The pandemic has put hygiene at the heart of the debate. Single-use linen has become essential, but continues to divide managers and environmentalists. A French company has just found a solution that should reconcile them.
Managing cotton linens, a headache for most salon, spa and barbershop owners, comes at a cost. And it took a pandemic to see advances in single-use linens. Until 2020, disposable linens were the norm for mid-range establishments, with cotton terrycloth remaining the norm for more select venues.
Operators who opted for disposables hoped to avoid having to manage their laundry: no more need to wash, iron and fold towels and bathrobes, which saved a lot of time. But there were also disadvantages: lack of comfort, limited dimensions and increased waste, as disposable linen was neither recyclable nor biodegradable.
The appearance on the market of a biodegradable single-use towel is changing the game. A French manufacturer has just released a solution that did not exist until now: single-use towels, thick and comfortable, ten times more compact than a traditional cotton towel, and therefore easier to store. The waffle texture does not fluff, is resistant to care and proves to be more absorbent than a cotton towel.
The towels are available in white and black. Originally designed for hair salons, they come in a standard size of 80 x 45 cm and are ideal for coloring. But they can also be ordered in 100 x 220 cm, to cover a massage table, or in 80 x 160 for beauty treatments. The cherry on the cake: they are made in France, which reduces the carbon footprint.
Short and medium term savings
It remained to convince the managers. The comparison was made by the manufacturer on the basis of a hair salon with five employees, open five days a week, with an average attendance of 25 customers per day and counting two towels per service.
Adding the cost of purchasing the towels (0.033 euros with a 24-month depreciation), the depreciation of the machines (washing machine and dryer 0.027 euros), water (0.053 euros for a washing machine cycle), electricity (0.26 euros for the washing machine and dryer), additives (detergent and fabric softener, 0.29 euros) and the labor for washing, folding and ironing (0.89 euros), we arrive at a customer cost per treatment of 1.59 euros in a traditional salon.
But with a Biowels towel, the cost for a manager would be only 0.88 euros (2 towels at 0.44 euros), the manufacturer emphasizes. In an institute or massage parlor, the massage sheet the size of the massage table would be even more interesting, both in terms of storage and comfort for the client. A strong argument.
