Lush’s latest collaboration with SpongeBob Squarepants has hit over a million globally in sales in the first week alone (£1.3 million) since launching on 29th June with all products taking the lead of best selling products.
The collection designed with plastic-packaging free alternatives in mind is having an impact, with over 66K products sold so far.
Since 2005, Lush packaging-free innovations such as inventing the bath bomb, the shampoo bar, pressed conditioners and more have saved the world from a further 13.8K tons of plastic from ever being produced. That’s the weight of 76 blue whales.
By choosing solid soap, Lush customers have saved the use of 350 million plastic bottles and Lush shampoo bars have potentially saved the planet from 180 million plastic bottles.
Rae Stanton, Earthcare Retail Communications Lead at Lush says: “It’s no secret, global consumers are becoming increasingly conscientious about the impact of the products they buy, and many are seemingly willing to accept a higher price tag for this. In fact, YouGov recently reported that two in three Global consumers believe that sustainable products cost more. However, as Lush recently highlighted regarding the cost of living crisis, making the switch from packaged to packaging-free, it is possible to even save on costs in the long term.
A lot of it is linked to the way we view ‘value’. We need to develop a mindset that considers the hidden impact of the products we consume. Who made them? How far have they travelled? What is the product actually made of? Does it need all this packaging? – Then we can begin to make more positive choices, for ourselves and the whole system we are connected to. We are so used to having things in so much packaging, some products are more about the packaging than they are what’s inside! Why are we so hooked on the stuff? If we want to waste less, we need to think differently. “
Lush is measuring whether this will be the brand’s most successful collaboration to date, as overall LFL sales across Lush’s UK&I shops is up +11.1% and shops have been seeing a +29% increase in visitors versus the same week in 2022, with all five collaboration products ranking in the top 6 most popular out of all Lush products.
Lush UK & Ireland’s number 1 performing product is SpongeBob bath bomb, taking the lead against Lush’s usual best selling products with over 18K unit sales, shortly followed by Surprised Patrick bath bomb with +16K unit sales.Online, the Lush UK&I websites have seen an 19% increase in visitors in the last 7 days when compared with the same week in 2022.
In Lush Manufacturing, over 146K products were handmade and produced in the first week.
Lush Spongebob on social media
The collaboration has been a popular topic of conversation on socials as well, with one customer generating 3 million views of their TikTok video and a tweet in Japan also gaining 3 million views.
@victoriacanavan The Lush spongebob collab is out! @LUSH #Lush #LushCommunity #LushCosmetics #fyp #selfcare #skincare #SpongeBob #SpongeBobSquarePants, #LushSpongeBob #PineappleHouse #Squidward #Patrick #PatrickStar #BubbleBar #BathBomb #soap #New #Exclusive #c#collabs#sandyg#gary ♬ Spongebob Closing Theme Song Music – Ocean Floor Orchestra
To coincide with the launch, for July, Lush launched a new online portal, ‘Trash Dash’, calling on Lush’s communities and towns across the UK and beyond to help clean up Co-Founder’s goal of 60 tonnes of litter.
The aim is to prevent further ocean plastic waste, which is calculated to be 5.25 trillion tonnes and as plastic pollution remains one of the top three concerns for consumers when it comes to environmental issues in the last two years – as reported by Mintel.
Lush’s 60 tonne total currently stands at 39 tonnes, since the company began efforts in 2018, and despite the understandable trials and tribulations of the Covid pandemic, staff around the world have been embracing the challenge.
Customers can take part and find out about local activations happening throughout July 2023 and beyond by contacting their local Lush shop.
