The Body Shop, which debuted refill stations across the U.S. last year, is bringing its 'refill revolution' to more stores across Canada through new in-store stations and product offerings.

New Refillable Offerings

In February, The Body Shop, which is owned by Natura & Co., expanded its refillable offerings beyond hair care, shower gels and hand soaps to include a new makeup product, the Peptalk Lipstick, which comes in a refillable case made from 100 percent recycled aluminum (sold separately). This collection is enriched with Community Fair Trade Shea Butter and available in 20 shades, including nudes, reds, pinks and purples.

Sustainable Concept Stores

Additionally, throughout 2023, The Body Shop is opening seven Changemakers' Workshop concept stores throughout Canada to empower customers to spark change, including doing their part to reduce plastic waste by participating in the brand's refill program.
 
These stores are designed with sustainability and the local communities they serve in mind, and are thus adorned with upcycled and reclaimed materials, installations from local artists and information about local causes for customers to support.

Refill Program

Refill is a prominent aspect of the Changemakers' Workshop stores, and the program has proven to be even more popular at these concept locations.
 
In 2021, the beauty retailer announced globally a five-year plan to roll out refill stations in the majority of its stores and set targets to save 25 tons of plastic per year through the program. Refill stations are now available in 800 stores around the world, 91 of which are in Canada accounting for 88% of the Canadian estate.
 
"We want our customers to understand first and foremost that they can be changemakers—and that even small individual acts, like refilling your shampoo or shower gel in a reusable container, can have a big impact on our planet," said Hilary Lloyd, VP of marketing and corporate social responsibility for The Body Shop North America. "The climate crisis is the greatest risk facing our future, which is why we call on beauty lovers everywhere to use their purchasing power to embrace a circular economy."
 
The Body Shop's refill program allows every individual to help drive change, because every bottle counts. In 2022 alone, the brand's global refill program prevented more than half a million plastic bottles from entering the environment. In Canada, The Body Shop has diverted two tons of plastic, the equivalent of 90,000 bottles, from being wasted.
 
Since refill stations launched in Canada less than two years ago, 40 percent of The Body Shop's customers now choose refill over the same product available in our standard packaging.
 
"We are happy to see customers embrace The Body Shop's hard-working, natural ingredients and ambitious sustainability agenda," Lloyd said.

Partnership with Plastics for Change

The beauty retailer also is addressing recycling with its Community Fair Trade Recycle Plastics partner, Plastics for Change.

The Body Shop works with waste pickers in Bengaluru, India to remove plastics from entering the world's largest waterways while providing livable wages and better working conditions in an informal sector that is often volatile and discriminatory. Since The Body Shop began its partnership in 2019, Plastics for Change has collected 4,409,245 pounds of plastic waste which equates to 100 million plastic bottles.