What in the Wild is going on?!
If you haven't heard, Unilever have secured the purchase of Wild Deodorant (for a rumoured £280 million).
This leaves us in a quandary;
We love our Wild Deodorant, we use them ourselves.
They are popular with customers.
We know that large multinationals have a wide reach, so it makes sense as eco-conscious individuals that we want more people to be able to access products that are better for the environment.
But, and it's a BIG but:
We don't want any part in supporting Unilever.
According to Ethical Consumer
"Unilever receives 0/100 in Ethical Consumer’s packaging rating and has been criticised by other environmental groups. In November 2023, Greenpeace published a report that claimed, “Consumer goods giant Unilever is selling 1700 highly-polluting plastic sachets every single second, fuelling the global plastic pollution crisis and dumping huge amounts of waste on countries in the Global South.” The company did not appear to have responded to the report"
Overall, Unilever scored 18/100, with concerns about sexual abuse on tea plantations in Kenya, unadressed farmed animal welfare concerns, lack of clarity around animal testing and the use of parabens and pthalates in products and packaging (these are known endocrine disruptors).
Is the acquisition of Wild just another example of Greenwashing?
Ultimately, when we began stocking Wild we did so in good faith; we loved their products and their ethos - and in particular we wanted to support a British startup.
It's a particularly sore subject for us as we know how many of our customers have invested the brand, buying the refillable case and sampling the range of deo fragrances. We are concerned that this will impact our sales and we are frustrated that ceasing to use Wild means there may be redundant cases finding their way to landfill.
That said, we know our customers and we pride ourselves on transparency. So, whilst we will be selling the Wild we have in stock, we won't be getting any more in once it's gone.
What's the good news, you ask?
Well, our values are intact.
And! We have lots of other deo options in store that tick the boxes in terms of ethics, environment and efficacy. We will be expanding this range, too - watch this space.
Do you agree with our stance? Do you think we should reconsider? Have we missed something obvious?
Please get in touch- hello@growrefillstore.com
Grow Refill Store is a community, and we are open to learning.