Content created in partnership with The Body Shop
Looking forward to Christmas comes with some challenges. With money, sustainability and ethical treatment of people at the top of mind for so many, shoppers this year will be thinking very carefully about where to spend their hard-earned dollars. The Body Shop is one brand that is thoughtfully engaging with people’s concerns this festive season, and through careful research and existing relationships with its Community Fair Trade partners, The Body Shop has curated a Christmas range centred around a more conscious approach to gift-giving.
There’s a kind of three-dimensional stress happening around Christmas shopping this year, as many consumers size up potential gifts and ponder: how and where was this made, how will I pay for it, and where it will eventually end up.
The cost-of-living crisis and increasing awareness of the impacts of climate change have become unavoidable and are having a tangible impact on the way we spend our cash and who we want to spend it with. As we try to be more conscious in our consumption habits, many Kiwis are going to be looking for ways to make Christmas more meaningful this year, in a way that won’t break the bank or the planet.
These widely felt issues are why The Body Shop launched the Conscious Christmas report, a research report and ‘handbook’ designed to help guide us through Christmas more, well, consciously. The report gives advice on topics like reducing environmental impact, finding gifts that give back and even tips on how to use your holiday time off to benefit the world.
When discussing the findings of the Conscious Christmas Report, APAC brand and activism director at The Body Shop, Shannon Chrisp makes the point that these challenges are nothing new. “In the Pacific, we are acutely aware of the negative impacts of climate change, and we’re among some of the most conscious consumers in the world.” The research backs this up, with surveys done in the report indicating that 84% of Kiwis already think about the impact of their festive purchases.
Rather than calling off Christmas though, there are ways that it can become a celebration that’s kinder and more gentle on the planet, if we can just adjust the way we do it.
Chrisp explains, “The silly season is synonymous with excess. We want to ask people to think about what impact their Christmas shopping really has. It’s not about being the Christmas grinch, it is about accessible, doable changes and offering alternatives that have a positive impact on people and the planet.”
In order to make these changes, it’s important to educate yourself as a consumer. “Do you know where your gift was made, and by whom? Is the brand you’re choosing using their platform all year round to make a positive impact on the world?”
It can be difficult to be an ethical consumer when source labelling and supply chains can be notoriously tricky to understand, leaving consumers feeling baffled or as if something is being hidden from them. Every single gift in The Body Shop’s Christmas gifting range has an authentic connection back to a Community Fair Trade partner. These connections support communities across the globe to drive positive impact and to help communities work towards financial independence.
From the shea butter in The Body Shop’s iconic body butters – which comes from the Tungteiya Women’s Association in Ghana, providing financial support to over 600 women – down to the Christmas packaging – sustainably sourced from Get Paper Industry who fight human trafficking in their native Nepal – The Body Shop Christmas range is the real deal in terms of ethical gifting.
This year, 100% of The Body Shop’s Christmas gift range is enriched with ingredients and/or packaging from its Community Fair Trade partners. This means that when you purchase a product from The Body Shop’s Christmas gift range, you are tapping into 30 years of experience leading the way in ethical trade and conscious consumption, and the plethora of relationships with Fair Trade suppliers around the world that have been formed during this time.
These relationships range from the coconut oil collected in Samoa by Women in Business Development Inc, to the aloe vera harvested by Mexican indigenous female farmers. The income provided by trade to groups like these make huge inroads into financial independence for these communities.
There are still reasons to be merry this Christmas, as we gather with friends and family from near and far, without any restrictions in place. And there’s no denying showing gratitude through gifts is still an immensely pleasurable way of showing love. Buying a Christmas gift from The Body Shop aids in wishing a fairer future for all, as each time you buy a gift you’re supporting skillful artisans and communities across the globe.
Make a positive change this festive season by shopping consciously with The Body Shop.
