Lush (company) - Ethos and Campaigning

Ethos and Campaigning

Lush does not buy from companies that carry out, fund, or commission any animal testing. Lush tests its products on human volunteers before they are sold. Lush has also begun to phase out its use of sodium palm kernelate. Sodium palm kernelate is derived from trees in the natural habitat of orangutans. Greenwash, a pine scented soap, is the first soap to be made using palm-free soap noodles, but since 2008 all Lush soaps have been made with palm-free soap base. Lush is currently working on removing all traces of palm oil from the products.

Lush offers a free face mask to those who return five or more used Lush containers to the store. Their aim is to have "100% of packaging easily recyclable, compostable or biodegradable".

Lush is a supporter of direct action, animal rights operations including Sea Shepherd, a group that works to protect whales, seals, and other aquatic animals. Lush has also been a supporter of UKuncut and its protests which have resulted in significant criminal damage.

In 2007 Lush started openly supporting campaigning groups by sending a dozen cheques for £1000 each, including road protests groups such as Road Block and NoM1Widening, Hacan Clear Skies (anti-aviation group), and Dump the Dump (which is fighting against an incinerator) They introduced the "Charity Pot" body lotion, each pot promotes a different small charity on the lid, and the full purchase price (except for VAT) goes to charity. They have also introduced a range of "Go Green" products that they say are inspired by Rebecca Lush (no relation), a roads campaigner who set up Road Block in the early 1990s and who pied Jeremy Clarkson for his glorification of the car.

In 2011 Israel advocacy groups StandWithUs and United With Israel launched a campaign encouraging consumers to boycott Lush products on account of the company's decision to promote OneWorld's Freedom for Palestine initiative.