Lush Cosmetics launches new Green Hub in Poole

Published by

Tom Kilkelly

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Work on handmade cosmetics company Lush's new Green Hub in Poole has been completed and is now home to six of the company's core teams.

According to Lush, the building 'showcases the company's commitment to finding and investing in solutions for materials that could be considered waste'. All teams situated at the Green Hub work together to find reuse/recycling solutions for the company's packaging and water-waste.

The company has operated a Green Hub since 2015 and the relocation/refurbishment cost the company £2.3 million. This new centre, which is 40,000 sq ft, is three times the size of the previous Green Hub, and is located in the Fleets Corner Business Park.

Key functions of the new Green Hub include: granulating plastic as part of the brand’s Bring it Back recycling scheme; treating wastewater from their manufacturing and laundry processes; repairing machinery; and donating surplus products and lifestyle items to charities and grassroots groups across the country.

Lush was able to recycle 81 per cent of its UK Manufacturing waste in 2022 from the new facility, in the same year the company also repaired over 700 electrical items and donated over 107,000 items to charities. In 2023, with the Green Hub running at full capacity, Lush expects to expand on these numbers and introduce more processes of recycling/repairing/reusing. An example of this is the company's plan to use PET and PPE plastic granulators which will allow the Green Hub will process 20 tonnes of plastic per week in a closed loop.

Earthcare strategy lead for Lush Ruth Andrade said: “The best positive contribution we have made to the waste problem at Lush is to invent, manufacture and sell our revolutionary naked cosmetics, however, we also create creams, gels and gifts, and manufacture our own products, so we are still generating waste.

''We asked ourselves what would happen if, instead of dealing with materials as waste, we processed them to keep their value for longer? What would happen if we kept them in the loop? Then if we were to do this, how could we really know what happened to our materials at the end of their lives? To answer these questions, and to keep our waste traceable and ourselves accountable, the Green Hub was born.

''From the early days of the first Green Hub in 2015, it has been about much more than just ways to process materials, it has been about finding the hidden potential in the materials we use. From closing the loop on our black pots, to making sure none of the waste gets exported, from innovations like our climate positive cork storage pots, to planning our shop spaces using repurposed wood and fixtures, at the heart of the Green Hub is innovation. With this new big and better Green Hub, we can do much more, and more importantly open our doors for our community to design this journey with us.”

Tom Kilkelly

Tom Kilkelly started working as a freelance journalist for The Business Magazine following his graduation from UCL in 2022. During his studies Tom became very interested in the works of Irish authors including Samuel Beckett and Flann O'Brien (Brian O'Nolan). His current role as a freelance business reporter is his first exposure to the world of business journalism. Working at TBM has given Tom the chance to really get to grips with the goings-on in the business hive that is the South East.