Lush staff ‘get naked’ to oppose excess packaging

Your lunchtime walk down Walnut Street on Wednesday might have been a bit more titillating than usual.

That’s because employees of Lush Cosmetics were almost entirely naked – stripped down to just their aprons – to demonstrate their opposition to the excess packaging, from plastic wrap to cardboard backing, that so often accompanies cosmetic products.

“There is a lot of needless packaging in bath products, and this is a fun way to bring this important issue to light,” said employee Jenny Gaus, as her fanny flapped in the breeze on Wednesday outside the shop at 15th and Walnut streets.

Her co-workers echoed that theme.

“We are trying to show customers that they do have other options,” said employee Toddy. “Thirty-five percent of our products are totally free of packaging, and the packaging we do have is environmentally friendly.”

“By being naked we are ‘package-free,’ and this draws attention to the waste in our landfills,” said employee Ryan Smith.

Lush describes itself as an “eco-conscious” brand which avoids packaging and uses recycled materials when packaging is required, and some of their containers can be returned to the store and refilled. Plastic packaging is a major pollutant of oceans and accounts for an estimated 300,000 tons of floating litter.

“We tend to go all the way for causes we believe in,” Brandi Halls, Lush’s brand director, said in a statement. “If flashing our bums inspires consumers and the industry to reconsider their packaging practices, then we’d say it’s definitely worth a few blushes.”