Press Release – The Body Shop

Ethical beauty retailer The Body Shop has expanded its unique Community Trade programme to include, for the first time, coconut growers from the Pacific Islands of Samoa. A Samoan co-operative is now supplying The Body Shop International with organic, …

Celebrate The World

“The Body Shop Re-Launches Its Coconut Bath And Body Range To Include Community Trade Coconut Oil From Samoa”

Ethical beauty retailer The Body Shop has expanded its unique Community Trade programme to include, for the first time, coconut growers from the Pacific Islands of Samoa. A Samoan co-operative is now supplying The Body Shop International with organic, cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil for use in its new and improved Coconut Bath & Body range.

Photo opportunity; Samoa Dancers will be performing outside The Body Shop;

Monday June 15; The Body Shop Lambton Quay, Wellington noon-1:30pm

Wednesday June 17; The Body Shop Lambton Quay, Wellington noon-1:30pm

Thursday June 18; The Body Shop Botany Downs, Auckland 11am-1pm

The Body Shop Sylvia Park, Auckland 5pm-7pm

Friday June 19; The Body Shop Lambton Quay, Wellington noon-2pm

The Body Shop Newmarket, Auckland 11am-1pm

The Body Shop QueenStreet, Auckland 2pm-4pm

Although Samoa appears to be the quintessential tropical paradise, the poverty it experiences has been likened to that of sub-Saharan Africa*. While lush and bountiful, it is so remote that exporting goods is expensive and Samoans can miss out on trading opportunities for their own locally grown crops. The new Community Trade relationship with The Body Shop gives the coconut producers rare access to a stable global market for their organically certified coconut oil.

The coconut industry has been a major earner for families in the Pacific since the 1800s. However, in recent years most of the benefits of coconut production have been reaped by big businesses, making it unviable for family producers – until now. Today, around 200 people in Samoa grow, harvest and extract the pure, organically certified coconut oil used by The Body Shop. This win-win arrangement allows The Body Shop to source quality Coconut Oil while helping suppliers earn a fair wage in fair conditions, providing them the means to build better futures for themselves and their communities.

The oil is sourced through a group called Women in Business Development Inc in Samoa.

Adi Maimaloga Tafuna’ from Women in Business Development Inc says:

“Just being noticed by The Body Shop was beyond our wildest dreams. The beauty of organics and fair trade is that value is added at the farm gate, giving the farmer maximum benefits. I would like to thank The Body Shop for building their business by empowering vulnerable people around the world, and contributing to alleviating and eradicating poverty in such a sustainable way. Our project is beginning to bear fruit, as it now makes an impact on the rural Samoan economy.”

The re-developed Coconut Bath and Body range includes eight different products and as of today, is available for purchase through The Body Shop NZ.

ENDS

Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
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