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  • THE CANINE at work

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    31 May 2018


    Hello the MLE,

    Exciting news this week: my beautiful Boston Terrierist Beatrix made her debut at the studio. It went well! You can see in the photo above that she just slept. I have included a photo of Chad when he used to come to work with me. You can see that he was much more productive. Less lazy.

    I was reading this scholarly article from the University of Southern California regarding the benefits of bringing dogs to work.  In sum:

    -  Spending too much time too close to a project, problem, or other work can inhibit productivity and cause unnecessary stress. Pets remind people to pause and step back from whatever they are involved in.

    -  Pets can create camaraderie within the workplace and trigger interactions that may not have happened without them. Better communication leads to more trust, a key component in a successful work environment.

    -  Pets at the workplace make employees happier, lower stress levels, and create a comfortable, flexible environment. Reduced stress means less stress-related ailments and the healthcare costs that accompany them.  So true.

    Have a nice weekend!

    Suzan xx

    Posted in: MandR news
    -Tags: beatrix
  • SCIENCE and stock photography

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    18 May 2018



    Hi MLE,

    I know you have already seen this, but I am posting for the benefit of our science clients. I'm sure they will appreciate, as we have already had a right laugh about this many times...

    #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob

    Have a nice weekend!

    Suzan
    Posted in: science
    -Tags: stock photography
  • MOTHandRUST | new london studio

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    11 May 2018

    Happy Friday MLE! 

    I'm excited to say that over here in London, we are all settled into our new studio in the famous Tea Building in Shoreditch. We have been based in Dalston for so many years, and it was time for a change.  We quite like Shoreditch in the day, and its fun to get to know the area better. For example, today we ran into a girl dancing in the street while her friend shot her with his phone. Evidently, she was copying some K-Pop video that was playing on her phone (which is propped up on the ground in front of her), and doing this in public is some sort of thing. Enjoy the rest of your break in Arizona, looking forward to the photos!

    Suzan xx
    Posted in: MandR news
    -Tags: tea building
  • LUSH cosmetics: very interesting...

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    4 May 2018


    Hi MLE,

    I’ve been thinking a lot about Lush Cosmetics lately… I’ve known this brand since forever, as there were always shops in the city where I grew up in Canada. However, I’ve never really shopped there, as I’ve never really bought things with fragrance. Well, now I am a big fan! There are so many things I didn’t know or appreciate about this brand until recently, and I thought I’d pass thing along to you, as you may not have known either.

    First, a little background. I had an epiphany (finally) last year: I buy things based on "price" and "brand" (order depends on the product). Now I buy things based on another variable: "ethics." And I've pushed "brand" out. Sometimes I put “ethics” ahead of “price,” and I think of this a bit like a donation to charity. Sometimes I put “price” first, but that’s okay. Often, however, I find I can shop ethically without it being any more expensive than what I was buying before.

    I have a good friend who works at Pepsi. I was discussing ethics with her one day, and she said something that may have lead to this epiphany. She said quite simply, “as long as consumers want to buy something, we will give it to them.”  Our consumer dollar is very very powerful. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that where we put it has a significant effect on the world in which we live.

    Hence I have been doing a lot of research into the ethics of the companies I buy from, especially regularly. In terms of cosmetics, my buying has totally changed. No more MAC, Nars and Chanel. I buy from companies like Lush:


    Every Lush product is made by hand. 

    Lush volunteers to pay the Living Wage (higher than the minimum wage) to all its staff. 

    Lush has doubled maternity and paternity leave and will pay for 20 hours a week of childcare for primary care-givers who have been with the company at least two years and return to full-time work.

    Lush was awarded the Fair Tax Mark. It reports on tax paid in each country, showing an effective rate of 30.5 per cent, compared with UK standard corporation tax of 20 per cent.

    Lush refuses to open stores in China because of animal testing regulations. (Though the soap bar above is created to bring to China).

    Lush does not buy from companies that carry out, fund, or commission any animal testing. They test their products on human volunteers before they are sold to the public.

    Lush products are 100% vegetarian, while 80% are vegan.

    Over 40% of Lush products are sold packaging-free. Says Lush, “For most cosmetics, you're paying more for the packaging than you are for the product. Something like seven parts packaging and three parts contents is the norm, and that's just for a branded package of shower gel. I'd like [the cosmetics industry] to stop being subdivision of the packaging industry.”

    Lush has phased out its use of sodium palm kernelate, which is often derived from trees in the natural habitat of orangutans and home to tropical forests with overall endangered biodiversity. Since 2008, all Lush soaps have been made with palm-free soap base, and they have since removed all traces of palm oil from the products.

    In 2007, Lush launched Charity Pot. One-hundred percent of the purchase price goes into a Charity Pot Fund, which is donated to environmental, humanitarian and animal rights charities. In the first five years, the company donated $2 million to charities through the programme.

    The annual £250,000 LUSH Prize is designed to reward individuals working in the field of cruelty-free scientific research, awareness-raising and lobbying to help bring an end to animal testing. Recipients could be scientists, campaigners, lobbyists, training specialists and young researchers.



    Lush admits a lot of the campaigning it does has nothing to do with its own business. Far from carefully choosing a few business-friendly good causes, Lush has backed a plethora of controversial causes from Guantanamo prisoners, to hunt saboteurs and the anti-fracking campaign. Such blatant politicisation is a tactic few other businesses in the UK seem willing to replicate. 

    But it is working for Lush. Worldwide sales in 2016 were £723 million, an increase of 26% over the previous year. The company is projecting 25% growth for fiscal 2017. Maybe more companies will follow suit?
    Posted in: shopping branding environment
    -Tags: Lush