The Body Shop is launching an ambitious rollout of refill stations across 500 stores globally this year, and a further 300 stores in 2022. Refill stations will launch in Australian stores in the second-half of 2021.
The Body Shop was one of the first brands to adopt a sustainable approach to its manufacturing and packaging, and the company's founder, Anita Roddick, was considered a pioneer when it came to refills and recycling in the cosmetics and personal care sectors.
In 1976, when The Body Shop first started, Roddick famously offered to refill customers' bottles, a major point of difference in the market at the time, and in 1993, the company introduced a ‘Bring Back Our Bottle’ recycling scheme.
Now, the company has announced its global rollout of refill stations across 500 stores this year, and a further 300 stores in 2022.
The Australian rollout will begin in the second half of this year. The Body Shop will also extend its in-store recycling scheme Return, Recycle and Repeat, across 800 stores in 14 markets by the end of 2021.
Along with its reuse and recycling commitments, The Body Shop has pledged that by the end of 2023, its entire product formulations portfolio will be certified by The Vegan Society and carry its Vegan Trademark.
This aligns with its founding principles. The Body Shop was the first cosmetics company to campaign against animal testing in cosmetics in 1989, with a fundamental belief that animals should not be harmed in the pursuit of beauty. The fight continues for a worldwide ban on animal testing in cosmetics.
Currently 60 per cent of The Body Shop products are vegan. This includes best-selling ranges such as the Tea Tree skincare range, its Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask, Body Yogurts and now the iconic Body Butters. Over the course of 2021, the new vegan Body Butters will be rolled out globally with the Vegan Trademark across The Body Shop stores, via their online store and the company’s direct selling channel, The Body Shop At Home.
The company says that this package of commitments demonstrates the brand’s determination to set the highest possible bar in sustainable and ethical beauty.
