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Our Blog - Persistence Prevails: A Landmark Win for Bees
Since 2011, Anabel Kindersley, CEO and Co-owner of Neal's Yard Remedies, has been campaigning for bees – having hand-delivered a petition of 117,000 signatures to Downing Street leading to an EU-wide ban on three toxic neonicotinoids. Anabel’s unwavering commitment to the protection of bees has been profound. Most recently, when the British government granted emergency re-authorisation for harmful pesticides, Anabel formed the #StandByBees campaign, rallying 105 British businesses and NGOs to collectively lobby against bee-killing pesticides in the UK. This remarkable persistence paid off.
Thanks to the continued campaigning, the emergency use of the pollinator-killing pesticide, Cruiser SB, was finally denied on 23 January 2025.
Neonicotinoid Cruiser SB has a catastrophic impact on our pollinator populations. Just a single teaspoon of the pesticide can kill up to 1.25 billion bees. This exceptional win for the #StandByBees campaign was a clarion call for pollinator preservation and a testament to Anabel’s incredible resilience in the fight to protect our planet’s delicate ecosystem.
“I’m so incredibly proud of the hundreds of experts, activists, farmers, and members of the Stand by Bees coalition who have worked tirelessly to demonstrate how dangerous this chemical is to pollinators, human health and our ability to maintain a secure food supply for our country. This success belongs to all of them, and to millions of pollinators and people who will benefit from one fewer toxic pesticide in their ecosystem. Together, we celebrate a huge win for nature. Along with all members of the Stand by Bees coalition, I hope that this marks the beginning of the end for banned, bee-killing pesticides being used on British land.”
- Anabel Kindersley
Bee Lovely
Our Bee Lovely collection has raised over £350,000 with 3% of sales donated to bee-friendly charities. This collection is kind to skin, kind to planet and kind to bees – made with ethically sourced organic honey from Mexico and sun ripened Italian and Mexican oranges, softening skin and adding an uplifting natural fragrance.
In celebration of World Bee Day, we will be doubling our donation to bee-friendly charities for each Bee Lovely product purchased 19-25 May.
Beyond the Hive
Donations towards Bumblebee Conservation Trust have gone towards helping to save one of Britain’s rarest bumblebees, the shrill carder bee. Since the launch of the Shrill Carder Bumblebee Recovery Strategy, there has been a year-on-year increase in sightings, with a 74% increase compared since 2023.
Our donations also support Bees for Development projects around the world, including the Bees and Trees project in Zimbabwe, aiming to support local communities and improve the biodiversity of the Makoni district. The project supports 100 local female beekeepers to protect their apiaries through tree planting and fire management – aiming to return these degraded areas to their natural states and making them more productive bee keeping areas.
Beyond the Bee Lovely Collection, we work throughout the year to support other grass-roots charities. For the last 3 years, we have donated a portion of sales over Black Friday weekend to the Nature Friendly Farming Network – an independent, farmer-led organisation committed to shaping nature-positive farming policies that work in harmony with wildlife, while mitigating climate change and safeguarding the future of British agriculture.