LUSH staff across Europe wear body paint to tell the story of deep-sea destruction

08 September 2014

Non-profit organization BLOOM and LUSH Cosmetics campaign for a historic EU ban on deep-sea bottom trawling

From 8th – 14th September 2014 LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics shops across Europe will host a campaign to raise awareness about the destruction caused by deep-sea bottom trawling and to ask European governments to support a ban of what scientists have called “the most destructive fishing gear in history”. Non-profit organization BLOOM, dedicated to marine conservation, are teaming up with LUSH to draw public attention to the plight of the remote deep waters of Europe. On September 10th, a live performance of body painting deep-sea creatures will take place in flagship LUSH stores across Europe to symbolize the amazing diversity of deep-sea life and its extreme vulnerability to destruction.

The deep ocean is the largest habitat on the planet – teeming with all kinds of unique marine life including corals and sponges that live for hundreds to thousands of years. But deep-sea bottom trawlers are destroying them – dragging giant weighted nets, cables and steel plates more than 2 tonnes each across the ocean floor to catch a small number of low value fish.

European Fisheries Ministers are currently discussing the reform of the EU deep-sea fishing regulation, in particular the proposed prohibition of the most destructive fishing gear: deep-sea bottom trawling.

BLOOM and LUSH are calling on the public to pressure Fisheries Ministers and EU governments to ban deep-sea bottom trawling.

A successful ban would represent a momentous historical milestone in the fight to protect our deep ocean from unnecessary destruction. Deep-sea bottom trawling is a capital-intensive, fuel-greedy, subsidy-dependent fishing method that fails to yield positive economic results while destroying the natural habitat of European seas.

The ban of deep-sea bottom trawling has been called on by more than 300 international scientists.
Claire Nouvian, founder of BLOOM comments: “The mobilization orchestrated by BLOOM and LUSH will be critical to let European governments know that citizens do care about the future of our common marine heritage and the largest reservoir of species in the oceans.”

 Sign the UK Petition here http://petition.bloomassociation.org/

About LUSH
LUSH invents, manufactures and retails fresh handmade cosmetics, such as the fizzing bath bomb, solid toothy tabs and solid shampoo bars. LUSH operates a strict policy against animal testing and supports fair trade and community initiatives around the world. Lush lead the cosmetics industry in combating over-packaging by developing products that can be sold ‘naked’ to the customer.
Lush operates a strict policy against animal testing and in 2012 launched The Lush Prize (in conjunction with Ethical Consumer) which is a quarter million pound annual prize rewarded to politicians, lobbyists, researchers and scientists who are working to end animal testing.
Lush currently has over 900 shops worldwide and is present in 51 countries, with manufacturing sites across the world.