SUSSED

Priestlands were able to welcome two lovely ladies from LUSH Poole. Samples of every description were passed round; from oils, to mousses, muds, soaps and gels, products were prodded, squeezed and smelt. Students leant about Lush’s ethical interests. They heard about campaigns teams who have their own campaigning interests, but campaign groups and charities also approach Lush to ask them if they would like to get involved.

Lush looks for those issues bubbling under the surface which campaigning groups are desperate for people to know more about. A brilliant example of this is fox hunting. Lush knew how the British public despised fox hunting and they would be desperately sad to hear that The Hunting Act, which was passed in 2004, hadn’t stopped it happening. Then there’s the Tar Sands issue in Canada; terrible environmental destruction is happening out in the wilderness where nobody can see, but everyone is buying the oil that comes from it. Students learnt that eliminating animal testing is a very personal goal for LUSH who recognise its potential cruelty, know how unnecessary it is, and know how absolutely unreliable the data that it produces is. The ‘no animal testing’ policy clearly met students’ approval. Lush sees a need for funding alternatives to animal testing more than ever in the light of the EU legislation REACH, which still requires certain cosmetics ingredients to be tested on animals. In Lush’s opinion, the science needs to catch up and eliminate the need for animal testing altogether.

There was more! Students heard about Lush’s reuse and recycle policies; of the way in which pots can be brought into stores for a refill, and of the way in which packaging is eliminated. They were interested to hear that plastics are melted down to create ‘new’ black plastic and were even introduced to the phrase ‘circular economy’.

There was also fun to be had. Each student enjoyed making a ‘Big Blue’, a bath bomb of impressive size and colour and with a scent that was quite unforgettable!