Hair Recycle | dungdung

Name of the submitted project or idea (in English or both English and your language)

Hair Recycle
URL of a video introducing the work（under 5 minutes）

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lomR_anuxQU
Detailed explanation of the submitted project or idea (in English or both English and your language)

The project started in April 2021. We prepared it for a year with my eldest son during Covid in 2020. Before Covid, we had started to help circular economy projects supported by the Brussels region. This interested us a lot. When Covid arrived, we had time at home and we started to think about our own project.

Our work has been received with great support and enthusiasm. We very quickly had many hair salons as members. Businesses and cities have also contacted us to see how they can participate. Many press articles, radio and television have spoken about our action. We have also received numerous awards: Be Circular, King Baudoin Foundation, etc.

Our activity reduces the carbon footprint of the hairdressing sector, which is one of the most polluting in the world. Ultimately, the more our products are used, the cleaner and more eco-responsible the absorbent sector will be. Furthermore, dozens of people all over the world have contacted us for information to start the same project in their country. Finally, several schools contacted us to testify about our action and its implementation.
How does your work address the 3 P’s (for Planet, for People, for Profit) for Sustainability?

For Planet, we have local production with a raw material which is a natural fiber and our products are recyclable (in cement factories). Compared to industrial absorbents manufactured on the other side of the world, our products have a reduced carbon footprint. For people, our activity reduces carbon emissions from absorbent products. For profit, our products are marketed and purchased by our customers. This allows us to have a sustainable activity for the future.
Where (country, region, etc.) have you primarily carried out your project?

Benelux (Europe)
What is the timeline your project has taken place over?

2021-Present
Keywords

#Hair #Circular #Ecosystem
If you have a website for your submitted project or idea, please provide the URL

http://www.hairrecycle.eu
If you have a social media account for your submitted project or idea, please provide the URL

https://www.facebook.com/HairRecycle/
Special Prize Question 1: Is there a mechanism in place to inherit culture and industry as assets for people living in that area 100 or even 1000 years from now?

Man has always had hair. There will probably still be some in 100 or 1000 years. This activity could continue to develop over a long period. Production is simply done with a loom, it requires few resources.
Special Prize Question 2: What is the positive impact on biodiversity? Is the project creating a cycle not just from a human-centered perspective but for the entire ecosystem?

The project has a triple impact on the eco system. Before our recycling action, hair was considered as a waste, it was collected like other waste and was burned in an incinerator. The absorbent mats that we make with harvested hair make it possible to treat oil pollution. For example, old oil tanks are leaking. The hair is lipophilic, it absorbs oils and fats. One kg of hair can absorb up to 4 to 5 liters of hydrocarbon. Our solution makes it possible to replace absorbents made with polypropylene on the other side of the earth. Our mats are made locally with a reduced carbon footprint.
Special Prize Question 3: Are you enabling new forms of collaboration with others? New forms of collaboration might include cross-industry cooperation, co-creation with consumers, or role transformations within the supply chain.

Logistics is an important element for our business. We manage hair collection in more than 750 salons in the Benelux. To achieve this, we developed a reverse logistics solution with individuals, businesses and public authorities. This allows us to be more ecological and reduce our carbon footprint. Concretely, we ask partners to take back the filled bags when they are passing nearby or in the hairdressing salon where bags must be collected. For companies that deliver merchandise to hair salons, we ask them to return with full hair bags rather than traveling empty.