Companies Should Follow Lush Cosmetics' Lead

When I am ever approached with a question regarding ethical companies, the first that comes to mind would be Lush Cosmetics. Famous for scoring well in workers’ rights, animal testing, social finance, and company ethos (Ethical Consumer, n.d.), Lush is a leader in promoting their ethical solutions. They state on their website that “being ethical or trying not to damage people or the planet with their trade practices” should be an industry standard rather than a marketing label (Ustik, 2019).

On their website, the company advocates for ethical buying. The company sources ingredients by dedicating time to research suppliers and producers to ensure that the materials do not negatively impact the communities that produce them (Lush Cosmetics, n.d.). Their beliefs are centered around wanting their ingredients to have “a positive impact on the community from which it’s harvested” (Lush Cosmetics, n.d.). 

A popular example of the company practicing being ethical is that many of their products skip packaging. Lush produces an entire line of self-preserving soaps, shower gel, body scrubs, and body oils that are all zero-waste (Ustik, 2019). With their ability to keep their stores minimal and ethically designed, they are able to attract consumers into their stores with their ethical practices (Ustik, 2019).

Also, Lush is a company that freely speaks about issues they feel strongly about (Ustik, 2019). A philosophy Lush has held for decades is the fight against animal testing (Lush Cosmetics, n.d.). In 2012, they were able to create a prize fund to motivate researchers, scientists, and lobbyists to continue developing new animal-free initiatives (Lush Cosmetics, n.d.).

The above examples are all reasons why people like myself continue to support and purchase from ethical companies. I strongly believe that other companies should follow Lush Cosmetics’ lead and come up with more innovate ways to practice good ethics in their respective industries

References

Ethical Consumer. (n.d.). Lush Cosmetics Ltd. Retrieved May 2020, from Ethical Consumer: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/company-profile/lush-cosmetics-ltd

Lush Cosmetics. (n.d.). Sourcing the best, safest and most sustainable ingredients possible. Retrieved May 2020, from Our Values: Ethical Buying: https://www.lush.ca/en/stories/article_our-values-ethical-buying.html

Ustik, G. (2019, September 10). How Lush became an ethical champion without bragging about it. Retrieved from The Next Web: https://thenextweb.com/adobe-fundamentals/2019/09/10/how-lush-became-an-ethical-champion-without-bragging-about-it/