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Anita the trailblazer
Posted by John on 11 September 2007.
The founder of the Body Shop was a pioneer who never compromised principle for profit. The world needs more Roddicks.
Anita Roddick campaiging with Annie Lennox and Vivienne Westwood
Anita Roddick was a truly original trailblazer. A successful businesswoman in a world where, still today, that is a rare exception. And it came with a great sense of humour and a gift for storytelling. Her ability to communicate was the driving force behind the success of the Body Shop. But her legacy will really be in an area where she was so ahead of her time: how business could and should be done so that it takes into account people and the environment.
The association between Greenpeace and the Body Shop goes back a long way. We first worked together with Anita to help save the whale, but over the years campaigned on many issues, including trying to get Shell to intervene with the government of Nigeria to stop the Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa being executed, a campaign for clean, renewable energy and, more recently, early this year, to try to stop MPs voting for a new nuclear weapons system.
Anita Roddick's deeply held values on social and environmental issues were integral to the Body Shop and gave it its "green" brand. It inspired many activists and business people alike. It was truly cutting edge and way ahead of its time as a major high street brand. Where the Body Shop went, others followed, usually way behind. Whether it was animal testing or community trade programmes, or human rights or investing in wind farms to offset CO2 emissions, the Body Shop - with Anita's inspiration and driving force - nearly always got there first.
Anita grappled with many business challenges not just from competitors trying to copy her ideas, but also how to operate in a globalised world where keeping down costs of production can clash with environmental and social beliefs. She never shied away from sticking her neck out, courting controversy or coming up with original ideas. As she said:
"I will just make sure I spend my time doing exactly what I want to do. This is no dress rehearsal. I have one life. I don't believe in reincarnation or after-life. The only reality will be how I've shaped my life and its got to be good."
She will be sadly missed. The world needs people like Anita.
This article by John Sauven orginally appeared in Comment is Free, the Guardian.