Bath & Body Works Change.org Petition By Employee Gains Nearly 87,000 Signatures Asking CEO To Donate, Not Dump Products

The petition on Change.org is aimed at Nick Coe, president and CEO of Bath & Body Works. It’s simply titled “Stop Dumping and Start Donating,” and is written by Samantha Heard out of Savannah, Georgia. Heard is a woman who claims to love working at Bath & Body Works, and is hoping to make a change in the thousands of dollars worth of Bath & Body Works products that she says she claims she’s seen dumped after product testing or enduring minor damage.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Bath & Body Works firm falls under the umbrella of L Brands, which had pretty good sales, despite Victoria’s Secret’s swimwear flop. L Brands also encompasses PINK, Bath & Body Works, White Barn Candle Co., La Senza, and Henri Bendel. And Coe might reconsider his holiday sales focus as the signatures on Heard’s petition is heard by more Bath & Body Works fans.

“The most important thing going into the holiday is to go in with the highest amount of flexibility we can.”

Indeed, Samantha plays at the heartstrings by asking shoppers to consider those who can’t afford any Bath & Body Works products — especially those under government programs that don’t allow for many personal hygiene products.

“As an employee at Bath & Body Works, I have seen thousands of dollars of products tested and slightly damaged needlessly thrown away. These products are perfectly good, perfectly usable. I love working for this company, and I know it can do better for STI clients and our surrounding community.”

With the signatures growing on the Change.org petition, one thinks of the Day-End Dough-Nation™ & In-Kind Donations program that Panera Bread uses to give back to others to help feed folks in their surrounding areas. Instead of throwing away unsold bread and pastries for the day, Panera donates them to hunger relief organizations. Perhaps Bath & Body Works may consider a similar program in light of the new revelations. L Brands touts community giving on their corporate page.

Please join me in asking Nick Coe, CEO of Bath and Body Works, to discontinue the wasteful practice of throwing out slightly damaged or “tested” B & BW products, and donate them to the local charities around the United States instead. Every family deserves the dignity that comes with their meeting basic hygiene needs. There are many families who are struggling with the decision right now whether to buy a loaf of bread or a bar of soap.”

France is already making big supermarkets give unsold food to charities, reports the Guardian. Plenty of other companies have figured out ways to donate unsold or unused products or food safely to help others in need — although lawsuits are likely a concern in some firms’ reasoning to simply throw them away. Still others realize that a donation effort would take extra organization and manpower to enact, but it could be well worth it in good company vibes, image, and just because it could be the right thing to do.

[Image via Change.org]