Lush to close American stores for Global Climate Strike

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 17, 2019

UK beauty retailer Lush will be joining several other big names on Friday as it closes its North American stores to support the planned Global Climate Strike.

The company, which has always taken a campaigning stance and makes minimal use of packaging for its products, will keep the doors of its 250 US stores firmly shut on September 20 while those in Canada will close for the whole of September 27. The UN’s Climate Action Summit takes place between those two dates on September 23 and the strike called for by teen activist Greta Thunberg is intended to get consumers to demand climate justice and an end to fossil fuel use.

She’s called for a week-long strike, although most businesses joining in will shut down for just a day.

Lush will also close its American HQ, manufacturing facilities and e-tail site to coincide with its store closures. And its 5,000 staff are being encouraged to use the unexpected day off to protest.

“As a business with deep roots in environmental activism, giving our thousands of staff the time to get out there and demand bold action is a no-brainer,” said Mark Wolverton, North America CEO. “We all share this planet, so we need to band together to sound the alarm and show our politicians that 'business as usual' is no longer an option. Climate crisis won't wait, and neither will we.”

Other businesses taking action will include Patagonia, Allbirds, Eileen Fisher, Mountain Sports, Opening Ceremony, and WS Badger Company, among hundreds who have promised to get involved. 

Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario also said that world is “speeding toward the biggest economic catastrophe in history. The plain truth is that capitalism needs to evolve if humanity is going to survive.”

It has also been reported more than 1,000 Amazon HQ staff in the US are set to walk out, although the e-tail giant hasn’t commented.