Sustainability is the need of the hour. The occurrences of heatwaves in the current times has highlighted the fact that climate change is here, and that we need to rake drastic measures in order to contain the increase of global temperatures.
Waste management plays a significant role in the fight against climate change. The mantra of Reduce – Reuse – Recycle is very popular among environmentalists and nature conservationists. Considering the fact that corporates across the world are among the major promoters of consumerism which in turn leads to tremendous amounts of waste generation, there has been a lot of demand for corporates to take up responsibility for their role in the accumulation of waste. Companies across the world have risen to the occasion and pledged to take action for waste management. Body Shop has joined the wagon with a bold move.
Body Shop to Launch Sustainability focused Workshops
The Body Shop, a high-end cosmetics company, has converted its flagship store in Mumbai’s Palladium Mall into a one-of-a-kind activist workshop focused on sustainability, where not only products but also store fixtures are made from recycled and sustainable materials.
In the next months, the firm wants to open 20 more activist workshops across the country, eventually converting all of its locations into activist workshops. The British company has recently increased its global sustainability efforts and opened similar locations in London and Singapore.
“It is the new global identity of the brand where we are bringing purpose-led ideology to life and hence we have launched a store which speaks sustainability at every level,” said Vishal Chaturvedi, Vice President, The Body Shop India.
“We will enter new locations such as Varanasi and Imphal, and launch stores with the same concept, and over time all our stores will be overhauled as we step up our efforts towards sustainability,” he added.
According to Chaturvedi, the company plans to open 12 new stores in tier II and III cities this year, with the remaining stores being added to existing locations.
Customers will be able to simply recycle their beauty product packaging at the activist workshop store. To help reduce its environmental impact, the store has been outfitted with sustainable fixtures made from reclaimed wood and recyclable plastics. Aluminium, for example, uses less energy to manufacture than other materials and is infinitely recyclable.
“The store also boasts worktop surfaces that are manufactured from 100 per cent recycled material, otherwise destined for landfills,” said Chaturvedi.
During the pandemic, The Body Shop tested their RRR programme in a few stores. The Body Shop has already recycled over 50,000 plastic bottles as part of this project. By 2024, the company intends to increase its recycling ambitions to at least 1 million plastic bottles.
Cruelty-Free Beauty Industry
Clean beauty brands, which offer organic goods to consumers while simultaneously positioning themselves as socially responsible brands, have recently sprung up in the beauty and personal care market. Mamaearth, a new-age D2C business, uses its advertising campaigns to promote its tree-planting project. Plum Goodness is a new-age beauty company that claims to be vegan, cruelty-free, and non-toxic.
The Body Shop, which has previously been a vegetarian brand, will shortly become a vegan one. According to The Body Shop, all of its product lines now use 75 per cent post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR), including CFT plastic from India. In 2021, the brand released its most environmentally friendly haircare yet: all bottles and tubs are 100 per cent recyclable and composed of 100 per cent recycled plastic.
