ABSTRACT
The body shop is cited in many marketing and strategy texts as an outstanding example of an ethically and environmentally responsible business. This chapter provides background information on The Body Shop, and the controversy sparked by Entine's article. Stuart Rose, former managing director of The Body Shop International, spoke of the need for faster product development and more attention to merchandising and advertising. The Body Shop justifies its use of non-natural ingredients by saying that they are substitutes for ingredients that involve cruelty to animals, or that the costs of transporting natural ingredients are too high. Several implications for green marketeers, which are of a more practical nature, arise from our consideration of The Body Shop case. The chapter considers the broader question of whether product-focused marketing can ever be truly compatible with environmentalism. Product development draws from traditional wisdom, herbal remedies and modern scientific research.
