Lush implements Prevented Ocean Plastic packaging and highlights human rights
17 May 2024 --- Lush is rolling out Prevented Ocean Plastic globally made by Spectra Packaging.
Working with the packaging supplier in the UK, Lush introduced certified recycled Prevented Ocean Plastic for its 100ml, 250ml and 500ml bottles. The Lush Manufacturing sites in Germany and Croatia are also using Prevented Ocean Plastic for the three sizes, while Lush North America and Japan will follow suit later this year. Lush’s 1l bottles are still transitioning across all markets.
The company says customers are “helping to protect marine ecosystems and the coastal communities who are at the forefront of the effects of ocean plastic pollution” when they purchase a product in a clear plastic bottle marked with the Prevented Ocean Plastic logo.
Preventing waste
The Prevented Ocean Plastic Programme works worldwide with a focus on Indonesia. The packaging company says it develops “efficient” waste management infrastructure where it is lacking, creates “reliable” income opportunities with “dignified” working conditions for local people, and provides certified and traceable premium-quality recycled plastic to global markets, all while preventing plastic from polluting our oceans.
With the switch to the new packaging material, Lush is expected to prevent over three million bottles from reaching the water.
“Seeing how much impact the Prevented Ocean Plastic Programme has had on communities in areas at high risk of plastic pollution, being part of preventing tonnes of plastic from entering the oceans, as well as improving transparency of the supply chain is very much fulfilling our ‘Lusher than we found it,’” says Karolina Michalska, creative buying at Lush.
“I feel honored to have worked with such a passionate and inspirational group of people who care about people and the environment.”
Promoting human rights
Lush also joined forces with UK-focused charity EachOther to bring “essential” human rights to British high streets. EachOther says it relies on independent journalism, storytelling and filmmaking to “put the human into human rights.”
Lush designed a new shower powder called Human Rights to spark conversations and raise funds for EachOther’s work.
The powder is packaged in a box that was deliberately chosen to impart important information about the campaign and invite people to share their views on human rights with EachOther via a survey that they can access through a QR code on the back of the box.
The front of the box reads “Essential Human Rights for Everyone” and states that human rights include “equality, compassion, humanity and respect,” which stands for the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This was chosen because EachOther aims to call attention to threats to withdraw Britain from the ECHR.
EachOther produced a briefing paper detailing recent “threats” to human rights, which has been used to form the basis of a public education campaign that will be running in all 102 Lush stores in the UK from May 16 to June 2.
By Sabine Waldeck
