The Activist blog...

Hi there fellow Activists!

A little note to say that we are winding down our Activist blog and the blog’s last day will be next Friday 29 March 2013. That doesn’t mean The Body Shop Social Activism is being wound down. Our activism and values are part of our DNA, have been for 30 years, and we are just going to put all our values content in one place to make it easier!  Check out our Latest Stories in the values section of our website for updates on issues and campaigns in our community.  And our Facebook page will also be a regular source of information on causes and campaigns.  Because that’s who we are. We run a successful business so we can invest in the causes we’re all passionate about!

We look forward to sharing the next chapter of our journey with you all.

 

 

EU set to ban animal testing for cosmetics forever!

Campaign pioneers The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International celebrate after 20 years of activism

After over 20 years of campaigning, ethical beauty retailer The Body Shop and non-profit organisation Cruelty Free International are finally celebrating the end to animal testing for cosmetics in Europe with the anticipated announcement that the import and sale of animal tested cosmetic products and ingredients is to be banned in the EU on 11^th March 2013.

 

This ground breaking victory means that from 11^th March onwards, anyone who wishes to sell new cosmetic products and ingredients in the EU must not test them on animals anywhere in the world. The ban affects all cosmetics including toiletries and beauty products from soap to toothpaste. The Body Shop is one of the few beauty brands who will not be affected by the ban, having always been Against Animal Testing.

 

The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International are launching a range of special commemorative activities in the countdown to 11^th March, sparked by personal confirmation from Commissioner Tonio Borg that the ban is due to go ahead as proposed.  Mr Borg wrote in a recent letter to the animal testing campaigners, “I believe that the ban should enter into force in March 2013 as Parliament and Council have already decided. I am therefore not planning to propose a postponement or derogation to the ban.”

 

The proposed ban sends a strong message worldwide in support of cruelty free beauty and in particular to countries such as China, who still demand animal testing for cosmetics, to also respond and ban testing on animals.

 

Cruelty Free International Chief Executive, Michelle Thew said: “This is truly an historic event and the culmination of over 20 years of campaigning.  Now we will apply our determination and vision on a global stage to ensure that the rest of the world follows this lead.”

 

 

Paul McGreevy, International Values Director at The Body Shop paid tribute to customers who have supported the company's campaign against animal testing in cosmetics for many years and said: “This great achievement in Europe is only the closure of one chapter. The future of beauty must be cruelty free.”

 

In 1991, the BUAV (founder of Cruelty Free International) established a European coalition of leading animal protection organisations across Europe (ECEAE) with the objective to end the use of animal testing for cosmetics. This set in motion a high-profile public and political campaign across Europe spanning over 20 years.  In 1993, The Body Shop, the first beauty company to take action on animal testing for cosmetics, supported   the campaign by enlisting the support of its consumers across Europe. Three years later in 1996, Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, joined members of the ECEAE and MEPs in presenting a petition containing 4 million signatures to the European Commission.

 

In 2012, the BUAV established Cruelty Free International, the first global organisation dedicated to ending cosmetics animal testing worldwide. The Body Shop together with Cruelty Free International launched a new international campaign which has so far resulted in customers from 55 countries signing a global pledge supporting an end to animal testing for cosmetics forever.

 

Think Positive!!

Australians are becoming increasingly pessimistic according to many studies. The six-monthly Ipsos Mackay Report, for example, recently found that 95% of participants felt the same or worse than they did 12 months earlier. And the media is frequently full of stories about sagging confidence in various aspects of Australian life.

How can this be when Australia is the envy of the world, enjoying low unemployment rates and excellent access to health and education services? Do we need a little perspective?

The Body Shop is starting 2013 the way it means to go on – by encouraging people to recognise how much more we can achieve personally, in the community and for the country as a whole when we adapt a positive mindset. While other retailers promote post-Christmas sales, The Body Shop is using its energy and visibility to call on all Australians to celebrate that our glass is most definitely half-full.

All stores across Australia are spreading this message by giving away more than 100,000 Think Positive booklets, along with bumper stickers, postcards and various other collateral encouraging people to reframe their lives. And only positive songs selected by staff will play in stores for the duration of the campaign, which runs from 26 December to January 20. After that, the focus will switch to thinkpositive.org.au, an online portal for generating, sharing and spreading positivity. Staff from across the business were keen to participate as much as possible and are featured in the images and collateral supporting the campaign.

This campaign is being run across the entire Australian-owned Adidem Group, the parent company of The Body Shop Australia. The philosophy of the Adidem Group is represented by three, interlocking and equally balanced circles of economic success, stakeholder fulfilment and positive social and environmental change. The Adidem Group’s values mission is to "be active, be daring, and influence by delight". The Think Positive campaign will lay the foundation for campaigns throughout 2013.

Graeme Wise, founder of The Body Shop Australia and executive chairman of The Adidem Group, says: "A positive mindset is crucial to reaching one’s full potential, and the vital first step in achieving great things. Our staff epitomise positivity and I believe they are the perfect people to communicate this campaign."

 

For more information, visit thebodyshop.com.au and thinkpositive.org.au

For media enquiries, please contact:
Martin Hughes                                                              Tegan Hammett
Communications Manager, The Adidem Group           Communications Coordinator, The Adidem Group
03 8561 7455, 0408 101 72                                          03 8561 7449, 0431784613
martin.hughes@adidem.com.au                                   tegan.hammett@adidem.com.au

Share for a Square

 

 

  

Check out the below post from our friends at The Big Issue.



Lisa Wilkinson supports our online billboard campaign

We're proud to announce the launch of 'Share for a Square' - a unique social media campaign to raise awareness of our Women's Subscription Enterprise. It's our first major social media campaign and one that could make a difference to some of the estimated 46,000 women homeless in Australia each night.

The Women's Subscription Enterprise employs women to pack and dispatch subscriptions to The Big Issue magazine every fortnight. For every 100 subscriptions sold, one disadvantaged woman can be employed. 

As part of the campaign, which has been developed by creative agency the blue group, we're asking you to upload your photo into the image of the Women's Subscription Enterprise icon through a Facebook application.

Upload your headshot to show your support!

 

All you need to do is simply:

1. Upload your face to an online billboard on facebook
2. Share this support via facebook or twitter
3. Your face is allocated one square on the online billboard

If you take out a subscription, you're allocated 100 squares.

All images received will be used to create real billboards promoting the Women's Subscription Enterprise nationally in early 2013.

The goal is to fill 100,000 squares over the next three weeks. Regardless of whether you buy a subscription or simply support the campaign, you're helping spread the word about this important initiative.

All you've got to do is take part. Once, or as often as you like.
And tell your friends and family about the campaign too.

Cheers,

The Big Issue

Really Wild Christmas Gifts

 

Christmas is coming and time is running out to find that perfect last-minute gift. Beat the crowds this year and head to https://www.reallywildgifts.org.au/news

Really Wild Gifts is the perfect way to give a gift to a loved one as well as helping to stop many animals from suffering. When you purchase a ‘Really Wild Gift’ you’re helping support WSPA’s work around the world to help animals in need, including bears, dogs, donkeys, elephants, sheep and many more.

 

Every gift comes with a card of your choice.  Send an instant e-card by email, be mailed a beautiful card that you can personalise yourself or print the card straight away. 

 

Whichever ‘Really Wild Gift’ you choose, you will be helping WSPA bring veterinary care, safety and protection to animals all over the world.