Did AmEx renege on “no fur” pledge to Roddick?
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 1993:
Did or did not American Express pledge to drop fur from
its catalogs, to secure an endorsement from Body Shop skin and
hair care products founder Anita Roddick?
Catching flak for appearing in AmEx television commer-
cials while the firm is under boycott by PETA and other groups,
Roddick issued a written statement on April 15 asserting that,
“Before agreeing to do the commercial, I had a meeting with
American Express where I was assured that the current catalog
would be the last one to include fur.” Receiving Roddick’s state-
ment directly from The Body Shop, ANIMAL PEOPLE pub-
lished it in May.
According to Fur Age Weekly, Fur Information Council
of America executive director Carol Wynne then confronted AmEx
and got a distinctly different story. “My sources say they are going
to carry fur in their Christmas catalog,” Wynne said. “They’re not
aware of her demands.”
Asked for an explanation by ANIMAL PEOPLE, Body
Shop spokesman Robert Triefus exploded circa 3:00 p.m. on June
30, “I don’t know who the hell Carol Wynne thinks she is or who
at AmEx told her they would continue to carry furs when that’s cer-
tainly not what they said to us.”
AmEx spokesperson Maureen Bailey claimed ten minutes
later, however, that AmEx had only told Roddick they would
gradually phase out fur, that they had discontinued a special fur
catalog three years ago and would advertise only three fur garments
in their 1993 Christmas catalog––which certainly wasn’t “the cur-
rent catalog” as of April 15.
Circa 7:30 p.m., Triefus and Roddick retreated some-
what. “Anita is under the clear impression that AmEx is to phase
out furs,” Triefus said. “If we get the impression that there is any
change in the understanding that we have been given, then she
would withdraw from her agreement to appear in AmEx commer-
cials.” Triefus further claimed that although Roddick’s agreement
with AmEx is to expire in any event at the end of this year, AmEx
has approached her about using the commercials in other countries
later. As to any risk that PETA might boycott The Body Shop for
Roddick’s AmEx endorsement, Triefus said, “We have a very
good relationship with PETA. Actually, two of their people were
here just today to discuss a mutual campaign involving cruelty-free
cosmetics.”
