With voter turnouts declining across all levels of government, The Body Shop Canada is working with non-profit Apathy is Boring to lobby for a simple change that could reverse the trend: moving the federal election day to a weekend.

Nearly half of youth who did not vote in the 2021 federal election cited daily obligations as the reason for not going to the polls, while 60% of Canadian youth claim they would be more inclined to cast a ballot if they could vote over a weekend.

These efforts for change are part of The Body Shop’s “Be Seen Be Heard” joint campaign with the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, which aims to increase young people’s participation in public life in more than 75 countries.

Hilary Lloyd, VP of marketing and corporate responsibility for The Body Shop North America, says the campaign is the latest in the retailer’s track record of being an “activist brand” since it started in 1976.

“We largely focus on driving system change through collective action and legislation amendments – calling on our customers to be a part of the solution, whether it’s through protest, petition or education,” she says. “In order to catalyze systemic changes, we know individuals need to make their voices heard through civic action.” That’s why the campaign includes working with an organization like Apathy is Boring, which supports and educates youth to be active citizens.

The Body Shop was founded on selling ethically-sourced, cruelty-free products made from natural ingredients. Its more recent efforts to be an activist brand have included being part of the petition to end blood donation bans from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, as well as maintaining its support for Pride in a year when many brands were choosing to be more cautious.

“As a certified B corporation, we firmly believe that our business should be used as a force for good and actively use our voice through campaigning, advocacy and more,” Lloyd says. “By ensuring our advocacy efforts are year-round priorities for us, we have established authentic advocacy.” This authenticity, Lloyd explains, comes from expert partners to keep it abreast on key issues and provide recommendations on how to make meaningful, systemic change.

The Body Shop is promoting the latest “Be Seen Be Heard” campaign through digital channels, where visitors to its website and social media can educate themselves on the importance of voting and sign a petition to move federal election day to a weekend. At retail, store visitors will see signage at its “Act Stations,” where they can sign the petition or scan a QR code to learn more about the campaign.

The brand is also once again teaming up with youth activists as influencers, such as two-spirit activist and Indigenous content creator Kairyn Potts, environmental scientist Kelcie Miller-Anderson and environmental scientist, Indigenous researcher and pow-wow dancer Nikita Kahpeaysewat.

Lastly, The Body Shop will equip store teams with the support and resources to meet with their local MPs to share its campaign efforts and petition signatures from their community.

To support Apathy is Boring, The Body Shop will make a $30,000 donation to uplift the organization’s work.

The Body Shop is working with government relations agency Campbell’s Strategies on the campaign. Finn Partners is handling media relations.