28 29 careful walking home. Because we're outside and we're watching you». So, proper threats. But I think in the long term, even people that hate us know that we say what we think, and we follow through. We ride the storm. And, you know, some people accuse us of doing it for the publicity. I mean, they have to be mad, if they really think that it’s an enjoyable place to be in the eye of a storm like that. And what have been, so far, the results of your campaigns against animal testing? There was the huge public victory in the formalization of the European Cosmetics Directive. Now, there’s a total ban on animal testing. And that has changed cosmetics testing around the world, because other markets raced to catch up. We were part of that. We were campaigning all that time, by ourselves, but in no way that victory just belongs to us. That was the public, the buying public demanding for a change, and demanding it of their legislators. Because it's always two-pronged: you need to make sure that companies stop doing these things and, at the same time, to bring legislation. It's the only way to stop the slide. This brings me to a question about another company we hosted in Ossigeno: Tony’s Chocolonely. We talked to them, in our previous issue, about their anti-slavery effort in the chocolate market, and I was curious to know if ethic companies like Lush and Tony’s entertain sort of relationship. We could call it an Avengers League of ethical companies... For example, they pay particular attention to their supply chain, to look after every passage as not to be involved in the, uh, exploitation of people or resources in Africa, or in South America. Very naively, when I first came into business, I thought that ethical companies should have been talking to each other, and share information. And, of course, it doesn't really happen. Even on animal testing, you don't get much swap over of, you know, saying: «Oh, we found a great supplier who doesn't test, you should use them as well!». But certainly, with Tony's we've spoken about supply chain, because we too have worked for years, as have they, trying to make sure that our cocoa butter is traceable, and that it has accountability. We do a lot of direct sourcing. We've even sourced cocoa butter from peace villages in Colombia and, you know, places like that, where we know the people picking and processing the cocoa beans. But cocoa is not the only ingredient. There are many of these ingredients that we have to constantly monitor. Tony's are a great company, and they really do care about supply chain. So, yeah, we've had a lot of fruitful conversations with them. Ultimately, why a company should stand for a value, instead of a product? How can others do what you did, in their market, if you should give them an advice? I just think that sometimes things are bigger than your company. And it's just a case of recognising that. The fight against animal testing is bigger than Lush. And its mission is more important than Lush mission. So we wouldn't want to brand that. I think if you really care about something, you should care about it in its own right. Not everything is about the company. Not everything is about brand building and profit making. Some things supersede that, and if you really care about it, then push all of your experience into really pushing that. Webliography www.statista.com/statistics/892454/lush-cosmetics-limited-revenue-by-country/ www.business-essay.com/lush-cosmetics-company-analysis/ www.alliedmarketresearch.com/cosmetics-market www.statista.com/statistics/892361/turnover-lush-cosmetics-limited-worldwide/
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