainability.

Lisa and Nikki were recently awarded a Carbon Neutral Certificate. Being carbon neutral means that the amount they have recycled has offset the amount of electricity they’ve consumed, considering their square footage. The duo recycles everything from foils, single-use items like gloves and plastic caps, metal color tubes, and the color itself.

“The hair color they take back to make renewable energy," Lisa said. “We've created more renewable energy by recycling than we've put out.”

MW Hair Studio has partnered with Green Circle Salons, which provides recycling services to salons across the country. Nikki and Lisa have separate bins for different types of recyclables, and Green Circle provides bags and boxes every month to ensure that everything gets recycled properly.

The hairstylists encourage clients to participate in their sustainability efforts. When clients purchase Kevin Murphy products, MW Hair incentivizes them to bring back the bottles for recycling and offers a 25 percent discount on their next purchase.

Lisa and Nikki realized that local single-stream recycling doesn’t accept excess color waste or many other items they use. “We found this company through our distributor and we really liked their whole mission and how easy they make it,” Lisa said. “It was totally a no-brainer. Let's just start here and see how much of an impact that makes.”

The duo noted that when excess color is poured down the sink, it enters the waste system, making it challenging for treatment plants to remove. Green Circle takes the excess color and uses it to create renewable energy.

Love and Mercy, another South Boston salon, also participates in the program. “It’s nice to see other salons doing this," Nikki said.