Lush launches first package-free shop in the UK

Here at IMAGE, we’re committed to doing what we can to help the planet. Be it from reducing our daily plastic waste or actively practising sustainability in other areas of our lives. Every little bit helps when it comes to the environment and it’s essential that fashion and beauty brands take this on board as well.

Related: Go Green in 2019: Eight ways to break up with plastic

And, being fair, many have started to change their packaging practices for the better with brands and customers alike taking a harder line on the amount of unnecessary waste created through packaging.

On that note, this week, Lush is opening its first “naked,” package-free shop in the UK, in Manchester, following the success of similar ventures in Milan and Berlin. Currently, their naked products make up almost 50 per cent of Lush’s core range so they are going all out (literally).

 

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Exclusive product alert!? This Friday, a limited number of #LushHarajuku bath bombs will be available at @lushmanchester – the UK ‘s first naked shop. The store will be packed full of packaging-free innovations, from the classics, such as solid shampoo bars and soaps, to new naked skincare ? #LushNaked #BathBomb

A post shared by LUSH UK (@lush) on Jan 16, 2019 at 10:24am PST

According to reports, the store will combine the brand’s well-loved solid shampoo bars, bath bombs and bath melts with “new innovations in plastic-free skincare” from things like solid oils and bar cleansers – as well as naked “bottles” of shower gel. So your skin will smell and feel gorgeous and you’ll be doing so much for the environment too.

Related: Fingal County Council rolls out drinking fountains to reduce plastic pollution

“In Lush, we work in an industry where the packaging costs the customer more than the product. Now, the customer needs to worry about how to recycle something they didn’t want to buy in the first place. This seems like a raw deal to us. If we can cut out all the plastic packaging, we can give our customers better value for money,” said Mark Constantine OBE, Lush’s co-founder and managing director.

 

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A post shared by LushDublin (@lushdublin) on Dec 18, 2018 at 6:32am PST

Since it opened 24 years ago, Lush has been a key figure in the fight against animal testing, and a pioneer in the development of recyclable and reusable packaging. And they’ve consistently been doing their bit to help the planet; in 2018, its customers reportedly saved 1.8 million bottles of plastic bath products by choosing its packaging-free alternatives instead.

Let’s hope the Irish stores soon opt for the same packaging-free idea for all their products.