The Body Shop has opened the doors to their newest flagship location at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Unlike traditional stores, this new space is one of six nationwide Changemaker’s Workshops that the brand has been implementing over the past couple of years. The workshops are designed to give customers an immersive, sensory product experience and empower shoppers to channel their inner activist—inviting them to participate in social and environmental causes that are important to them and their community.

Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop has become a global beauty brand and is certified B Corp. Through innovative brand initiatives and high-quality products that are made ethically and sustainably, the brand is constantly using their voice for positive change.

“Our new Workshop locations are proving to be something very special,” said Hilary Lloyd, VP of Brand & Corporate Social Responsibility, The Body Shop North America.

“If activism is the soul of our brand, our retail locations are the heart. This is why we put so much effort into our Chagemaker’s Workshop stores. Our goal was to create a physical space that people truly want to be a part of. Whether learning about our incredible products and testing them through our sink experiences, or engaging in Changemaking through our Act station, a space dedicated to petition signing and advocacy, the Workshop retail experience is different, and people are noticing.”

The opening of this new location coincided with another special moment for the brand—and Canada—as the federal government announced their commitment to prohibit cosmetic animal testing in the country. Being eco-conscious and sustainable has always been one of the main pillars of the brand. The majority of products sold at The Body Shop are made with recycled plastic, biodegradable materials and sustainably-sourced ingredients.

“It’s very ingrained in our purpose—we want a more beautiful world, and a more beautiful world by definition a world is where people, animals and all living things can work together,” says Lionel Thoreau, the Global Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of The Body Shop.

“We’ve started using Community Trade recycled plastic from India. It’s sustainable, but we are doing it through the lens of people. We want there to always  have a social dimension because sustainability can only work with people and you cannot exclude humanity from the process.”

Speaking of people, one key feature for each  Changemaker’s Workshop store is to reflect the local communities, each store features unique work, designed by a local artist. At the Yorkdale location, a custom quilt was designed by multidisciplinary Toronto-based artist, Laura Moore. The piece was inspired by the brand’s 40+ years of activism work in Canada, made with materials sourced from The Body Shop’s Canadian archive. With the textiles stitched together to shape a map of Toronto, the quilt represents the power of community.

“We have high quality products, but we care about the values [of the company,]” says Thoreau. “It’s offering high quality products, but in a very ethical way, that resonates with people and values, which is magical.”

This is The Body Shop’s sixth Changemaker’s Workshop location in Canada. Other locations are in Vancouver, Oshawa, Calgary, Burnaby and Edmonton.

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