Going beyond beauty, The Body Shop has been leading the charge by championing sustainability and social causes for decades. Through thoughtfully curated campaigns and purpose-driven collections, the brand has become a torchbearer for positive change. In this exclusive interview, Harmeet Singh, VP, Marketing, Product, & Digital, The Body Shop Asia South, delves into the brand’s core principles and its distinctive social voice. She offers insights into The Body Shop’s philosophy at the intersection of beauty and purpose, and her own unique journey with the brand over the years.

As a member of The Body Shop, how has your experience been with the brand? Tell us about some of the milestones in your journey.

Harmeet Singh: My experience with the brand has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. I joined The Body Shop India back in 2006 as the second employee of the company. Over the years, I have had the privilege of witnessing several significant milestones that have contributed to the success and growth of The Body Shop in India.

The most notable milestone in my journey with The Body Shop is their continuous commitment to the core principles of the founder, Dame Anita Roddick. Through our many campaigns and initiatives that reflect what The Body Shop stands for, we have been able to amplify our message of sustainability, inclusivity, and empowerment.

I am proud to be a part of a brand that continues to push boundaries, challenge norms, and inspire change in the beauty industry. Together with our dedicated team and loyal customers, I look forward to achieving even greater milestones in the future.

The Body Shop is known for its strong commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. How do you personally connect with the brand’s values and mission?

Harmeet Singh: The need to create a positive impact and social and environmental justice for a fairer, cleaner world is something that is deep-rooted in The Body Shop’s core values. The brand’s dedication to cruelty-free and vegan products aligns with my own values of compassion and respect for all living beings. It’s heartening to work for a company that stands against animal testing and actively promotes alternatives in the beauty industry on a more sustainable route.

Furthermore, The Body Shop’s emphasis on fair trade and empowering local communities through its bespoke Community Fair Trade program is something I find incredibly admirable. From handcrafted Shea Butter in Ghana to Mango Seed oil sourced sustainably from Manorama industries in Chhattisgarh, The Body Shop goes the extra mile with the help of its Community Fair Trade Partners to ensure inclusivity and empowerment of marginalized communities by providing them opportunities and fair compensation for their work. It’s inspiring to be part of a company that strives to create positive change at both a global and local level.

The brand has spearheaded various social and environmental campaigns over the years. Can you tell us about one such campaign that did particularly well in the Indian context?

Harmeet Singh: The Body Shop’s unwavering commitment to ensuring sustainable practices alongside social justice has allowed us to launch several initiatives and campaigns. One that has been a hit in India has been through our Community Fair Trade Partner ‘Plastics for Change’, whom we collaborated with in 2019.

Plastic is a huge problem worldwide, and plastic pollution is now a global crisis affecting the environment adversely. In India, almost a third of the plastic waste remains uncollected, which has given rise to ‘waste pickers’. To repurpose and reuse the plastic waste generated, we buy recycled plastic from waste pickers in Bengaluru to use in the packaging for our products. Additionally, the bottles that we collect go to Hasiru Dala in Mumbai. Through this, we have already recycled around 55,000+ plastic bottles. Our current goal of doing one million bottles by 2024 is underway and we are close to achieving the same.

Our trade with ‘Plastics for Change’ provides a fair price for plastic in a notoriously exploitative industry, giving vital stability to marginalised waste pickers. This social and environmental initiative reflects our core ideologies of fighting to make the world a better place.

Your recent festive campaign, #SparkAChange, explores the theme of ethical gifting. What was the inspiration behind this campaign, and how has the response been so far?

Harmeet Singh: #SparkAChange focuses on beautiful, handcrafted pouches made by a community of women at our long-standing Community Fair Trade partner, Teddy Exports. This association began in 1987 and has deepened over the years. Teddy Exports is a Fair Trade Company that employs over 550 people from rural areas across Tirumangalam. Some of the most noteworthy contributions of the organisation (through its Trust) include setting up four schools with a student population of approximately 650, a vocational training centre for persons with disabilities, and providing female workers with free child care and on-site creche facilities.

The campaign was done to celebrate the partnership and inspire customers to choose gifts that can bring about positive change in the world during the festive season. With this campaign, when customers purchase vegan, sustainable gifts from us, they are putting a smile on the faces of the community of women crafting the gift pouches alongside contributing to the sustainable cycle. We have received a phenomenal response to the campaign, as The Body Shop’s customers stand with us in support of sustainability and social justice.

Tell us about your latest fragrance collection, Full Flowers. What makes it unique?

Harmeet Singh: Our latest fragrance collection, Full Flowers, is truly a sensory journey. We have put our heart into this premium range of Eaux de Parfum to pay homage to nature’s beauty in its entirety—not just the petals but also the leaves and fragrant stems.

What sets the Full Flowers collection apart is our unwavering commitment to authenticity and sustainability. In accordance with this pledge, we have ensured the following;

● All Fragrances in this collection are certified by The Vegan Society.

● The ingredients are ethically sourced, and we strictly abide by fair trade policies, thereby ensuring that local communities are empowered and those that have thus far been marginalised can enter the mainstream.

● We use recycled glass bottles and caps crafted from biodegradable materials such as wood and cork for packaging.

The Body Shop also launched a Youth Collective Council earlier this year. What is the level of involvement the young activists on your panel have had in your recent campaigns, and how have their contributions shaped your new approaches?

Harmeet Singh: Our Youth Collective Council comprises members under 30 who have made remarkable strides in their respective fields, driving change in our communities. The following are the members of our council:

● Ankita Mehra, a fervent advocate for the LGBTQA+ community, embodies inclusivity and equal rights for individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

● Rishabh Sinha’s environmental activism shines as he leads the battle against plastic use and marine pollution, collecting over 200 metric tons of marine waste from various cities.

● Aakash Ranison, a responsible traveller and climate activist, has contributed significantly to the dialogue on sustainability and climate change.

● Sudhanshu Kaushik, the Founder of the Young India Foundation, actively promotes youth voter turnout, youth rights, policy advocacy, and youth representation.

These young activists have played a pivotal role in shaping our recent campaigns and approaches. Their invaluable insights have enriched our strategies, particularly in the areas of gender sensitivity, waste management, climate action, and youth development. They offer a multifaceted perspective that guides our commitment to a more sustainable and all-encompassing future.

What’s next for The Body Shop in the Indian beauty landscape? Tell us about your upcoming projects.

Harmeet Singh: Our journey in the Indian beauty landscape is nothing short of a heartfelt adventure, and this season, we’re thrilled to unveil our annual limited edition Christmas Collection. It comprises two ranges: Cherries & Cheer and Pears & Share, both vegan-certified and packaged in recyclable materials.

What makes these collections and our gifting range even more beautiful is that they echo our commitment to sustainability. Our limited-edition collection is much-awaited by our customers, and we will soon be launching our annual Christmas Limited Edition goodies this year. Most items in these limited-edition sets are enriched with ingredients sourced through our Community Fair Trade (CFT) program. Therefore, when you choose these products, you’re not just pampering yourself; you are becoming a part of something bigger. You contribute to meaningful change, from empowering an entire community of women who handcraft sustainable gift pouches to providing financial stability to waste collectors in India.