Woes for Burt’s Bees
Burt’s Bees, a longtime darling of the green movement, is defending itself against critics now that it is owned by Clorox, according an article in the . But the company has resorted to some weird PR tactics to prove that its product is still natural and eco-friendly — even with the Clorox affiliation:
To prove his own bona fides, [CEO of Burt's Bees] Mr. Replogle grabs a bottle of Burt’s Bees avocado butter hair treatment, squeezes some onto his finger and dramatically licks it off. He then passes the tube to two Clorox executives so they can have a taste.
Yet Clorox execs are promising that they are going to follow the sustainable business practices of Burt’s Bees and take the bleach company green. That might be a hard sell considering the trouble the cleaning giant already has with environmentalists.
But even more fascinating is the fallout between Burt Bees’ founders (and former lovers), Burt Shavitz and Roxanne Quimby, who met while Quimby was hitchhiking.
What is clear is that Mr. Shavitz lost out on a huge payday. In 1999, Ms. Quimby bought out his one-third share in Burt’s Bees by buying him a house in Maine. Much grander than a turkey coop, the home cost $130,000, Ms. Quimby says. She now calls that figure “embarrassing” considering how much she made from the company.
[...] Burt’s Bees, a longtime darling of the green movement, is defending itself against critics now that it is owned by Clorox, according an article in the NY Times. But the company has resorted to some weird PR tactics to prove that its product is still natural and eco-friendly — even with the Clorox affiliation: Read more. [...]