The Sustainable Spa Association launches to help spas improve their sustainability efforts
The Sustainable Spa Association (SSA), a membership based organisation has launched, helping to offer guidance to spa operators to improve their sustainability efforts.
Members can access a bespoke benchmarking system allows spas to measure their environmental impact against the industry standard and achieve a recognised accreditation for their efforts and improvements.
The SSA also allows access to an online Sustainable Impact Assessment that provides instant dashboard results. This 12-part appraisal allows the SSA to highlight areas for improvement and guide its members to reach a level of accreditation that is recognised by global spa professionals and consumers.
“As a non-profit organisation, we are dedicated to making ongoing positive environmental change within the spa industry; through education, support and accreditation,” says Lucy Briarley, co founder and director of SSA. “With guidance from The SSA and its partners, spa operators can be confident that they are taking the right path towards achieving sustainable development goals.”
Robert Cooper, co-founder and director added: “We want to make it easy for spa operators to take those important steps towards sustainable practices and help them cut through the jargon and conflicting information that can confuse and result in ‘green-washing’. Each SSA member and partner will be contributing to a collective improvement in spa practices.”
The SSA is launching with sustainability pioneers on its board of directors, including Italian skincare brand Comfort Zone, British textile supplier Scrummi Spa and international design consultancy Studio Apostoli.
“As a passionate, sustainable skincare brand, Bcorp member and Environment Honoree, we want to share our knowledge, experience and support to help salons and spas become as sustainable as possible in every aspect of their operation,” says Tracy Brasnell, Comfort Zone country manager and SSA board member.
“I strongly believe that the concepts of wellness and sustainability are intrinsic to each other, since human wellness cannot be separated from the health of the environment,” adds Alberto Apostoli, architect at Studio Apostoli and fellow SSA board member. “When we integrate sustainable features into our spa, we achieve two goals: we help the environment and we educate our guests to do so. Sustainability is not a trend but a necessity.”