It is possible to run a successful and profitable business without compromising the ethics and values that The Body Shop has been advocating since day one.

For over 30 years now, since our founder, the late Dame Anita Roddick, first started The Body Shop in 1976, we've stuck to our promise of being a socially and environmentally responsible company.

With the passing of Anita Roddick on 10 September 2007, we remain committed to continue her legacy of social change through intelligent and thoughtful activism and campaigning. It's the least we can do to ensure that The Body Shop leaves a positive mark on the only planet we've got, endeavouring to make our world a better, safer, fairer and more sustainable place for future generations.

This section of our site celebrates how The Body Shop has worked with local communities and non-government organisations since opening our first store here in 1983.

However, this site is not just about us.

Through discovering our Values, we hope you will be inspired to speak out about issues that are close to your heart and that are important to your family and friends.

We believe that everyone and anyone can make a difference, no matter how tiny or mammoth. All it takes is a healthy dose of optimism, plus a generous measure of passion and enthusiasm. In the words of the late Anita Roddick, "Do something. Do anything. Just do something." We couldn't agree more.

So, what are you waiting for?

Get active and support a worthy cause today. Volunteer at a local charity, donate money to a group that shares your values, pen a friendly e-mail about improving recycling services where you live, greet your neighbour with a smile, or hold the door for a stranger. The possibilities are endless. And there's no better time to start, than now.

Find out what values and ethics The Body Shop lives by every day.

For more information about our history of campaigning, visit The Body Shop International.