THE BODY SHOP FILE: Beyond "Shattered Image"

In September 1994, Jon's article in Business Ethics on The Body Shop cosmetic company, "Shattered Image: Is The Body Shop Too Good to Be True?" forever shattered the 'socially responsible' business myth. The article, which was honored with a National Press Club Award, carefully documented the exploitative business practices and hypocritical marketing of many firms that promote themselves as progressive and "green." This article became an instant classic in business ethics studies. It is copyrighted by Jon and is not available for electronic viewing. However, if you are interested in reading it and can't find it in your library, you can contact Jon directly via e-mail.

The Body Shop saga, as it came to be known, is one of the most intriguing case studies in modern business. Jon has since written numerous articles on this brouhaha, some of which are below. Those articles are followed by some commentaries, case studies, and analyses of The Body Shop and "green business" by others.

Researchers might be particularly interested in the "Social and Environmental Audit of The Body Shop," which I produced first in 1996, as background research on the company. At the time, Body Shop had hired the Hill & Knowlton public relations firm (which launched the tobacco lobby) and the notorious corporate British law firm Lovell White Durrant. I had only the facts on my side.

Note that this analysis was prepared without the cooperation of Body Shop. In fact, BSI has engaged in numerous covert and overt attempts to block such research and discourage its dissemination. Considering these limitations, and to the best of the author's understanding, this review of Body Shop's character and operations is factually accurate and in context.

"A Social and Environmental Audit of The Body Shop: Anita Roddick and the Question of Character" Jon Entine © 1996, 2003
(Note: This Body Shop Social Audit is public record and can be quoted or utilized in research without clearance from me.)

Body Flop: The Inside Story of the Hypocrisy of Anita Roddick and The Body Shop Jon's never-before published exposé on the ethical shenanigans of Anita Roddick and The Body Shop is now available in a new book, Killed: Great Journalism Too Hot to Print (Nation Books, 2004). Read reviews in Salon, MediaBistro, Las Vegas Weekly, and the Vancouver Sun. Read Jon's explosive "social and environmental integrity audit" of Roddick and The Body Shop

Jon's Articles

The Myth of the Green Queen
National Post (Canada), September 21, 2007

Anita Roddick's 'Unfair Trade' Started When She Copied Body Shop Formula,
Mail on Sunday, September 16, 2007

Body Shop Ethical, Financial Woes Spread to Australia
Australian Financial Review, December 18, 2002

Body Flop: Anita Roddick proclaimed that business could be caring as well as capitalist. Today The Body Shop is struggling on both counts. R.O.B. - Toronto Globe and Mail's Report on Business Magazine, May 31, 2002

High St Chain's Idealism Masks a Harsh Reality
Mail on Sunday, August 2001

The Queen of Bubble Bath
BRAZZIL magazine, December 1996

Green Lies and the "Socially Responsible Business" Movement
British Columbia Environmental Network, 1996

Caring Capitalism?
Sunday Times (UK), December 1995

Exploiting Idealism: How The Body Shop Betrayed its Customers
Utne Reader, January/February 1995

Commentaries on The Body Shop and Jon's Reporting

Anita Roddick's Body Shop: An Empire Built on a Ruse?
National Public Radio: Scott Simon's Commentary on Jon's Investigations of Green Companies, September 15, 2007

Anita Roddick: Life after The Body Shop
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, April 13, 2006

Grass Is Green for Amazon Farmers Tony Smith (quoting Jon)
New York Times, October 8, 2003

Unforgettable: Anita Roddick Went Against the Grain
Global Cosmetic Industry, September 1, 2002.

The Body Shop: The Ethics of the Diesel-Driven "Queen of Green"
Marty Venalainen, March 2002

The Disenfranchised, Carlye Adler
Fortune, September 6, 2001

Trade and Environment Database (TED) Body Shop Case Study November 17, 2000

Preventing Ethical Failures in Socially Responsible Businesses
Review of Business, Fall 1978

Le Body Shop Blues
Jeremy Josephs, 1999

London Greenpeace Analyzes The Body Shop
March 1998

Response to Body Shop's Statement about the London Greenpeace Campaign

The Truth about The Body Shop: A Case Study Compass
Spring 1997

Can green consumerism stop the ecological crisis? 1997

Can the Body Shop Shape Up?
Fortune, April 1996

Greenpeace Germany on Body Shop's Ethics (German)
Greenpeace Magazine, March 1996

Broken Promises: Former Brazilian Advisor to Body Shop
Brazzil Magazine, December 1996

Animal People News, 1996
Criticizes The Body Shop
Interview with Founder Merritt Clifton on Body Shop

Socially Responsible Business Brawl:
Business Ethics' Magazine Criticizes Cosmetic Maker Body Shop
Progressive, March 1995

Green Cosmetics: The Definition Undergoes Broadening but Consumer Interest Remains High
Drug & Cosmetic Industry, February 1995

Body Shop International Takes Heat With Ethics Charges
National Public Radio Morning Edition, September 7, 1994

Trillium Asset Management (formerly Franklin Research and Development) Scrutinizes the Social and Ethical Claims of The Body Shop
September 15, 1994

Body Slammed, Jean Sherman Chatzky
Smart Money, December 1993

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