The Body Shop Saga by Anita Roddick Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Body Shop Saga by Anita Roddick - Essay Example The first Body Shop, painted an appropriate green, opened in 1976. Roddick's timing was excellent. The first Earth Day had been celebrated in 1970, with the participation even of corporations such as the chemical and petroleum industry giants Monsanto and Texaco. There was growing international consciousness on issues related to the environment and sustainable development. People's desire and determination to "do something" about these problems produced the social movements of the 80s and beyond. Green business proved to be good business It made people feel good that they had not only bought good products but supported causes such as the famous saving the whales movement. The "business with principles" marketing strategy obviously worked. By 1992, the business was valued at 700 million pounds. By 1992 Body Shop shares were being sold at 3.72 pounds at the London stock exchange. At that time they were known as "the shares that defy gravity." (Entine 2002) Who could know that by 2006 t he shop built on corporate social responsibility (CSR) would be sold to L'Oreal, a player in the high-end beauty industry, that is 26% owned by Nestle. Roddick and The Body Shop from the very beginning expressed its stand against animal testing. The most salient points of the 1999 and 2002 report â€Å"revealed a huge ethical gap between BSI's marketing image and its actual practices†¦This deception†¦is pervasive: Roddick stole the Body Shop name and marketing concept, fabricated key demands of the company myth, misrepresented its charitable contributions and fair trade programs and has been beset by employee morale and franchise problems. Moreover, its "natural" products are filled with petrochemical colorings, fragrances, preservatives and base ingredients such as mineral oil and petrolatum.†Ã‚