The Body Shop Singapore Opens Sustainability-Focused ‘Activist Workshop’ Store

The Body Shop Singapore has just transformed one of its new retail stores at the Ion Orchard shopping centre into an “activist workshop”. At the store, customers can explore cruelty-free and sustainable products while also participating in recycling old items and use repurposed materials to create upcycled wrapping paper for gifts. It marks the brand’s first such concept for Singapore. 

British skincare and beauty brand The Body Shop has opened the doors to its first sustainability-focused store in Singapore. Situated in the city-state’s Ion Orchard shopping centre, the retail store has been turned into an interactive “activist workshop” where customers are encouraged to recycle, upcycle and explore eco-friendly products and habits. 

The storefront itself features multiple sustainable fittings and fixtures made out of reclaimed wood and recycled plastics, as well as a low-carbon zinc façade cladding and worktop surfaces that have been crafted from repurposed materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. 

At the store, customers are able to traverse through various stations, from the “gifting station” where gifts can be personalised with stamps, ribbons and used or recyclable paper, to the “activism corner” where information about how to get involved in social projects. This year, the company has partnered with charity Daughters Of Tomorrow (DOT), donating a portion of proceeds to empower underprivileged women beneficiaries with job opportunities.

“Now, more than ever, the world needs strong, confident bodies,” said the company in a press release. 

Other features include a “scrub up your body” section, where in-store staff can offer customers body care, skincare and haircare customised to each individual’s needs, as well as a water station for people to refill their reusable water bottles to encourage the elimination of single-use plastics. Finally, visitors can drop off their empty product packaging, such as bottles, tubs, pots and tubes for recycling at the store’s “Return.Recycle.Repeat” bin. 

According to The Body Shop, the new sustainability-focused is the brand’s in Singapore, and is only the fifth country where the company has opened such a concept store. The idea was first launched in its domestic market in the U.K. last year. 

Eco-friendly skincare and beauty products have been trending in recent years, as consumers become increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their purchasing decisions. Market research has shown that shoppers are not only more willing to spend on brands that “take a stand” for social issues, but are also actively looking for sustainable goods across every product category.

Other beauty brands have too been opening sustainability-focused concept store as a response to consumer demand, with brand rival Lush debuting a “Naked” store in Hong Kong last year, their first in Asia. Located in the busy Causeway Bay shopping district, the new store offers customers the brand’s iconic range of shampoo bars, bath bombs, skincare and makeup products completely packaging-free. 

All images courtesy of The Body Shop Singapore.