Boycott Call

Boycott Call - who has it and why

Nestle, 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). 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. See more at www.babymilkaction.org

Proctor & Gamble has been criticised for use of unsafe ingredients in personal care and food products, use of sweatshop labor, and failing to deliver on promises for Fairtrade certified coffee. See more at www.uncaged.co.uk/pg.htm (P&G have received deserved praise for programs to purify contaminated water in developing countries, and fighting to end animal testing).

Sara Lee Corporation is a major global coffee producer, and while it has signed onto the Common Code for the Coffee Community outlining high environmental and labor standards, only a small amount of its coffee is Fair Trade Certified. Additionally Sara Lee has a record of misconduct including union busting, sweatshop labor use, fraud and unethical use of its corporate influence.

Mars, as the largest chocolate and candy company in the world, with annual sales of more than $20 billion, has been criticised for continuing to exacerbate the problems of child labour and poverty by refusing to enter Fair Trade agreements with Cocoa farmers. Also blacklisted for animal testing. See more at www.marscandykills.com

L'Oreal, beauty product manufacturer, (in whom Nestle is a large stakeholder) has chosen not to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, which calls for the removal of toxins and potential carcinogens from personal care products. Clothing subsidiary, Ralph Lauren (Polo), was involved in sweatshop garment worker abuse. See more at www.safecosmetics.org

Estée Lauder, another big name in beauty, has not signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, and has been cited for sweatshop labor abuses, toxic dumping, and antitrust issues.

Johnson & Johnson has not signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and has been cited for unethical marketing and antitrust activities.

Colgate-Palmolive has failed to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. Colgate continues to include potential carcinogens, petroleum-based chemicals, and endocrine disruptors in its personal care products that are absorbed through the skin or used directly in the mouth, such as toothpastes.

GlaxoSmithKline 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. www.naturalnews.com/011584.html

Coca Cola Company has 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). Find out more at www.IndiaResource.org and www.killercoke.org.

See more information on Boycotts at www.ethicalconsumer.org/Boycotts/currentUKboycotts.aspx (UK website).