Lush limited company

In Poole, Dorset in the United Kingdom, Lush Limited Company, a retailer of cosmetics, is based. The aforementioned business, run by Liz Weir and Mark Constantine as CEO, is one of the biggest retailers of cosmetics in the world. Environmental management is a key area of attention for Lush Limited. The business has since expanded its operations to a number of nations, including the USA, Australia, and Canada. Business managers must consider and effectively manage the many effects that the cosmetics sector has on the environment in order to improve public safety and minimize fines from regulatory bodies. The management of Lush Cosmetics Company has established various policies to help conserve the surrounding. One of the primary challenges in the cosmetic industry is stringent regulations from the policies such as the Federal Food Drugs and Act (FDA) and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA). According to Levick, the policies mentioned above observe and ensures that the products in the cosmetic industry are free from contamination and have proper labeling. Companies that inappropriately label their cosmetics face dire consequences of hefty fines or license withdrawal. Apart from the stringent regulations, the firms in the cosmetic industry face the challenge of high insurance premiums (Levick). The insurance premiums are high because of the various risks in the cosmetic industry. For instance, there are multiple situations where the consumers of beauty products develop complications and sue the cosmetic firms thus leading to the need for hefty premiums to cover the risks from clients' complaints and body injuries.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also established policies concerning the production and use of cosmetics such as nail gels. Notably, EPA has listed some of the beauty products that scientists claim to be harmful to the health of humankind. The claims that some of the cosmetics are harmful to the health of humans pose significant challenges to the beauty companies by reducing the number of customers due to fear (Levick). Consequently, the users of cosmetics significantly decline leading to a fall in the revenues that beauty companies generate. The decline in revenues in the cosmetic industry also results from heightened levels of competition from the existing businesses and new entrants. Notably, the cosmetic sector faces significant challenges due to the demands from the shareholders who require better returns on their shares despite the fall in the revenues. Ultimately, government's taxes pose substantial risks to the profitability of the companies in the cosmetic industry.
An examination of the current operations of Lush Cosmetics indicates that contrary to the company's claim that it is environmentally friendly, some of its products are harmful to the humans and other animals. Lodhi argues that Lush Cosmetics uses toxic preservatives such as parabens and perfume in their cosmetics. The preservatives mentioned above produce strong smells that significantly affects the health of humans and other animals. Despite the use of chemicals such as parabens and perfumes, the management of Lush Cosmetics, through the company's website consistently claims that the company's products are natural and environmentally friendly. According to Lodhi, Lush packages their products in cellophane bags, which are attractive and biodegradable thus an indication that the company strives to comply with the environmental management policies.
Lodhi also opines that 33% of the products from Lush Cosmetics comprise of animal products thus an indication that the company significantly contributes to the loss of biodiversity. Furthermore, the production of beauty products through the use of animals is an activity that adversely affects the welfare of the organisms in the surrounding thus leading to the deterioration of the aesthetic values of the environment. According to Lodhi, the use of animal products is a violation of the EU policies that outlaw animal testing during the production of beauty products. Also, Lush Cosmetics does not have sufficient waste management strategies hence the floor of their shops are always full of byproducts thus indicating that the company's waste management is not efficient and needs adjustments. Finally, the emissions from Lush Cosmetics cause migraines and hives among the Etobicoke residents who have threatened to file a lawsuit against the company's nuisance.
Currently, Lush Cosmetics has initiated various strategies to help reduce its impacts on the environment. One of the policies that the company above has initiated is the substitution of planes with trains because the enterprise perceives the former to be an environmental pollutant compared to the latter (Lush Cosmetics). Also, the management of Lush Cosmetics intends to use green energy suppliers and energy saving equipment as a way of protecting the surrounding. Apart from the use of green energy, the managers of Lush Cosmetics have resorted to the collection of the black pots and recycling them to ensure that the clients do not dispose of the containers in a manner that can cause environmental pollution (Lush Cosmetics). Lush Cosmetics has also resolved to empower its staff to engage in corporate social responsibilities by sensitizing the society on the need to conserve the environment through strategies such as tree-planting programs. Finally, Lush Cosmetics seeks to enhance the environmental protection by setting a target for recycling rates and continually working towards the attainment of the plans (Lush Cosmetics).
An analysis of the Lush Cosmetic's environmental management strategies shows that the company's plans have various weaknesses. One of the shortcomings in the programs that Lush Cosmetics intends to apply concerns the collection of black pots for recycling activity. Notably, the recycling strategies will not be sufficient as a majority of the customers will not return the black pots to the company, and will instead dispose the pots. Besides, the process of collecting the black pots will imply an additional expense to the organization. Also, the strategy of setting a limit for the quantity of materials that the company intends to recycle will not be effective because the plans may not comply with the policies of the regulatory authorities. The methods that Lush Cosmetics wants to use in the production processes will not efficiently solve the fears that the clients have concerning the toxicity of the beauty products such as nail gel. Finally, the plan to solely undertake the environmental conservation campaigns will be costly to the firm hence significantly reduce the company's profit margins.
After an extensive analysis of the situations in the cosmetics industry, I would recommend some strategies that Lush Cosmetics executive need to institute to help enhance the company's profitability and efficacy in environmental management. The first plan for effective environmental management is the formation of partnerships with the government and other NGOs in the course of sensitizing the society on the need to conserve the environment. Indeed, a partnership between the firm above and other stakeholders in the plans of environmental protection will be useful in ensuring that the company does not incur substantive expenses in ecological conservation. Also, the administrators of Lush Cosmetics need to introduce incentives to the customers who return the black pots for the recycling purpose. The rewarding of clients who return the black pots will efficiently motivate a majority of the clients and prevent the public from improper disposal. Moreover, the introduction of incentives for the return of the black pots will reduce the company's need to engage in the collection of the containers, which is costly and time-consuming.
Lush Cosmetics also need to engage in environmental conservation by installing air purifiers in their chimneys. The air purifiers will effectively aid in the reduction of the amount of carbon and other gaseous wastes that the company emits into the atmosphere thus limit the carbon taxes that the EPA charges on the firm. Besides, the introduction of air purifiers will be important in the improvement of the relationships between the company and the surrounding communities because the latter will perceive the former as environmentally friendly. It will also be important that the management of Lush Cosmetics introduces litter bins within the company's shops to help enhance the safety of the employees. Indeed, the creation of a healthy work environment will immensely aid in the retention of experienced employees and attraction of workers from other firms in the cosmetic industry. The adoption of the strategies recommended above will ensure that Lush Cosmetics operates efficiently, generate substantial revenues and achieves its goals concerning the conservation of the environment.

Works Cited

Levick, Richard. “Nailed: The Cosmetics Sector is next on the Firing Line.” Forbes, 2015 May 19. Web. Dec, 2 2017. < https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardlevick/2015/05/19/nailed-the-cosmetics-industry-is-next-on-the-firing-line/#7573fed73411>
Lodhi, Arwa. 5 Brands You think are Eco-Friendly but Really Aren’t. Eluxe Magazine, n.d. Web. 2nd Dec. 2017 <https://eluxemagazine.com/magazine/5-brands-you-think-are-eco-but-really-arent/>
Lush Cosmetics. “Environmental Policies: Seeking high standards of environmental awareness whilst providing masses of bathroom-based joy” n.d. Web. 2nd Dec. 2017 <https://uk.lush.com/article/environmental-policies>