It is the new "green hub" or "green" center of the cosmetics brand Lush in its headquarters located in Poole, southwest England, that it shows a few journalists.

The brand co-founded in 1995 and directed by Mark Constantine claims to be an ecologist from the beginning. But the company refuses to accept organic labels or other certifications in its climate transition plan.

The company sells two-thirds of dry products to limit plastic containers, including bath balls, soap and henna bars.

But Mark Constantine has no qualms about saying that Lush also sells plastic shower gel bottles - recycled - and other packaged products.

"The environment is very important to us, but we are not idiots. I don't think the people who buy from us do it primarily for the environment. First they want a product that works," he sums up.

Plastic containers and moulds awaiting recycling in the Lush Green Hub, on May 10, 2023 in Poole, southwest England © Adrian DENNIS / AFP

The group has no plans to sell shower gels or shampoos in bulk, but customers are encouraged by a small discount to bring back their used jars for recycling.

Red lines

Mark Constantine sets himself a few red lines, like putting pumps in his shower gel bottles: metal springs make them impossible to recycle, he explains, as he walks through a model shop in his innovation center decorated with a wall of colorful bath balls, bars of soap with a cut imitating fruit, and grocery stalls.

The brand, which is not on the radar of environmental NGOs, is praised by the websites Ethical Consumer and Bettergoods.org for its early commitment against animal testing.

Mark Constantine, co-founder and CEO of the Lush brand, in front of bath bombs displayed at the company's headquarters, on May 10, 2023 in Poole, southwest England © Adrian DENNIS / AFP

But it is criticized for the use of so-called "toxic" chemical ingredients, palm oil derivatives and its lack of credible carbon footprint.

The group says it no longer uses crude palm oil and is actively seeking alternatives to eliminate its derivatives.

Ruth Andrade, head of the group's environmental efforts, highlights a "list of climate tasks" to be done before 2030, such as using the supply chain "to make sure there is no deforestation", "replacing fossil fuels with electricity and moving towards renewables" or "making all our materials regenerative and circular".

Andrade says the vast majority of plastic and cardboard used at Lush is already recycled, recyclable or can be returned to a store.

Employees press ingredients into a mold to make bath bombs at the Lush brand headquarters on May 10, 2023 in Poole, southwest England © Adrian DENNIS / AFP

The group also wants to reduce its carbon footprint by promoting the least polluting modes of transport.

Lush, which has 14,500 employees, fiercely defends its independence. The company, founded by six friends, remains owned by just nine shareholders, including an employee trust that owns 10%.

Mark Constantine says he still lives in Poole, where the group is a major local employer in an area that voted to his chagrin.

When he talks about his declining sales in Europe, particularly in France and Germany, he attributes it in part to the exit from the EU, more than to inflation, even if Lush has increased its prices in line with the surge in prices, which reaches 10% in the United Kingdom.

According to him, even if you reduce your expenses, "you can still take a bath".

A block of Lush brand soap at the company's headquarters on May 10, 2023 in Poole, southwest England © Adrian DENNIS / AFP

The group had seen its turnover fall slightly, to 408 million pounds, in 2020/2021, the latest results published, the accounts of the following year being delayed by the integration of the acquisition of a North American affiliated company.

In the rest of the industry, the giant L'Oréal shows an insolent growth, but Estée Lauder has cut in its forecasts and has suffered from the slump in China.

The 70-year-old executive is confident that soaring prices will dry up quickly, just in time for Christmas and the rollout of new multi-storey flagship stores.

© 2023 AFP