Boycotts

Boycott Call - who has it and why

Nestle
Called by: IBFAN (UK) www.babymilkaction.org
The world's largest food company, proudly proclaims "good food, good life”. Nestle has been the target of strong international criticism for its aggressive marketing of infant formula in developing countries with scarce drinkable water, leading to infant deaths (despite 10 year ban by the World Health Organisation).
Other criticisms: As one of the top four water bottling companies in the world, Nestle has been criticised for contributing to the problem of plastic waste and usurping water that should remain a shared resource. As one of the world's largest chocolate producers, Nestle has been criticised for contributing to child and forced labor problems in cocoa-growing nations.

Proctor & Gamble
Called by: 1.) Uncaged (UK) www.uncaged.co.uk/pg.htm
Called by: 2.) PeTA (USA) www.iamscruelty.com
P&G has been critised for their ongoing involvement in painful and lethal animal tests.
Other criticisms: P&G has been criticised for use of unsafe ingredients in personal care and food products and use of sweatshop labor. Environmental groups have criticized Proctor & Gamble for working to weaken Europe's laws regarding toxins in household products and for funding an organization that fought GMO disclosure laws.

Coca-Cola Company
Called by: 1.) India Resource Center (India) www.IndiaResource.org
Called by: 2.) Campaign to Stop Killer Coke (USA) www.killercoke.org
Coca-Cola has received ongoing criticism for murders, kidnappings and torture of union leaders at Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia. Also in India, local communities have been exposed to toxic waste, had their groundwater and soil polluted, and suffered shortages of drinking water, as a direct result of Coke's operations.
* While Coca-Cola Amatil is majority Australian owned, they pay licencing fees to, and are 35% owned by, the Coca-Cola Company (US).

GlaxoSmithKline
Called by: 1.) The Paxil Protest (USA) www.thepaxilprotest.com
Called by: 2.) Ethical Consumer (UK) www.boycottbush.net
GSK has been criticised for their denial of responsibility for the drug Paxil and its side-effects. The drug is claimed to be unsafe, dangerous and even fatal, linked to depression, cancer and aggression. A boycott was called on GSK products in September 2005. A second boycott has been called by Ethical Consumer for being on their list of top donors to Bush's Republican Party. They donated US$2,761,921 between 2002 and 2006.

Kimberly-Clark
Called by: Greenpeace USA www.kleercut.net
For destroying ancient forests in North America

L'Oreal
Called by: NatureWatch (UK) www.naturewatch.org
Naturewatch has a long-standing boycott of L'Oreal due to its continued use of animal testing for cosmetics. The French multinational uses ingredients that have been tested on animals, despite public statements to the contrary. Other criticisms: It has also been criticised for lobbying against an EU ban on animal testing for cosmetics. L’Oreal has not signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, and clothing subsidiary, Ralph Lauren (Polo), was involved in sweatshop garment worker abuse. L'Oreal (in whom Nestle is a large stakeholder) bought the Body Shop in 2006.

Microsoft
Called by: Ethical Consumer (UK) www.boycottbush.net
For being on Ethical Consumer's list of top donors to Bush's Republican Party. They donated US$4,642,897 between 2002 and 2006.

Tata Group
Called by: The Burma Campaign UK www.burmacampaign.org.uk
For directly or indirectly helping to finance Burma’s brutal military dictatorship.
Other criticisms: Tata Group (India's largest industrial conglomerate) subsidiary Tata Power makes weapons and weapon components for the India's Defence forces.
Tata owns car makers Jaguar and Land Rover, and Tetley tea.

Altria (previously Philip Morris)
Called by: Ethical Consumer (UK) www.boycottbush.net
For being on Ethical Consumer's list of top donors to Bush's Republican Party (they donated US$4,747,733 between 2002 and 2006), and for funding groups which claim that global warming is a "myth" or “uneconomic” to address. Altria is the world's largest tobacco company. Kraft Foods was spun off from parent company Altria in March 2007, and is now an independent publicly held company.

For more information on boycotts visit www.ethicalconsumer.org/Boycotts/currentUKboycotts.aspx (UK website).