Changemaking beauty for the planet

“We need to know that we can make a difference. We need business that respects and support communities and families. We need business that safeguards the environment.”

Dame Anita Roddick
FOUNDER OF THE BODY SHOP

WE BELIEVE THERE IS A MORE SUSTAINABLE WAY OF LIVING.

One that benefits the entire planet and its ecosystem.

And we believe that the beauty industry can be a part of leading that drive, by tackling different types of pollution.

It’s a journey and we are not perfect, but The Body Shop is passionate about creating positive environmental change. One product at a time.

It’s essential.

The clock is ticking.

That’s why we have programmes and partners that help us shape and drive that change.

MINIMISING VIRGIN PLASTIC POLLUTION

REFILL. REUSE. REPEAT

Eliminating waste plastic.

Tiny choices can make a huge difference. More often it’s the micro-moments of personal action that coalesce and build to create a joyful, positive and unstoppable momentum.

Our refills programme is just that. A mighty initiative built entirely on small acts, that you can make every day.

We have made 12 of our most-loved products refillable.

We’ve already created 718 refill stations in 40 countries.

And between April 2021 and December 2022 we have saved 15.1 tones of plastic alone… and we’re still counting!

All you have to do is… Refill. Reuse. Repeat.

COMMUNITY FAIR TRADE

Reducing poverty through recycling.

We’ve partnered with Plastics for Change, an organisation that helps waste pickers in India gain access to more sanitary working conditions, a fair price, and the respect and recognition they deserve.

We turn the waste plastic they collect into our 250ml shampoo and conditioner bottles, crafted using recycled plastic.*

Curious to find out more about plastic pollution? Read how we’re tackling the crisis differently and helping to drive social change along the way.

*All of our 250ml Shampoo & Conditioner bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic. 50% is sourced from Plastics for Change, the remaining 50% is sourced from Bantam.

Learn More

RETURN. RECYCLE. REPEAT.

Our in-store recycling scheme helps to give a second life to recyclable packaging, available in selected stores. We can even recycle those fiddly bits, like mascaras, pumps, plastic pouches and tubes.

And we maximise recycled content in our packaging, for plastics, aluminium, and glass.

While we are on the right path, we still have work to do – for example, we still have virgin plastic in some products that we are phasing out.

FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE

Commitment to Life

By 2030, our aim to reach full packaging circularity. What does that mean?

100% of all packaging materials will be reusable, recyclable or compostable.
50% of all plastic used will be from recycled sources.
In areas where there are no recycling facilities we will use ‘collection and reuse’ programmes.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)

We are beginning to carry this out on a small number of our products, because we want to start to understand the overall impact of our formulations on the planet.

And we will always consider the protection of our planet.

The tool will measure our environmental impact and will allow us to eco-design our products.

In parallel to this we are actively looking to replace the ingredients in our formulations that have the most negative impact on the planet.

INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF BIODEGRADABLE INGREDIENTS IN OUR RINSE-OFF FORMULAE

We believe it’s our business to treat our precious planet with respect. That’s why we’re looking beyond our packaging.

We are committed to making our rinse off formulae 95% biodegradable, by 2030.

So, we maximize efficiency while ensuring a larger proportion of our ingredients can be broken down.

Biodegradable OECD 301

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the industry-standard assessment for biodegradability.

Currently, our rinse off product portfolio is 90% biodegradable.

ELIMINATING THE USE OF FOSSIL-ORIGIN INGREDIENTS

We are minimising the use of non-renewable fossil-origin ingredients in our formulas, as we move towards 95% natural-origin ingredients, without any sacrifice on performance and sensoriality, for you.

This means we are targeting 95% ingredients of natural origin in skincare and body care, 90% in cleansing formulas and 80% in makeup.

WE ARE ON A JOURNEY

But one thing is set in stone, everything we are doing is geared towards helping to make our world a bit fairer and a bit more beautiful, each and every day.

And creating real change. For you. For us all.

So, every ingredient we use and every new product we create is there because it works hard for your body, without compromising on safety and ethics.

And we will never lose sight of that.

At any cost.