A salon supplies store on the east coast has opened to bring eco-friendly and vegan products to the area.

%image(14645634, type="article-full", alt="Mr Grieg, said: “It has been received really well for a start up company". Picture: Mr.Mr Salon Supplies")

In June last year, John Grieg and his partner Max Robinson opened MrMr. Salon Supplies - a start-up company which sells vegan hair supplies which are entirely sustainable.

Mr Grieg, who hails from Lowestoft, said there has been a push for manufacturers to move away from chemical-based salon products, which are bad for the environment and tested on animals.

"I grew up in the area, and started studying hairdressing here," he said.

"When I graduated it was hard to find a job so I started working at another supply store in Lowestoft."

But the 27-year-old was committed to doing his bit for the environment and fulfilling his dreams of creating an ethical company. "Sustainability is huge, especially for people that work in the hairdressing sector as well as their clients.

"It has been received really well for a start up company, it has done really well in the area," he said. "It follows our own ethos in doing our best to save the planet."

MrMr. Salon Supplies also uses paper bags to package their products for customers and the store is lit-up with energy-saving LED bulbs.

According to the Economic and Social Research Council, hairdressing as a sector can have a large carbon footprint due to the amount of energy and water used.

To combat this, sustainable hairdressing courses have been launched around the country.

The supplies store isn't the first to introduce a sustainable agenda to the coastal town, with zero waste store Uncle Sid's opening on High Street last month and becoming the first in Waveney.

At the time, business owners David and Lorraine Le Grice said they decided to open the store as there was "an attitude of apathy towards Lowestoft, like it has been written off".

The couple said: "We are seeing the community start to really pull together, work together to build this end of the town back up.

"We've also got a little wooden shop counter for children and they love it. It's really important for them to learn about waste too."