Originally published by Fresholi on 20.07.07

Body shop announce initiative to introduce sustainable palm oil into cosmetic manufacturing.

The Body Shop, owned by cosmetic giants, L’Oreal are all set to become the first cosmetic retailers to launch sustainable palm oil onto the market.  The Body Shop manufacture over 14.5 million bars of soap every year that contain palm oil.

Body Shop’s CEO, Peter Saunders, said “The switch to sustainable palm oil is a landmark step forward for The Body Shop and a potentially groundbreaking development for the whole cosmetics industry”

He continues, “Many people who use soap everyday will be unaware that they are contributing to a major environmental catastrophe: the destruction of ancient rainforests and the extinction of endangered species”

The body shop will now be sourcing their palm oil from organic plantations in Columbia and using the RSPO (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil) initiative to create strong industry standards and are hoping to inspire other manufacturers in the hope of continuing the efforts of ethical sourcing.

This is interesting stuff for the Indie soap & lotion maker.  Leading on from an article I recently published onto the site, ‘Jumping On The Backs Of Giants’, where I explored the potential of using the ‘clout’ of the ‘big boys’ (or ‘girls’) to deliver a powerful message to your consumers.

The Body Shop will drive this message home to the consumer (using their influence and massive budget).  They have to be successful if they are to rebuild their somewhat tainted ‘natural’ image after their takeover and their vested interest in sustainable palm oil sources to meet their output demands, long-term.

With this in mind, it seems a good time to introduce a new arrival at Fresholi…

Organic Palm Oil – Our palm is sourced from organic Columbian plantations that are part of the RSPO initiative.  You would be forgiven for thinking that I was jumping on the backs of the giants here but in all honesty, it was only after I carefully sourced this ethical oil that this announcement came to light but my goodness, what perfect timing for all my customers, who can feel that both their ethical conscious is clear while adapting to the changing attitudes of their customers.