Beauty and skincare brand The Body Shop has brought its in-store refill program to a number of U.S. locations, with plans to expand the waste-reduction campaign to 49% of the country’s locations by the end of 2022. Stores in Austin, Texas, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York and Orlando will offer the refill service for body, hair and hand care products, including shower gels, shampoos, conditioners and hand washes. The expansion is part of The Body Shop’s five-year refill-station implementation plan.
“The foundation of The Body Shop’s environmental activism was born out of ideas like these, when our founder, Dame Anita Roddick, refilled her first bottle out of necessity in 1976,” said Hilary Lloyd, VP of Marketing and Values for The Body Shop’s North America business in a statement. “Our customers have been eagerly waiting for refills to return to The Body Shop. We’re thrilled to be embracing a circular economy approach and provide this sustainable alternative.”
Since the April 2021 launch of refill locations in 400 stores around the globe, The Body Shop and its customers have saved more than 3.7 tons of plastic, equivalent to 17,000 plastic bottles, according to the company. The addition of 400 refill stations in 2022 would save an estimated 25 tons of plastic.
A growing number of retailers, such as Grove Collaborative and Kroger, are working to develop methods to reduce packaging that threatens the environment. In celebration of Earth Month, The Body Shop and Tony’s Chocolonely, a B Corp certified ethical chocolatier, are raising awareness and collecting signatures to support the FOREST Act, which would stop illegal deforestation and combat climate change.
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Tony’s Chocolonely “Choco” cart and truck will be parked outside of the New York City NoHo location of The Body Shop on April 8 and will move to the retailer’s Rockefeller Center store April 15. A limited quantity of The Body Shop’s refillable aluminum bottles and a limited-edition Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar will be distributed to visitors.
