Five Questions for Sara Jones

Joico Senior Vice President and General Manager Sara Jones was recently named the recipient of the 2011 Spirit of Life Award by the City of Hope. A long-time supporter of City of Hope, she has announced the proceeds from the Spirit of Life Awards dinner in 2011 will be earmarked for women's cancer research and care. Jones talked to MODERN about one of her other passions- best practices for staying green.

MODERN SALON: What goes into creating environmentally friendly packaging?
Sara Jones: We use new blow-molding techniques to produce state-of- the-art packaging that contains up to 70-percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. In addition, all Joico and ISO hair color and permanent wave packaging is manufactured with 100-percent PCR.

MS: What actions does Joico take to be greener?
SJ: We are respectful to our community and our environment. Here are a couple measures we've developed in order to reduce our carbon footprint:
Water Conservation: Our new waste-water treatment strategy program eliminates additional chemical treatment requirements from our waste stream.
Transportation Conservation: By revamping scheduling and routing, we are able to save more than 40,000 gallons of fuel! In total, these efforts are equivalent to removing 500 vehicles from the road.

MS: What should salons do to be more sustainable? What can stylists personally do to educate their clients on what their salon is doing for the environment?
SJ: They can recycle all plastics, color tubes and cartons; install high-efficiency windows; reduce or increase thermostat and temperature within the salon, partner with local businesses to develop a community sustainability program or educate salon teams on all sustainable programs-just to name a few.

MS: How do you encourage your employees to be more conscious of the environment at work?
SJ: We provide comprehensive training in areas of Six Sigma Methodology, promote education through the corporate Education Assistance Program, we partner with local colleges and universities, and we offer scholarships to children of employees who are graduating seniors from high school. By partnering with local organizations, Zotos, Joico and ISO have contributed up to $50,000 to better serve the community.

Sara Jones, Vice President and General Manager of Joico.