Neal's Yard Remedies links with Bella Freud, takes 'Save the Bees' campaign to next level

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Jul 12, 2022

Support for the humble bumble bee is growing. And it’s no wonder the beauty industry in particular is stepping up its support, given the essential pollinating power it provides for many of its core ingredients. So Neal’s Yard Remedies has partnered with British designer Bella Freud to help the beauty brand take its long-standing ‘Save the Bees’ campaign to the next phase.

For over a decade, Neal’s Yard Remedies has been campaigning for bees facing dramatic decline. And now the beauty business’s co-owner Anabel Kindersley is stepping up the campaign with a new petition focused on the government’s actions to set a national target for pesticide reduction. 

It calls for a reduction in the amount used and in toxicity levels, as well as supporting farmers to adopt nature-friendly approaches to pest management. 

Neal’s Yard Remedies hopes to gather 100,000 signatures for the issue to be debated in parliament and raise greater public awareness. So far, Kindersley has rallied the support of over 55 British businesses and organisations to co-sign her open letter calling on the government to ban harmful neonicotinoids completely, following reauthorisations.

Kindersley said the businesses and organisations backing the campaign and utilising their platforms to support the cause have a collective reach of 30 million, “making them instrumental in driving meaningful change”. 

Kindersley’s emphasises the importance of corporate collaboration, saying: “The good thing about business is we can innovate, problem solve and tax raise to support farmers. I want this to be a positive campaign, to help [farmers] to find a way out, wean them off [pesticides], and move away from negative and destructive ways.”

And to support and promote the campaign, Freud has designed an exclusive T-shirt for the cause. Priced £25 each, all proceeds will be donated to bee conservation and nature-friendly farming initiatives.