One year after introducing its 'refill revolution' to US stores, The Body Shop is continuing its fight against the global plastics crisis through new refillable product offerings and in-store stations.
In February, The Body Shop expanded its refill offerings beyond hair care, shower gels and hand soaps to include makeup with the launch of Peptalk Lipstick, which comes in a refillable case made from 100 percent recycled aluminum. This collection is enriched with Community Fair Trade Shea Butter and available in 20 shades, including nudes, reds, pinks and purples.
As a certified B Corporation, The Body Shop was founded on the belief that business should be a force for good—and that every effort toward a more sustainable future matters. In 2021, the beauty retailer announced an ambitious five-year plan to roll out refill stations in the majority of its stores and set aggressive targets to save 25 tons of plastic per year through the program. Refill stations are now available in 800 stores around the world, and The Body Shop US now offers refill stations in 50 percent of its stores.
In its first year of operation in the US, the refill program has diverted 576 pounds of plastic, the equivalent of 12,749 bottles, from being wasted. Globally, in 2022 alone, the brand's refill program prevented more than half a million plastic bottles from entering the environment.
"We want our customers to understand first and foremost that they can be changemakers—and that even small individual acts, like refilling your shampoo or shower gel in a reusable container, can have a big impact on our planet," said Hilary Lloyd, VP of marketing and corporate social responsibility for The Body Shop North America. "The climate crisis is the greatest risk facing our future, which is why we call on beauty lovers everywhere to use their purchasing power to embrace a circular economy."
Every year, the beauty sector generates billions of pieces of plastic waste that end up in landfills or the ocean. The Body Shop's refill program allows every individual to help drive change, because every bottle counts. And while convenience remains a barrier to widespread adoption of refill programs, younger, eco-conscious shoppers have boosted The Body Shop's refill adoption rates in the US. The program is most popular among consumers aged 16-34 and sales of refillable products increased 65 percent throughout 2022.
"Young people are cognizant of what's at stake for the planet, which is why they're embracing The Body Shop's ambitious sustainability agenda," Lloyd said.
The beauty retailer is also addressing recycling with its Community Fair Trade partner, Plastics for Change. The Body Shop works with waste pickers in Bengaluru, India to remove plastics from the streets while providing livable wages and better working conditions to an informal sector that is often volatile and discriminatory. Since The Body Shop began its partnership in 2019, Plastics for Change has collected 4,409,245 pounds of plastic waste which equates to 100 million plastic bottles.
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