Through the centuries, humans are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental and social impacts individuals and organizations are causing. From famous individuals like Leonardo DiCaprio constantly raising awareness about global warming to huge trends like veganism being widespread due to animal cruelty in the production of animal food products, the world is progressing into becoming a place where unethical actions will be frowned upon by a majority of the population, contrary to the minority just a few decades ago.
Organizations thus need to keep up with the global trends not only to be more cognizant about their global footprint, but to develop a good brand image. One firm that pops into my mind when talking about business ethics is Lush. Lush is a cosmetic company which sells a range of natural handmade bath and body products. I was made aware of this brand a few years ago when I stumbled across an article which covered the protest that was carried through a graphic window display in their shop. A performance artist made lush her stage and enacted the horrific procedures done to animals by cosmetic companies to test their products. This campaign was very, very controversial.
Along with conducting horrific and powerful campaigns, Lush donates about £6 million a year to far left groups, creates products in a way so 70% require no packaging while using recycled containers for the other 30%, opt for environmentally safer lights for their shops and factories, and many more. Their genuine concern for the environment has a huge impact on their sales and brand image achieving a record profit of £31.3m in 2015.
My immense respect for Lush comes from how they have managed to operate as a profit making organization without being unethical. Profit making organizations are known to have a somewhat unethical image associated with them because of how little they appear to care for their consumers and operate solely to earn profits. Lush manages to beautifully manage this profit making goal along with caring for not only their consumers, but the environment too. They contribute so much to the society as a firm and I feel like are what a majority of firms, if not all, should strive to be in the near future.
Bibliography:
-
Fiorletta, A. (n.d.). Lush ‘Merely Scratching The Surface’ Of Multi-Billion Dollar Cosmetics Market. Retrieved September 13, 2016, from http://www.retailtouchpoints.com/features/retail-success-stories/lush-merely-scratching-the-surface-of-multi-billion-dollar-cosmetics-market
-
Mohdin, A. (2016). Lush sells bath bombs and cosmetics. It also gives nearly £6 million a year to far-left groups. Retrieved September 13, 2016, from http://qz.com/609641/lush-sells-bath-bombs-and-cosmetics/
-
Paul Harris for the Daily Mail. (2012). Is this the most extreme window display ever? Brutal treatment of woman, 24, as she is subjected to ‘animal tests’ in front of horrified shoppers. Retrieved September 13, 2016, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134555/Lush-animal-testing-protest-Woman-subjected-experiments-horrified-shoppers.html
-
Levitt, T. (2016). How badger bombs and politics brought Lush sales of £500m. Retrieved September 13, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/may/10/badger-bombs-politics-lush-sales-500m
-
By closing this window you acknowledge that your experience on this website may be degraded. (2015). Is Lush an Ethical Company? Retrieved September 13, 2016, from https://uk.lush.com/article/lush-ethical-company