I still remember the first time I entered into a Lush shop. It was a rainy day in Brighton, England. Walking into Lush was like going in another world. Everything was very colourful, shop assistants were extremely helpful and cheerful, the soap smell was incredible, etc. From that first moment, I loved that unique shop.
Lush is known for their singular natural body soaps. However, what I did not realized was that they were so into sustainability.
First of all, they have eliminated packaging in most of their products and have get rid of palm oil in their supply chain.
Another aspect that I did not notice is that they do not have discounts or “buy 2 get 3” offers. There is a reason behind that. They want to implement a consumption model were people buy what they really need.
Moreover, since 2007 they have the Charity Pot. With the purchase of this product, 100% of the price goes to organizations working towards environmental conservation, animal welfare and human rights.
This are some aspects that characterize Lush and make it different from other soap companies.
In my opinion, a company like Lush is an example to follow. They have a strong vision and their all their actions are coherent and reflect their values. Trying to perform in the most sustainable way, they are another case of how been green and profitable is possible.
Moreover, in relation to what we did in class, I think that their position in the Green Marketing Strategy Matrix is in the Extreme Green. On the one hand, they have a powerful differentiation in greenness in comparison to other brands in the sector. On the other hand, the market is growing in terms of sustainable concerns. In conclusion, Lush is in a very good position in terms of strategy for the future.
Articles:
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/07/14/lush-founder-dont-worry-be-profitable
http://www.lushusa.com/New-Charity-Pot/9999905236,en_US,pd.html
I had a very similar experience at Lush, first noticing their products and then learning about the sustainability aspect of their business. I think that this model supports what has been mentioned in class multiple times, and that is that a business needs to add value/offer a unique product as their primary goal, and create sustainable initiatives second. I buy products from Lush because they are natural, smell good, and are effective. An added bonus is that I feel better about purchasing from them because I know they put in a lot of effort to making environmentally friendly products.
Thinking in relation to one of our recent readings for class preparation, I feel that Lush has created a hybrid method to “Putting Product at the Heart of Sustainable Business”. Their product is at the core, because their whole product portfolio is built around developing more sustainable products. However, they have continued to incorporate social and environmental goals, as shown through their Charity Pot program. I think that this method has worked in favor of Lush, because sustainability is built into every channel of their business. For another company in another industry, however, it may not be as effective. Great blog post!