ANITA RODDICK

Anita Roddick



Anita Roddick

Introduction

Anita Perella Roddick was the founder, in 1976, from The Body Shop, a cosmetics company dedicated to manufacturing and distributing beauty products. It is well known for his activism in ecology.

The great British entrepreneur Anita Roddick, founder of the internationally acclaimed Body Shop chain of stores, once said: "I want to define success by redefining it. For me it isn't that solely mythical definition - glamour, allure, power of wealth, and the privilege from care. Any definition of success should be personal because it's so transitory. It's about shaping my own destiny."

She was known worldwide for its business model, which introduced variables of sustainability and non-aggression to the environment. Her cosmetics and avoid the experiments with animals, were made from natural products. She was a member of Demos, an international advisory board on issues of environment, and Amnesty International. In addition, in 1990 founded Children on the Edge, an organization helping children unprotected in Eastern Europe and Asia.

Since 1993 supported the Ogoni of Nigeria, who claimed against the oil company Shell, which was devastating their territories. When, in 1995, the spokesman of the Ogoni, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight colleagues were executed by Nigeria's government continued the Ogoni campaign and 19 prisoners were released. In 1997, after four years of unrelenting pressure, Shell issued new revised rules for operating on respect for human rights and sustainable development. In September 2001 joined forces with Body Shop Greenpeace and other organizations in an international boycott campaign against Exxon-Mobil for its role in Global Warming.

Discussion

Born into a family of migrant Italians, Roddick studied to become a teacher. In 1970 she got married to the Scottish Gordon Roddick. In 1976, she decided to open her first store The Body Shop to support her family while her husband was away traveling Latin America. She founded The Body Shop, a chain of cosmetics that are environmental friendly and not use animal testing.

The Body Shop has been there for decades due to Anita Roddick's passionate belief that natural products, handmade with locally grown, harvested native grasses, wildlife and plants not only gives consumers a better implementation of bath products, but also benefits the environment. Her company benefited and certainly the environment has benefited as well because the elements are harvested natural replenishment.

Roddick opened a second store before her husband returned from his travelling after ten months, due to a strong ...