The Body Shop celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The global beauty brand has been offering high quality, naturally inspired skincare, hair care and makeup that are produced ethically and sustainably.
The Body Shop has launched a new global CSR strategy reaffirming its position as a leader in ethical business that will help to protect and nurture the environment and society across every part of its business. ‘Enrich Not Exploit’ is an extensive global programme with measurable targets that will touch all areas of the business to be delivered by 2020.
Jeremy Schwartz, Chairman and CEO, The Body Shop, says: “The Body Shop courageously pioneered new ways of thinking, acting and speaking out as a company. Our ground-breaking campaigns were ahead of their time and changed laws on animal testing, domestic violence and human trafficking. We were the first in beauty to use community trade and we still have the strongest programme in the industry. We are small, but we lead. Today for all of us, the greatest challenges lie ahead and The Body Shop’s 40th anniversary is the perfect time to reassert our aim for leadership in ethical business. For us, being truly sustainable means shaping our business to work in line with the planet’s natural systems so they can replenish and restore themselves. With our Commitment we’re challenging ourselves to go further than we’ve ever gone before to make a real, sustainable and positive difference. We have set ourselves a significant goal to be the world’s most ethical and truly sustainable global business.”
There are three pillars for this new commitment:
- Enrich our People – Double the Community Trade programme from 19 to 40 ingredients and help enrich communities that produce them. Help 40,000 economically vulnerable people access work around the work and engage 8 million in the Enrich not Exploit commitment mission. Invest 250,000 hours of skills and know how to enrich the biodiversity of local communities.
- Enrich our Products – All natural ingredients must be traceable and sustainably sourced, reduce year on year environmental footprint, publish use of ingredients of natural origin, from green chemistry and the biodegradability and water footprint of products. Develop and innovation pipeline that delivers pioneering cosmetic ingredients from biodiversity hotspots and which helps to enrich these areas.
- Enrich our Planet – Build Bio Bridges, reduce environment footprint of stores, develop and deliver three new sustainable packaging innovations, ensure 70% of total product packaging does not contain fossil fuels, power 100% of stores with renewable or carbon balanced energy and reduce energy use at all stores by 10% every year.
The Body Shop has inspired and helped its parent company, L’Oréal, make significant progress in sustainability and, in particular, in Community Trade. The Commitment contributes to and enhances L’Oréal’s rigorous sustainability framework, Sharing Beauty with All. The Body Shop’s specific addition to the framework is called Retailing Sustainably. As L’Oréal’s largest retail brand, The Body Shop has a unique role to play in the design, management and sustainability of its retail outlets and the relationship with its customers.
