The Body Shop recently wrapped up a campaign against animal testing by delivering a petition with one million signatures to MP Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party, on Feb. 4.
The petition calls on the Canadian government to ban animal testing for cosmetic purposes. The global campaign, developed in partnership with Cruelty Free International, asked customers in The Body Shop stores across 65 countries to sign the pledge. In Canada, 67,000 signatures were collected.
“The Body Shop has been campaigning with Cruelty Free International for 20 years on the issue of animal testing and the highlight was that last year, animal testing [for cosmetics] was completely banned in the European Union,” said Laura Cummins, vice-president of brand at The Body Shop Canada.
The latest part of the campaign began in 2012 and signatures were collected in stores and online over the course of a few months. “We used our stores and the thousand people who work in The Body Shop across Canada to talk about issues and be the voice of the campaign,” said Cummins.
Last year, The Body Shop joined forces with British singer Leona Lewis to serve as a brand activist and launch her own limited-edition makeup and fragrance collection. In Canada, The Body Shop generated awareness about the petition with a You Tube video that interviewed people in Toronto’s High Park and urged people to sign the pledge.
The petition is now in May’s hands and The Body Shop hopes the MP will raise the issue with the Canadian government. “It was a real achievement,” said Cummins, of her meeting with May. “It was an historic moment. I think it’s the first time in a long time that the issue has even been taken to Parliament and we’re very proud to be a part of that.”
