When Animal Rights Activists Attack
For the most ardent and dedicated animal rights activists, yesterday's news that The Body Shop was agreeing to be bought out by the French cosmetic giant, L'Oreal must seem like the deepest of betrayals. Their swift reaction is, then, not entirely surprising:
Animal welfare activists have called for a boycott of the Body Shop after its founder Anita Roddick and fellow shareholders sold out to French cosmetics giant L'Oreal for £652m. The boycott was called by Naturewatch and backed by Uncaged. The animal welfare groups oppose L'Oreal's policy on the testing of cosmetics ingredients on animals.
Even though co-founder Anita Roddick stepped from management of the company some years ago, the Body Shop was still viewed by many as a beacon of social responsibility, a positively and proactively moral company in an industry reviled for business practices that abused both animals and its customers self-image. No longer, it seems.
Body Shop made its name championing ethical consumerism and opposing animal testing and went on to make a fortune of £130m for Mrs Roddick and her husband Gordon.
The chain insists that these policies will remain after the sale to L'Oreal. Bill Eyres, Body Shop spokesman, said: "It has been agreed that all our values are ring-fenced and we will continue to apply our animal testing policy."
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection said it would question the Body Shop about how it could retain its cruelty-free status under L'Oreal ownership. "We are urging everyone to boycott the Body Shop," said John Ruane, director of Naturewatch. "If you spend your money at the Body Shop, it could now go to animal testing."
Mr Ruane said the chain's policy of not using an ingredient tested on animals after 1990 meant it had been on the Naturewatch list of approved retailers for the past three years. "They will come off it now because of their ownership by L'Oreal," he said. "They have been testing on animals for years and continue to do so.
Naturewatch's list of approved high street cosmetic suppliers include Clarins, the Co-operative, Kwik Save, Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Next.
Thus we see two aspects of the protest against The Body Shop. One is that the products be boycotted. The other is that company's name will be removed from a list of approved retailers. Interestingly, that list is much larger than it 30 years ago when The Body Shop was founded or even 20 years ago when it peaked in popularity. That the ethical cosmetics industry has grown and prospered is, if nothing else, testament to the lasting contribution of Roddick's pioneering spirit. That the "Stop Animal Testing" movement grew with her support is to her lasting credit.
But that is also what will make the charges against The Body Shop so very hard for Anita Roddick to talk away from. She and the firm have always had their detractors. There were people who all along rejected and though cynically of her linking of non-market issues to her products and brand image. Expect criticism from that quarter to be vocal and severe.
The problem now for TBS is that some of its best and oldest friends have turned against it. That criticism is so strong and quickly forthcoming from interest groups she helped create is potentially devasting for The Body Shop. That animal rights activists are attacking the firm that once so strongly supported them is nothing short of a public relations disaster. The irony of animal rights activists biting the hand that once fed them (and well) will not be lost on many.
If Anita Roddick can talk her way out of this dilemma, I'll be even more impressed with her management and leadership skills than I was already. One thing I can say for sure: making animal rights activists happy on this issue will require more than the vague statement she made so far:
Asked if the Body Shop can continue to be an ethical, campaigning business under L'Oreal ownership, Mrs Roddick said: "There's only one area we challenge [in relation to L'Oreal's policies], and they have a great statement about what they're doing on the issue of animal testing, or what they're trying to do ... I'm too old, I'm too smart, to give it away for it to be destroyed".
Imagine for one second how Anita herself would have responded to such a statement had it been made by L'Oreal 30 years ago and you'll know why her heirs won't find it acceptable.
Update: See Jared's post on Metroblogging London for a sense of the betrayal that some people feel about the sale. Interestingly it is entitled, "The Wrong Shade of Green." keep in mind as you read it that Jared is not even an animal rights activist!
Wow. Anita Roddick just flogged the Body Shop to L'Oreal. This is a serious bastardisation of my 1980's childhood (as opposed to a more tributary action, say, a live action remake of the Simpson). I remember hearing her speak on several occasions about the values of the Body Shop and everything for which it stood. It's long been upheld as the poster child of fair trade/green/lovey values/etc. success. And now?
Update 2: See also Dr. David Bruce Allen's analysis of the sale of The Body Shop, especially his account of a talk Anita gave at the Instituto de Impresa a few years back where she expressed regrets about taking the company public.
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