Why we Campaign…

At Lush we can’t keep quiet about the things we care about. Sometimes it is anger at how animals are treated, or sadness about the treatment of fellow humans and panic over the progress of climate change and our fragile planet.

When running campaigns about these issues through our shops and websites we always partner with activist,grassroots charities and campaign groups who spend their lives working on the featured issue.

There are many problems that need lifelong campaigning and vigilant attention from all of us because the solutions are not coming quickly and change seems slow. But thankfully for some of the issues and campaigns that we have featured, we have been lucky enough to see the campaign group win, and we have been able to play our small part in contributing to that – for example, Sami Al-Hajj and Binyam Mohamed after much campaigning from Reprieve were released from Guantanamo. Andy Tsege was released from death row in Ethiopia and returned to his family in London, the Canadian Gov has finally brought in a ban on the trophy hunting of grizzly bears, same sex marriage is arriving in many countries and the world is waking up to plastic waste. Not forgetting of course, that animal testing for cosmetics was eventually banned in Europe – one of Lush’s core campaigns and lifelong committment.

Campaigning can bring results, and we are so proud to be able to work alongside those people who fight tirelessly for change whilst never giving up hope.

– HILARY

Campaign highlights

It’s been said that Lush is like a campaigning organisation fronted by a soap shop. We are active and vocal about the issues that we care about, and use our shop windows and website as a way to highlight them.

We work with grassroots groups who are in human rights, environment and animal protection movements so that we can help them do the vital work they need to do.

Here’s a few highlights…

2006 | DECEMBER

STRASBOURG DUMP

In December 2006 MPs gathered and voted on REACH. REACH requires industry to manufacture, import and use chemicals safely. With REACH in place the need to gather information would result in a massive increase in the use of laboratory animals. Lush arrived at the European Parliament in Strasbourg when MEPs voted on REACH. In order for them to make their presence felt show how opposed to REACH and the inevitable animal testing they are, they’ dumped 2 tonnes of manure outside.

2007 | JULY

GO NAKED NOW

On the 12 July 2007 (at noon sharp!) in 55 cities in the UK, Lush staff took to the streets to raise awareness of the environmental crisis being brought on by the over packaging of products. It has only been in the past few years that people have become more aware of this issue and have really took recycling to heart and at the time it was a bold brave move.

 

2008 | MARCH

FAIR TRIAL MY ARSE

Staff wore bright orange pants with “Fair trial my arse”  written on in Lush stores in the hope of highlighting the illegal detention and torture of men held in the prison who have been detained without trial or charge. Mark Constantine decided to launch the campaign after learning about two current detainees — ‘Al Jazeera News’ cameraman Sami Al Haj and British resident Binyam Mohamed, who have been held without trial for five years. Lush has also created a new fizzing bath ball called ‘Guantanamo Garden’, which has been invented to tell the story of the Guantanamo prisoners who have been taking seeds from their meals and planting them in the outdoor holding cell to create their own garden.

 

2008 | MAY

TRAINS NOT PLANES

In Lush stores a chocolate soap called “Chox Away” was launched and between 25 -31 May 2008  all the proceeds from the sale of it were donated to Plane Stupid to help fund their protesting. Stores also used their windows to display “trains not planes” banners and held “protest picnics” outside, complete with tea, cake and staff in Edwardian dress as ‘climate change is no picnic’ signs were displayed. Company policies within Lush were also changed at the time by shunning domestic fights in favour of staff taking the train when they needed to travel in the course of their work and if international flights should have to be made then imposing a ‘self tax’ of 50 pounds per tonne of carbon emitted, the money being donated to groups who campaign against airport expansion in favour of a stronger rail networks.

 

2008 | AUGUST

SHARK FIN SOAP

Shoppers on Regent Street would have seen previous lush employee turned performance artist, Alice Newstead, hung up by hooks in the shop window.

The dramatic enactment of the gruesome manner in which sharks are caught kicks off the beginning of a global campaign between LUSH and Sea Shepherd.

LUSH staff dressed as pirates and handed out Sea Shepherd shark brochures in an attempt to educate consumers about the desperate plight of sharks. Among other things, LUSH urged consumers to boycott restaurants that serve shark fin soup and health food stores that sell shark cartilage supplements.

 

2008 | OCTOBER

REPRIEVE: GUANTANAMO BAY

Following on from the “Fair Trail my Arse” campaign. Binyam was due to arrive back into the UK for his case to go to the high court. To encourage people to join in and make people aware of Binyam’s plight Lush shops displayed posters of him around the stores, gave  customers  ‘bring Binyam back home’ stickers and  encouraged them take part in the hunger strike due to commence at noon. “From noon on Wednesday, Lush shop staff in stores across the country will go without food for 24 hours to as a sign of solidarity with Binyam, who has been tortured and denied justice during his six-year ordeal at the hands of the US authorities. In-store posters of Binyam will greet Lush customers on the day, who will be encouraged to join the hunger strike or wear a specially made sticker reading ‘Bring Binyam Home.’” Lush raised over £45,000 for Reprieve through the sale of the ‘Guantanamo Garden’ ballistic and ‘Charity Pot’ hand and body lotion.

2008 | NOVEMBER

PALM OIL

From 2008, Lush began removing oil palm from its supply chain in 2008, and encouraged its customers to “wash their hands off palm oil” with a global campaign communicating the environmental damage caused by the cultivation of the oil, which is an ingredient in half of supermarket products. Lush says the forum will be called Actively Seeking Alternatives to Palm (ASAP), and has already attracted interest from a handful of small soap and food businesses. It is hoped that major retailers will engage with the forum too.

2009 | AUGUST

PALM OIL

NORTH AMERICA

Tackling climate change once again and encouraging people to do their bit by taking trains instead of flying. Lush teamed with the inspirational team at Climate Rush is a UK organisation that campaigns on various environmental issues related to climate change. Their website states that, “We are a diverse group of women and men who are determined to raise awareness of the biggest threat facing humanity today – that of Climate Change”.

2010 | APRIL

VOTE4ANIMALS

Lush staff handed out leaflets to customers and passers-by to raise awareness in the run-up to the election, shoppers are being asked to remember animal welfare when they go to the General Election polls. Lush joined the campaign Protecting Animals in Democracy (PAD), which has launched the website www.vote4animals.org.uk, allowing voters to find out where their prospective Parliamentary candidate stands on animal rights issues, including fox hunting. People can also use the website to download and send the Protecting Animals in Democracy questionnaire to each of the candidates in their area. “We are not telling people who to vote for, just pointing them to an informative website so they can read up on the views of their candidates on animal welfare.”

2010 | MAY

NO NUKES

USA

In partnership with Lush Japan, our New York-area shops and lushusa.com hosted a petition by Peace Action, the nation’s largest grassroots peace network, urging US president Obama to lead the world in negotiating an international agreement to abolish nuclear weapons in our lifetime. Our New York-area staff and visitors from Lush Japan participated in the Peace March on May 2, 2010 along with thousands of other participants. They marched from Times Square to the United Nations, carrying a message for a world without nuclear weapons. Lush customers and staff signed the Peace Action petition, which was presented to the United Nations and the White House by Peace Action representatives. 

2010 | MAY

WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE

The wheel is misfortune is a twisted take on the wheel of fortune game show, with each segment of the wheel documenting the problems with biofuel, as follows: Rainforest Destroyed; Less Space to Grow Food; Massive Carbon Emissions; Orangutans Endangered; and Land Taken From People. Every Lush store in the UK has displayed a wheel of misfortune in the window. Two Lush stores went even further to raise awareness of the problem and what could be done.  The managers from Derby and Portsmouth stores were dressed as Orangutans, strapped to a huge version of the Wheel of Misfortune and spun around whilst knives were thrown at them, live in store!

2010 | AUGUST

I’M A CHAMELEON GET ME OUT OF HERE

From 6th to 13th August 2010, Lush will be raising awareness of the suffering of captive reptiles with a range of activities that will take place throughout its UK network of stores. The main aim of Lush’s campaign is to counter the sales pitch propagated by the reptile industry that reptiles are ‘easy to keep’. Claims are regularly made that reptiles make less demanding pets than dogs but this is only true if reptiles are kept in conditions where they are forced to suffer he Lush campaign features in-store parties aimed at under 12-yr olds with a reptile quiz, arts and crafts, and information to take away about why reptiles don’t make good pets. Customers will be given 5 good reasons not to buy a reptile as a pet – these reasons include the fact that captive reptiles have enormously complex needs; the trade poses a threat to wild populations; and reptile-keeping is associated with disease risks.

 

2010 | OCTOBER

GREYHOUNDS

Lush launched an in-store campaign to highlight the cruelty that is going on in greyhound racing. The campaign, which will run in more than 90 Lush stores throughout the UK and Ireland from October 11th – 17th, is aimed at helping Greyhound Action in their mission to educate the public about the problems with betting on greyhound racing and going to the tracks. Greyhound Action was an international greyhound protection group, campaigning to end the slaughter and suffering caused by the dog racing industry, coursing etc. 

2010 | DECEMBER

BAN ON FOX HUNTING

In support of HSA, Lush staff dressed as foxes with tails and ears and shop windows proclaimed ‘The Hunts Are Still At It’. Inside, a citronella and peppermint scented bubble bar called ‘Fabulous Mrs Fox’ was sold to raise funds for the group and all of the proceeds – minus the vat from the sale of the bar – went to the HSA. The bubble bar was on sale in store until boxing day to coincide with the traditional large-scale hunting meets. Customers signed postcards to be sent to their local Police forces Chief Constables, asking them to make enforcing the law a priority. It was an extremely controversial campaign and people who were pro-hunting entered Lush stores and ruined displays of leaflets and Fabulous Mrs Fox bubble bars. Shop windows were also targets for acts of vandalism and some store staff were even intimidated by pro-hunt supporters.

2011 | MARCH

TAR SANDS

UK, USA, & Canada

Many foreign oil companies are aggressively extracting bitumen (a black, tar-like substance) from the sands which is then turned into crude oil. In the process, it’s creating serious social, economic and environmental problems for North America. Lush took a stand against the expansion of the Canadian tar sands. Lush Cosmetics employees in numerous locations were publicly doused in the sticky substance whilst wrapped in the Canadian flag – to demonstrate against the country’s extraction of tar sands oil. Sean Gifford, Lush campaigns manager, said: “Tar sands oil is killing people, animals and the planet and we say enough is enough. Let’s draw a line in the sand – keep dirty tar sands out of our country.”

2011 | OCTOBER

FREE WEST PAPUA

If nobody knew of West Papuan’s plight then, nobody could help. By raising the flag instore Lush made West Papua a talking point and staff made sure that customers knew about its people and its plight. Lush will be flying the Morning Star flag at all of their 99 UK shops, as well as promoting the Free West Papua campaign in store.  Lush shines a light on the Free West Papua campaign on the launch day of International Lawyers for West Papua, which is seeking to free political prisoners and bring about a free and fair referendum on self determination for the people of West Papua.

2011 | NOVEMBER

NO ONE IS ILLEGAL

The idea of open borders is one of the most controversial campaigns that Lush has been involved in, with many people having negative associations with the idea of an open borders system and few people seeing the benefits at first glance. “Our campaign ‘No one is Illegal’ hopes to show that immigration controls are inherently unjust and inhumane and that the abolition of immigration controls is not only possible, it’s preferable”. In Lush stores there was a free NOII (no one is illegal) newspaper for customers to take home, along with a ‘world passport‘ which declared: “this document confirms that its bearer is a human being and not an alien.” These passports were to be used by Aaron Barschak and members of NOII to try and board the Eurostar to Paris to mark the start of this campaign. Unfortunately they were unsuccessful in their bid to board.

2012 | APRIL

FIGHT ANIMAL TESTING

Animal testing has been forgotten about by the media to a certain extent and when something goes from the public eye it is very easy to forget about. Lush brought back animal testing into the public eye in the most dramatic way possible. A young woman was dragged through the streets of London to the flagship Regent Street store where she was placed in the window on a bench, like a laboratory animal, and experimented on in the full view of horrified shoppers. The petition was available in all Lush shops and online at the Lush website and all Lush stores were encouraged to hold their own demonstrations as the 24th of April is World Animals in laboratories day.

2012 | SEPTEMBER

BREAK THE BAG HABIT

A campaign to support and introduce a compulsory 5p charge for carrier bags in England. Lush encouraged customers to bring in their old plastic bags and feed them to the ‘Bag Monster’ created in store. Staff members also created bag master costumes made entirely out of plastic bags and wore these to the Conservatives party conference encouraging them to “Break the Bag Habit” and support the plastic bag charge.

2012 | OCTOBER

NO COP OUT FOR WILDLIFE

A campaign launched by Lush and the Hunt Saboteurs Association aimed to help voters understand issues surrounding wildlife crime and simplify the process of contacting candidates to ensure were are aware of the importance voters place on animal welfare. The campaign highlights the disparity in policing budgets for the prevention of wildlife crime and the monitoring of activists. Lush are also encouraging people to vote for anti-hunt candidates in the upcoming Police Commissioner elections being held on the 15th November.

2013 | JANUARY

CLIMATE REVOLUTION WITH VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

Two iconic British brands – Vivienne Westwood and Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics – will support the Climate Revolution during the first two weeks of January 2013. In 104 Lush shops across the UK, customers will be invited to protect the environment by signing up to the revolution.

Climate Revolution is an uprising designed by Vivienne Westwood. Participants will be invited to petition, act, and protest for a more sustainable future. Hilary Jones – “All of us – individuals, businesses, institutions and governments – need to find ways to minimise our impact so that when we are gone, the planet remains for the next generation. Never before has a generation held sway over the very future existence of our planet and we need to face up to that and take responsibility.”

2013 | MAY

DRONE AGE

Lush launched a new national campaign alongside the award-winning human rights charity Reprieve to aid their work in stopping lethal drone attacks in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. Drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), are remotely controlled aircrafts which can be used for surveillance or armed with missiles. They are being used by the US, with the UK’s support, in the ‘war on terror’, placed in countries which the US or UK deem to be threatening. Communities in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen live with the constant threat of a drone strike, which comes without warning and could target anyone. Targets include people on a military blacklist, however even people out in the street nearby could be victims of the missile blast. Over 3,000 people have been killed by drones, over 1,000 being innocent bystanders, including young children. Once vibrant communities have become ghost towns, where local people feel scared to leave their homes or let their children play outside for fear of becoming victim to a drone strike. Lush had a limited edition bath ballistic called Bug Splat (the word the US military use to describe drone strike victims).

2013 | MAY

ANTI BADGER CULLING

Lush staff dressed as badgers and massed outside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Central London in protest against the proposed cull, which it is claimed is needed to eradicate TB in cattle. The flash mob was the climax of an Animal Aid campaign that has run throughout the UK in Lush Cosmetics’ 104 shops nationwide, and asks the public to vote against the Conservatives in the local elections.

2013 | JULY

DON’T FRACK OUR FUTURE

Lush has provided its 105 UK and Irish shops – including windows, staff and online channels – for ten days to activist group Frack Off. Announcing ‘Don’t Frack our Future, Lush will be pushing the campaign after the Government proposed cutting tax on profits generated from producing shale gas from 62% to 30%. Activists from Frack Off have hosted training sessions for all Lush staff – both at national managers’ meetings and – in situ – on the shop floor. More than 150,000 people will be engaged during the 10-day campaign. Head of global campaigns at Lush Cosmetics, Tamsin Omond, said: “When we inform our customers that fracking and unconventional gas extraction is coming to the UK and Ireland they freak out.  “The idea that politicians are risking our water supply and our air quality so that energy companies can drill deep beneath our land goes against all common sense. This campaign will educate tens of thousands of people about the threat of fracking to their communities.

2013 | SEPTEMBER

PEACE ONE DAY

Peace One Day is an organisation that was founded by filmmaker Jeremy Gilley, who wanted to create an annual day of ceasefire and nonviolence – Peace Day. He created a documentary about his fight for the day to exist and in 2001 the UN accepted his plea, unanimously voting for an international day of peace – the 21st of September. The power of Peace Day is directly linked to how many people know about it. The more people who learn about Peace Day, the more pressure there is on governments to acknowledge it, and the more likely people are to think about their ethical choices and actions on that day, which is why Lush is sharing Peace Day with all that will listen.

2013 | NOVEMBER

CLIMATE REVOLUTION KNOT WRAP

The iconic British fashion designer collaborated with Lush in 2013 to design an exclusive knot-wrap for her Climate Revolution campaign. Available in two colour ways, pink and camel, the bespoke organic piece is 100% British: woven in Burnley, printed in Lancaster and finished in London. In buying a knot-wrap the customer is part of the Climate Revolution. As Vivienne Westwood explains, it’s the small manageable changes in our everyday life that will prevent further damage to the environmental: “Everyone who saves a plastic bag is a freedom fighter for climate change.”

2013 | NOVEMBER

PEACE PIONEERS

In 2012, the Colombian Constitutional Court ordered the government to address the conditions of risk that the Peace Community lives under, as well as issues of impunity for past violations of their human rights (Court Order 164, July 2012). However, the Colombian authorities have failed to fully implement this order and attacks against the Community have continued. 7,374 people around the world signed Lush’s online petition calling for the implementation of Constitutional Court Order 164 and better protection and access to justice for the Peace Community’s members. In Lush stores in the UK alone more than 9,000 people signed a postcard version of the petition – a huge show of support for the Peace Community and the values it stands for.

2014 | JANUARY – FEBRUARY

SIGN OF LOVE

Tamsin Omond, our leading lady in Campaigns at Lush states “Valentines day is the perfect time to stand up for everyone’s right for love. No country, company or individual can stop love. All they can do is punish people for that love. To do so – forbid or criminalise love is unnatural and cruel. So I am proud that we are standing up in solidarity with LGBTQ people and campaigning for equal love”. Lush’s stores displayed signs proclaiming “We believe in Love”. Staff will also encourage customers to paint pink triangles on their bodies as a symbol of support for equal love. Yet the campaign, a response to Russia’s anti-gay legislation, would be at risk of violating the country’s “homosexual propaganda” law if the signs appeared in any of the retailer’s 63 Russian shops…

2014 | MAY

ANTI-BADGER CULL PROJECT

May Day has been manufactured to coincide with an important cause that has been making the headlines recently. The message is clear – keep our badgers alive. When the bath bomb has dissolved completely it leaves a message saying ’Keep those badgers alive’. Lush are pushing the idea that vaccination is the best way forward rather than inhumanly culling all badgers, despite only 5% carrying the disease.

2014 | JULY

HEN HARRIERS

It is illegal to kill hen harrier or any other bird of prey in the UK. The hen harrier, a national icon, was once common across the moorlands of northern England. Now, in our homeland it is on the brink of extinction as a breeding bird due to the illegal persecution it suffers on driven grouse moors. They are in desperate need of our help. Lush displayed pictures of the last six Hen Harriers in their shop windows to inform and encouraged customers to sign postcards calling for the protection of these beautiful birds. These postcards were then sent onto the Queen herself to raise awareness.

2014 | AUGUST

ANTI – SHARK FINNING CAMPAIGN

USA

In August of 2014, we partnered with Discovery Channel’s Shark Week and Fin Free, creating a global campaign that allowed citizens to take a stand for sharks in their own communities. A 30-second commercial promoting shark conservation produced in partnership with Discovery and Fin Free aired during Shark Week, the network’s highest rated week of the year. We also created a limited edition Shark Fin Soap with 100% of the purchase price donated Fin Free.

2014 | SEPTEMBER

DEEP SEA TRAWLING

From 8th – 14th September 2014 LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics shops across Europe will host a campaign to raise awareness about the destruction caused by deep-sea bottom trawling and to ask European governments to support a ban of what scientists have called “the most destructive fishing gear in history”. Non-profit organisation BLOOM, dedicated to marine conservation, are teaming up with LUSH to draw public attention to the plight of the remote deep waters of Europe. On September 10th, a live performance of body painting deep-sea creatures will take place in flagship LUSH stores across Europe to symbolise the amazing diversity of deep-sea life and its extreme vulnerability to destruction.  The deep ocean is the largest habitat on the planet – teeming with all kinds of unique marine life including corals and sponges that live for hundreds to thousands of years. But deep-sea bottom trawlers are destroying them – dragging giant weighted nets, cables and steel plates more than 2 tonnes each across the ocean floor to catch a small number of low value fish.

2015 | APRIL

VOTES FOR ANIMALS

On Thursday 23rd April campaigners wearing our animal masks marched on Parliament marking the launch of the ‘Votes for Animals’ campaign to highlight the importance of animal welfare issues in the General Election. The march was led by among others Brian May and Peter Egan. The aim of the campaign is to help inform the public on where their local candidates stand on the issue of animal welfare and to take this into consideration when voting. The lives of domestic pets, farm animals, wildlife and the millions of animals in research laboratories are dictated by decisions made by the government, it is within our collective power to vote which party forms our government.

2015 | JULY

KEEP THE BAN

On Wednesday 15th July, MPs will be given a free vote on a key amendment to the Hunting Act. If the amendment is passed, the Hunting Act will not be worth the paper it is written on. The new regime could be in place in time for traditional Boxing Day hunts. By amending the Hunting Act, the government would be deliberately and cynically making it easier for hunts to chase and kill foxes, and harder for them to be convicted when they break the law. Lush staff are urging people to contact their local MP to urge them to attend the vote, sign postcards in lush protesting against amending the hunting act, and to tweet their support for these animals using the #KeepTheBan.

2015 | SEPTEMBER

TTIP WITH VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

War on Want has teamed up with handmade cosmetics producer Lush, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and with Lush stores in 14 European countries to say ‘No’ to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Often described simply as a “free trade deal”, TTIP is anything but this. TTIP will take power from people and place it in the hands of the world’s biggest corporations. A dirty deal being negotiated, in secret, between the European Union and the USA. Lush is helping to raise awareness and thanks to this incredible surge of people power and the campaigning of activists and groups all over Europe, politicians are becoming increasingly divided on TTIP, and the new Labour leadership has joined the Green Party in fully opposing TTIP.

2015 | AUGUST

HEN HARRIERS

The campaign was to protect Hen Harrier birds who are one of the most endangered birds in the UK. The money from the sale of this limited edition product will be used to tag next years Hen Harrier chicks so that their welfare and whereabouts can be monitored and protected. Profits from every Skydancer Far From The Madding Guns bath bomb sold fund equipment to help the RSPB fit chicks born in the coming years with satellite tags. Since the bath bomb’s launch in 2015, sales have raised an amazing £101,472 for hen harrier preservation as of March 2016. You can follow the tagged birds online on the RSPB’s dedicated site: http://www.rspb.org.uk/henharrierlife/

2015 | JULY

GAY IS OK

For millions of people around the world, expressing their love can cost their freedom – or worse. In 76 countries around the world, it is a crime to be gay. In 10 of those, being gay could cost you your life. In fact, there is no country in the world where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have full equality. Lush want customers to add their voice to the conversation, and let the world know you think #gayisok. Show your support for the 100 Lush shops around the world who are unable to participate because of anti-gay legislation in their country. Most of all, consider the fact that a world where no one’s love is illegal is possible, and worth fighting for.

2016 | MARCH

#CONNECTINGHEARTS

At 2:46pm (05:46am GMT) on March 11th 2011, a magnitude-9 earthquake shook the Northeastern ground of Japan for six long minutes. As a result, a domino of devastating effects followed, resulting in the loss of nearly 16,000 lives and triggered a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant, which still has a negative impact on the land it surrounds today. The soil had been severely contaminated. At Lush, we are grateful to be part of regeneration for the area through our products, particularly from the ingredient rapeseed oil.  Lush want to show our love and support for the people affected, and still being affected, we are launching our campaign #ConnectingHearts. Lush are encouraging customers to go in store to get a photo taken with our connected hearts frame and spread awareness with the hashtag #ForFukushima on social media.

2016 | FEBRUARY

#REFUGEESWELCOME

USA

The plight of Syrian refugees is tragic and heartbreaking. Although many do not want to leave their families and homes, violence and instability has forced them out of their country. For families that have lost everything, making a new home will be both challenging and difficult, but we can all help make this easier by demonstrating the best our communities have to offer – with love and friendship. Lush want to make their welcome as warm as possible and are asking customers to fill out a postcard with a message of love and support. Postcards will be collected from across North America and shared with refugees as they arrive to their new homes through our campaign partners.

2016 | MAY

DEATH ≠ JUSTICE

USA

On May 15, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics launched its “Death ≠ Justice” campaign in 200 shops across the United States and online. Lush is partnering with several of the leading abolitionist groups in the country, including Death Penalty Focus, Witness to Innocence, and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. The campaign is expected to reach hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom may not know much about the death penalty and its many problems.

2016 | NOVEMBER

TROPHY

USA

Presented by Lush Cosmetics, Trophy challenges this controversial practice. In Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest, First Nations groups, activists and over 90% of British Columbians oppose this cruel and inhumane hunt, and yet it still remains legal and sanctioned by the BC government. South of Canada’s border, grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park are currently safe and protected under the Endangered Species Act, but that could soon come to an end. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed “delisting” grizzlies from the Act which could lead to sanctioned trophy hunts and other activities that would put these bears in danger. Trophy asks: can we truly justify killing these animals for sport?

2016 | NOVEMBER

KEEP IT ON

First digital campaign – Error 404 is the standard HTTP code for indicating a “page not found” on web servers. It is the kind of page that users might see if their government shut down the Internet in their country. According to Access Now: “An internet shutdown happens when someone— usually a government — intentionally disrupts the internet or mobile apps to control what people say or do. Shutdowns are also sometimes called “blackouts” or “kill switches”. Access Now has documented over 50 internet shutdowns in 2016 alone, “and the number is only increasing”. The organisation and Lush chose Black Friday (25 November) to launch the global #KeepItOn campaign against internet shutdowns together with a limited edition Error 404 bath bomb.Lust tweet – Help @AccessNow defend the #DigitalRights of users everywhere by telling world leaders to #KeepItOn.

2017 | JANUARY

LOVE TRANSCENDS GENDER

USA

At Lush we believe that love transcends gender, We set out to do one thing when creating our Valentine’s Day visuals, we wanted to capture love between two people and we believe that’s what we have done here.” The Valentine’s Day ads— featured on their website and social media —show same-sex couples enjoying bubble baths.

2017 | MARCH

FREE ANDY TSEGE

On 20th March 2017, Andy Tsege will spend his 1,000th day in an Ethiopian prison, where he is being held illegally. Lush is working with Reprieve to raise awareness of Andy Tsege, a vocal critic of Ethiopia’s repressive ruling party, who has been kidnapped and put on death row for calling for a more democratic Ethiopia. Andy has been a British citizen since 1979, yet our government is failing in its duty to ensure that Andy is returned to his family in the UK. Andy is not even able to contact his wife and three children. Today we join his family’s campaign to raise awareness of Andy’s ordeal and build pressure on Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary to bring Andy home.

2017 | MAY

RIZEUP UK

Lush partnered with Rize Up, a campaign group that was only set up 2 weeks prior because they are particularly worried about young people feeling left out of politics. Non-voters outnumbered the supporters of every single party in 2015. People need to be heard and have their vote which is where Rize Up gets involved, it is a party-neutral movement aimed at young people, the homeless and the economically deprived. Lush turned 100 of their stores into campaign information centres and allowed homeless people to register to vote using a store address – the Rize Up message hit pavements nationwide.

2017 | MAY

TEAM FOX

Lush teamed with TeamFox in the united goal to back the continued ban of fox hunting by using their shop windows to spread the word. Numerous posters were displayed sharing messages in support of the ban, such as “Foxit means Foxit” and “Dear 16% we find fox hunting cruel. Sincerely the 84%”.

2017 | SEPTEMBER

DEATH BY DATA WITH REPRIEVE

Lush is calling on the UK government to stop its involvement in a US drone programme that allegedly uses metadata to assassinate potentially dangerous people. Lush is teamed up with human rights organisation Reprieve to raise awareness of the prevalence of summary executions in the US, which it claims are carried out by drones without fair trial. From Friday 8th until Monday 18th September, members of the public will be able to find out how close they’ve come to being put on a ‘Kill List’ of people targeted for assassination by the US and UK governments. Members of the public will be able to take a quiz – either online or in Lush shops – to find out whether data on who they’ve called, what they’ve posted on social media, or where they’ve been, could potentially lead to their inclusion on a list of targets.

2017 | NOVEMBER

WHAT THE FUR?

Humane Society International UK and Lush have launched an eye-catching nationwide #WhatTheFur?! campaign across all 103 Lush stores in the United Kingdom to make shoppers aware they could be misled into buying real fur falsely labelled as fake fur. Lush shop front windows are famous for bringing social justice issues to the high street, and this latest ambitious campaign with HSI uses lenticular technology in which a woman wearing a fur bobble hat cleverly morphs into a fox on a fur farm, to underline the growing problem of real animal fur being mislabelled as faux fur, duping shoppers into buying cruel fur they might otherwise actively avoid. Both the fur trimmed hat and the fox are shown sporting the same “100% acrylic” label attached to their fur to show that labels can lie. The joint campaign is continued in store and online where customers can pick up or download

2017 | NOVEMBER

SOS – SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN SOCIETY

SOS works alongside sister organisation OIC on the ground in Sumatra to protect Orangutans, their forests and their future by tackling the causes of deforestation as well as the symptoms. But more than helping to reforest the environment, SOS works to educate communities on the importance of the forest and teach them ways to keep it productive and functioning. The charity teaches permaculture techniques to the community in a purpose built education centre in order to show people a way to make the forest profitable without cutting it down. Lush sold their Orangutan soap, saying no more with the hashtag #sossumatra. For every exclusive patchouli filled Orangutan soap sold Lush will use the proceeds to help buy back the land these creatures have lost due to farming.

2018 | FEBRUARY

TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

USA

We’re partnering with the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity to take a deep dive into the discrimination faced by transgender people in North America and discuss how cisgender people can be good allies. For the next two weeks, we’re stripping all product from our shop windows to let quotes from transgender and non-binary Lush staff members be the key focus. Use the hashtag #TransRightsAreHumanRights.

2018 | JUNE

WORLD OCEANS DAY

It’s a sad fact that plastic debris in our oceans is killing marine wildlife at a staggering rate. On Friday 8th June, World Oceans Day, Lush will be launching their newest campaign online (in shops from 18th June) to raise awareness of the effect of single-use plastic on ocean life and start a discussion with customers on how we can tackle this worldwide issue as consumers. On Friday 1st June, Lush opened their first Naked shop in the world in Milan, Italy. A new experiment for the brand, the shop is a celebration of innovation and creativity through products totally free of packaging and, through in-store events, workshops and film screenings, aims to be a place for customers to share and exchange ideas for a future without plastic.

Also launching alongside the campaign is Lush’s newest Jelly Bomb. The jelly bomb is filled with cypress and sandalwood oils to keep you grounded and pine absolute to refresh. When dropped in water, skin softening agar agar seaweed strands emerge, floating to the top as a reminder of the threat sea turtles face.

2018 | JUNE

SPY COPS

We have partnered with Police Spies Out of Lives (PSOOL) and Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS) to bring light to the secret undercover policing units functioning in the UK since 1968. Infiltrating political groups, collecting ‘intelligence’ while building relationships – both friendships and romantic to collect personal information spy on activists. 

These ‘public servants’ are paid to intrude on the person lives of the British public, spying on families like that of Stephen Lawrence. A public inquiry has started since 2015 with no answers seen yet. 

Lush are asking the new Home Secretary to release the cover names of the officers, publish the list of groups spies on, give victims their files and appoint a panel to investigate further.

2018 | SEPTEMBER

WAR ON WILDLIFE

The first step in the campaign to stop the war on wildlife is the Peace Treaty. Anyone who wants to put their name to it can do so by signing a postcard in a Lush store, or on Chris Packham’s website. The signed postcards will then be delivered to Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, asking him to take a stronger lead in conservation and to protect British wildlife before it’s too late. In the run up to Chris Packham’s ‘The peoples walk for wildlife’ on September 22nd at Hyde park in London, we want to make some important demands on the government. Our demands include: improving education, banning the use of lead shot, banning snares, reinforcing the Hunting Act 2004 and many more.

2018 | NOVEMBER

SOS – SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN SOCIETY

Last year we managed to raise £126,014 for the #SOSsumatra campaign which made it possible for @orangutansSOS and the Orangutan Information Centre to purchase and restore 50 hectares of palm plantation. This year we have joined back up with SOS and OIC to buy another 50 hectares. To help raise funds we have created 14,600 Orangutan Soaps to sell with every penny (minus VAT) going directly towards claiming back land for Orangutans.

2019 | MAY

#IVOTENATURE

There will be a window lightbox and cubes in shops across Europe, articles on our websites and info in our shops – all geared towards reminding voters that nature should not be forgotten when it comes to looking at what your candidate’s stand for and what they will be promising to achieve if they are elected. As Lush we should never TELL people to vote, or suggest WHO to vote for. That is not our place. But we can remind people that if they care about nature their vote could help protect it. We can remind them to ask their candidates what they intend to do, if they are elected, to halt the crisis in nature.

2019 | MAY

RIZEUP

 

2019 | SEPTEMBER

Sorry, we are closed due to an emergency.

THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Young people have recently taken the lead in climate awareness raising, with movements like School Strike For Climate, Fridays For Future and Student Climate Network crying out for those responsible and those in power to deal with the crisis immediately without any more delay and give them back their futures.  All this year school children and students worldwide have been striking regularly in the hope that by missing their education for a day adults will sit up and listen. They now call upon all adults to help by joining the strike on the 20th of September.  They ask, that in the same way that they have interrupted their education, that we interrupt our ‘business as usual’ and join them. That we stop, think and pledge to act.  That we acknowledge the urgency of this crisis.  That we realise that their future needs our attention now, before it is too late.

2021 | FEBRUARY

CAMPAIGN AGAINST MINK FARMS | SWEDEN

With Covid 19 spreading through captive mink populations, the Swedish government decided to temporarily close mink fur farms and declared mass culls (Add images of the culls from news coverage).

Animal rights organisations wanted to seize this important moment to demand a permanent total end to mink fur farming in Sweden. 

Djurrättsalliansen approached Lush for help in calling for a permanent ban

Customers were encouraged to sign the petition and we sold our limited edition Paw Print soap to raise money for Djurrättsalliansen.

Djurrättsalliansen beat their target of 90,000 signatures (the number of minks still held at the farms for future breeding) and handed over 95,816 signatures to the Minister of Rural Affairs in March 2021.

 

2021 | MARCH

FUKUSHIMA | JAPAN

The 11th of March this year marked 10 years since the huge earthquake of 2011 in northern Japan. I

We wanted to look back at the efforts to regenerate the area over the past decade, some of which we were able to help by purchasing their ingredients. 

We wanted to amplify our understanding and share their stories, so all staff received our Drop of Hope soap to shine a light on the regenerative rapeseed oil now grown in the Minamisoma region to feel its benefits first hand. I

This rapeseed oil also features in our Minamisoma shower oil, which staff were able to share stories of with our customers, after learning more about ingredients from Fukushima.

 

 

2021 | MAY

THE BLACK CURRICULUM | UK

The Black Curriculum campaign launched on 17th May in UK stores and online to promote the message that Black history is British history.

We sold the #TBH365 bath bomb with all money (minus VAT) going to The Black Curriculum to help them in their mission to reimagine the future of Black British education and eradicate racial bias. I

A total of 22,616 #TBH365 bath bombs were sold, generating £111,818 for The Black Curriculum (after VAT). Alongside spreading the word in our stores, we achieved a total of 28 pieces of PR coverage and 50. 7k online coverage impressions.

 

2021 | JUNE

CITTADINANZA N​​ERO SU BIANCO | ITALY

Cittadinanza Nero su Bianco is a campaign promoted by The Black Post to ask the Italian Parliament to promote a new law on citizenship for 1 million Italians without citizenship.

It aims to put a stop to institutional racism and recognise all citizens as true Italians regardless of their background. #ItalianiVeri

As part of our commitment within the 100 Days Plan, we raised our voices on social media, invited customers to sign the petition and sold the Knowledge bath bomb to raise funds for The Black Post.

In just two weeks we achieved 17,000 signatures. 30 national and local articles were published on the topic and 100+ IG stories were shared by 20 influencers, activists and relevant KOLs who stood up for the campaign. In total the campaign achieved a 1.5 million social media reach.

CLOSE DOLPHINARIUMS | SPAIN

We are campaigning to close the country’s dolphinariums, since we are the largest dolphin prison in Europe, concentrating 55% of the continent’s captive dolphins, and the 6th in the world. That’s why we’re supporting a young activist named Olivia Mandle who has created the #NoesPaísparaDelfines petition on Change.org calling for the scheduled closure of dolphinariums across the country. Here you have some pictures of the campaign (It was ran in Spain from the 10th to the 19th and the association supported was The BDRI, a research center that contributes to the conservation of the marine environment)

2021 | AUGUST

BAN SNARES | UK

In August 2021, we saw the launch of Animal Aid’s campaign to #BanSnares, featuring across all 101 UK Lush shops – with a powerful display by aerial dancers in Lush Oxford Street over the weekend artistically representing the horror of being caught in a snare.

Animal Aid – who’ve teamed up with the Hunt Investigation Team (HIT) and National Anti Snaring Campaign (NASC) for the campaign – are calling for the public to sign a petition on the Government website calling for a ban on snares in the UK, the target is 100,000 by November to trigger a parliamentary debate on the subject.

November 2021

ZERO HOUR | UK

At COP26, Lush partnered with Zero Hour to hold street performances, lambasting world leaders for dining out on the planet for so long, and calling on the UK Government to pick up the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill, which was before the House of Commons. The performance showed actors dressed in life-like latex masks depicting world leaders dining at a banquet of environmental and climate degradation: endangered species, fossil fuels, and climate disaster are all on the menu. The bill shown to the diners for their feast lists a variety of statistics and facts related to climate and environmental degradation.

February 2023

LUSH GO GOLD

On February 15, Lush is going gold for International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. Last year, the Constantine family (co-founders of Lush) lost seven-year-old Dexter Constantine-Tatchell, their Master of Dragons, to Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare childhood cancer that’s lacking awareness as well as a lack of funding for research and treatment.

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february 2023

HAVE A HEART | UK

Lush worked alongside the charity Galop to develop the Have a Heart Campaign to ban ‘conversion therapy’.

This campaign ran around Valentine’s Day in the UK, and encouraged our customers and colleagues to scan the QR code to send an email to their local MP encouraging them to support the ban.

Alongside this Lush released a ‘Proud to Love You’ Campaign product, a heart shaped Wash Card with all of the proceeds (minus VAT) going to Galop.

During this campaign, our Lush shops had thought provoking window displays showing the QR codes, and a giant card that customers and colleagues could sign in support of the ban.

April 2023

COLLABORATION FOR BETTER SCIENCE

‘Time for better science’ is the message from campaign group, Animal Aid, who launched a major new campaign calling for the replacement of outdated and cruel ‘lethal dose’ tests, with the more reliable modern test method which now exists. At the centre of the campaign is Animal Aid’s petition which calls on the government, industry regulators, pharmaceutical and chemical companies to show their support for better science by pledging to immediately end the unreliable ‘Lethal Dose 50%’ tests.

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june 2023

REFUGEES WELCOME | UK

Lush and Refugee Action teamed up to welcome refugees and asylum seekers to the UK, and counter the government’s racist anti-refugee language and legislation.

All the company’s 103 stores across the UK featured a campaign window with a lightbox message that reads, “Wherever you’re from, however you got here, all refugees are welcome”. 

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September 2023

RIGHT TO ROAM | UK

The campaign, called “Nature Is For Everyone”, is in collaboration with the ethical cosmetics company LUSH and advises high street shoppers that trespass is ‘not a criminal offence’ and, exercised responsibly, can be crucial for protection of the environment. All Lush stores across the UK will feature stunning artwork by Nick Hayes (cofounder of Right to Roam and author of the Book of Trespass) in their windows.

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November 2023

ESC BIG TECH

This Black Friday, in a continuation of their Big Tech Rebellion (announced at SXSW in March ‘23), Lush is joining forces with the decentralised movement People vs Big Tech, to raise money for their work to rein in the handful of Big Tech companies that have monopolised the Internet with intrusive surveillance, predatory addictive-algorithms, harmful content and echo chambers.  

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