Lush launches new "Refugees Welcome" high street campaign

Lush has partnered with Refugee Action to "welcome refugees and asylum seekers to the UK, and counter the government’s racist anti-refugee language and legislation".

Running until 28 June 2023, the campaign hopes to build compassion and empathy for refugees and people seeking asylum.

As part of this, Lush has launched a new bath bomb in Refugee Action’s trademark colours and the word "welcome” embossed on the outside. It also includes a piece of paper inside with a QR code for Refugee Action’s website.

All money from the sales of the bath bomb (minus VAT) will be donated to Refugee Action to help people in the asylum system and those who have come to the UK via resettlement schemes, as well as supporting grassroots organisations in the UK.

To further raise awareness, all Lush stores across the UK feature a campaign window with the message: "Wherever you’re from, however you got here, all refugees are welcome”.

Additionally, the word “welcome” appears on the store windows in Albanian, Arabic, Dari & Farsi, Kurdish, Spanish, Tigrinya, Pashto, Ukrainian and Burmese to represent languages from the countries where most refugees arriving in the UK are from.

In-store, customers can scan a series of QR codes on their phones that will lead to videos where they can follow the journeys of three refugees from Burma, Ukraine and the Caribbean.

All Lush stores also have postcards available for people to write welcome messages to refugees and people seeking asylum.

Andrew Butler, Campaigns Manager at Lush, said: “We believe that all people should enjoy freedom of movement across the world, and with this campaign we’re working with Refugee Action to build compassion and empathy for refugees and people seeking asylum.

“We will not stand quietly by as people fleeing war and persecution are scapegoated for failed government policies and cuts to social services.

“We strongly oppose the hostile environment that is being used to persecute, marginalise and scapegoat refugees, and instead say wherever you’re from, however you got here, all refugees are welcome."