boycotts

Alexis - posted on 04/23/2011

LOL, It can hard, especially when they make so many different everyday products. If you were to make a list of items that other companies make that you could replace the boycott companies item with and a list of where you could get them that would help a lot. Not that I have ever taken on boycotting a company like those mentioned above. I have boycotted a single store or branch of stores before but thats about it. Or I have even gone in the opposite direction and have gone out of my way to purchase a certain brand because of what the company does, but not boycott one.

Sherri - posted on 04/21/2011

Glad you guys live so strongly to your convictions, especially for things that you guys feel so strongly about. I won't be jumping on the bandwagon. But I do applaud you for standing up and doing it.

Charlie - posted on 04/21/2011

Ive seen a show about a couple that live independently , looks amazing but not something I could do ( Although I would love to ) , you have to pick and choose your boycotts , which ones mean the most to you , if I could boycott every company I felt was in the wrong I wouldnt have much left , I wouldnt just be leaving myself with little but my family too I CAN boycott the ones that violate ethics I hold strong , the ones closest to my heart .

Johnny - posted on 04/21/2011

If you quit your job, stop attending school, move to the country, build your own solar panels and wind turbines and cycle-powered electronics, grow your own food using locally obtained organic seed, grow an olive tree for oil....... I could go on. Frankly, it is impossible not to patronize companies that do this shit.

I was reading an article on CBC the other day about a couple living off the grid on a lake in Northern Ontario growing and catching most of their own food. But even they need to purchase things to make that lifestyle possible that are manufactured by "evil corporations". Some boycotts are great, but in reality, changing the political atmosphere, more tightly regulating lobbyists, tightening worldwide trading issues and environmental legislation, and other similar actions will have a much greater effect in the long run.

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/21/2011

Oh no butterfingers!!! :( ah well there's generic brands that have butterfingers like candy bars. Worth it I think,considering the nestle history

Jenny - posted on 04/21/2011

Laura you can grow lemons on Vancouver Island.

Isobel - posted on 04/21/2011

Most of Ontario's power is nuclear...no-go ;P



I must live in the dark with my garlic in a bubble

Minnie - posted on 04/21/2011

Heheh I know how you feel, Laura. Hmmm what about lemon trees- I would have a giant room with tons of electric lights- you could grow them in there. And raw garlic is a pretty good antibiotic! But you'd have to live in a bubble too to avoid the antibiotic-resistant infections that are monsters.

Isobel - posted on 04/21/2011

AERO AFTER EIGHT

BIG TURK BUTTERFINGER

CARNATION Hot Chocolate COFFEE CRISP

COFFEE-MATE DEL MONTE

DIBS DRUMSTICK

NESTLÉ PROFESSIONAL GOODHOST

HÄAGEN-DAZS More Ice Cream & Frozen Treats

KIT KAT LEAN CUISINE

MACKINTOSH'S MACK TOFFEE MAGGI

MILO MIRAGE

NESCAFÉ NESQUIK

NESTEA NESTLÉ BABY

NESTLÉ CARNATION BREAKFAST ANYTIME! NESTLÉ CRUNCH

NESTLÉ WATERS NOIR

PARLOUR PASTARIA

POWERBAR PURINA

QUALITY STREET REAL DAIRY

ROLO SINGLES

SAUTÉ SENSATIONS SKINNY COW

SMARTIES STOUFFER'S BISTRO

STOUFFER'S TURTLES





Didn't mean to make that all caps...just copied and pasted

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/21/2011

Can someone post a list of nestle owned products etc here in America? I've tried findIng a list online but when I did it wouldn't load....Easters coming so I need to know what not to buy!

Isobel - posted on 04/21/2011

I didn't mean to sound like an asshole there...it just feels like the end of 1984, when you think that at least the proles are free and then find out that the little antique shop is run by the Thought Police.

I feel a little bit jaded at the moment.

Jocelyn - posted on 04/21/2011

I know of a tree that SMELLS like lemons...

Isobel - posted on 04/21/2011

ok, you guys win. I'm officially moving to a cult in the country and growing all my own food in a bubble so that monsanto seeds can't blow into it.

does anybody know how I can grow lemons in Canada and make my own baking soda so I can clean or do I have to move somewhere southern?

and what if I get sick, how can I get anti-biotics without supporting big pharma...shall I just start eating moldy bread whenever I have an infection?

Johnny - posted on 04/21/2011

The real reason to boycott Unilever is their palm oil use which is destroying forests. I don't personally actively boycott Unilever either. Many of the other products you can buy use the same oil, it's just that Unilever uses it in larger quantities because it is such a large corporation.

Jenn - posted on 04/21/2011

If a skin bleaching product is Unilever's only "sin", I have no issue with that. That to me would be the same as saying that they should be boycotted for selling an anti-aging or anti-wrinkle cream - after all, wouldn't that also go against the "natural beauty" thing?

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/21/2011

Lol, I guess no one can claim the foreskin is useless if even after being cut off it's still being used for something! Haha :)

Cathy - posted on 04/21/2011

I doubt Olay and L'Oreal use infant foreskins for their UK production line ... not enough infant foreskins flying around here ... but bravo to them for recycling ;-) I don't buy products from either of those.

Minnie - posted on 04/21/2011

Olay and L'Oreal use infant foreskins for their products....blech. Maybeline is owned by Nestle...

Kathy - posted on 04/21/2011

Just reposting the site I mentioned (don't know what happened!)

http://www.fta.org.au/buy-sell/where-buy...

Jenny - posted on 04/21/2011

For you Canadians, the seeds I bought for my organic garden are Aimer's Organic and McKenzie Organic.

Kelly - posted on 04/21/2011

Thank You Johnny and Loureen for the more in depth info. I did not realize that Nestle owned part of L'Oreal.
I do not knowingly buy any Nestle or L'Oreal products, simply because I do not like/use any of them, but I do buy my shampoo, conditioner, and some lotions from the Body Shop....I might rethink that if I find a better shampoo.

Kathy - posted on 04/21/2011

This is a useful site'http://www.fta.org.au/buy-sell/where-buy-fairtrade-products/major-retailers-and-suppliers
Note the logo and look for it.
(in Australia and NZ anyway.)

Charlie - posted on 04/21/2011

SLave free chocolate mostly available in Australian supermarkets all with the Australian fairtrade sticker .

GREEN & BLACK'S

ALDI

ALTER ECO

CHOCOLATIER

COCOLO

LINDSAY & EDMUNDS

SCARBOROUGH FAIR

OXFAM SHOP

WHITTAKER'S


Monsato free seeds :
Abundant Life Seeds
Amishland Seeds
Baker Creek Seed Co.
Berlin Seeds – no known website
Botanical Interests
Bountiful Gardens
Burpee Seeds (hybrid pepper and tomato seeds are provided by Monsanto)
The Cook’s Garden (owned by Burpee – see above)
Diane’s Flower Seeds (she has veggies now, too)
Fedco Seed Co. – FANS OF FEDCO – YOU MUST READ THIS! http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/monsanto...
Garden City Seeds
Heirloom Acres Seeds
Heirlooms Evermore Seeds
Heirloom Seeds
High Mowing Seeds
Horizon Herbs
Irish-Eyes
Kitchen Garden Seeds
Lake Valley Seeds
Livingston Seeds
Local Harvest
Mountain Rose Herbs
Organica Seed
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
Pinetree (no GMO seeds but did have a long relationship with Seminis before being bought by Monsanto. They have promised to send me a list of those seeds so that consumers can avoid them if they desired.) *PineTree (Superseeds) just sent me the list of seeds they buy from Seminis. Please see below for the full list)
Renee’s Garden
Richters Herbs
Sand Hill Preservation Center
Seed Saver’s Exchange
Seeds of Change
Southern Exposure
Survivalist Seed
Territorial Seed Company - *Tom Johns, the pres. of Territorial posted in the comments on my blog about Seminis being owned by Monsanto, and said customer service will provide a list of seeds they buy from Seminis, so you can avoid them. He also said that Seminis is providing less varieties every year (typical of Monsanto) and they are finding suitable replacements. So, don’t count them out completely. I’ve just sent him an email 12/30 to get an update.*
Tiny Seeds
Tomato Fest
Underwood Garden Seeds
Uprising Seeds
Victory Seeds
Wildseed Farms
Wood Prairie Farm

http://www.groedibles.com/2010/12/new-ye...

Nikki - posted on 04/21/2011

So can we have some brand names of fair trade chocolate please? As I sit here eating my cadbury crunchie I am wondering if it's a good excuse to give up chocolate and trim the waist line!

Kathy - posted on 04/21/2011

I'm more than willing to make a few sacrifices if it makes people sit up and take notice! And even if this action doesn't achieve anything concrete, I know I'm doing what I consider to be the right thing!
I can always get my fox of chocolate and coffee by choosing Fair Trade!

Becky - posted on 04/21/2011

Haven't read any other replies...
I'd like to boycott Nestle after some things I've read about them, but they make Nesquick and Smarties, and I don't think I could give those up!

Kathy - posted on 04/20/2011

Nikki, I had a look and couldn't find anything.
But they're still doing it:
http://info.babymilkaction.org/emailnest...

Charlie - posted on 04/20/2011

The body shop as it's own company did do a lot , in fact I would say they lead businesses into fair trade but once they sold out to Loreal and effectively Nestle they lost a lot of respect considering they are now owned by some major corporations who have no social conscious , which was a strange move if you ask me ...Anita Roddick would be turning in her grave .

Kathy - posted on 04/20/2011

What wonderful things, Marina?

~♥Little Miss - posted on 04/20/2011

Cathy, I guess for me it is different because I worked for the company, and I got to see what wonderful things they were doing. I am a pretty loyal customer and employee when i believe in a product. Most major make-up companies use some form of testing on animals, and I think L'Oreal buying a company that is totally against it speaks volumes for maybe future steps for their L'Oreal company.

Nikki - posted on 04/20/2011

This subject makes me really angry, I know Nestle's actions are not the worst of any company in the world but for me this issue strikes a nerve. I'm off to find my own anti Nestle Easter profile pic!

Nikki - posted on 04/20/2011

Kathy you may know... were there any aids back then to assist with bringing milk back in? did maxalon or other prescription drugs exist to increase milk supply? I have has a look on the net but I can't find anything.

Nikki - posted on 04/20/2011

@Kelly when children started dying did they attempt to help? Did they provide aid of clean drinking water and sufficient formula to feed the children? Not that I know for sure but I am guessing not. If not they are responsible for the deaths even if they didn't know it was going to happen. They pulled out and left helpless mothers with starving children. Fucking disgusting.

Kathy - posted on 04/20/2011

Kelly - Nestlé and charity??? Don't make me laugh!

Stifler's - posted on 04/20/2011

Is Walmart owned by Woolworths? Just curious

Charlie - posted on 04/20/2011

Like Johnny has said Nestle's issues run much deeper than the formula issue , they still use unethical buisness practices .

Nestle's latest global strategy is to promote its baby milk with the claim that it 'protects' babies and is 'The new "Gold Standard" in even nutrition', even though it knows babies fed on it are more likely to become sick than breastfed babies and, in conditions of poverty, more likely to die. Nestle is claiming its baby milk aids brain and eye development and supports the immune system. It has added prominent, colorful logos to product labels in 120 countries, undermining the obligatory 'breastfeeding is best for babies' warnings that the boycott campaign helped to bring in for all formula tins . Nestle is also targeting health workers to promote its claims.

Nestle's claims do not stand up to scrutiny and break the international marketing standards introduced by the World Health Assembly.

According to UNICEF: "Improved breastfeeding practices and reduction of artificial feeding could save an estimated 1.5 million children a year". As UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, governments and health campaigners try to spread the message that breastfeeding protects babies, Nestle is using its massive resources to try to convince mothers and health workers that its baby milk 'protects'.

lets not forget child slave labour conditions where they are constantly worked to the bone , beaten and all for nothing a measely "pay"

Oh and the destruction of the orangutan population , Nestle single handedly have pushed them to the brink of extinction .

plus the many other things Johnny mentioned below , they are sick , money hungry , lying , cheating , killers .

Johnny - posted on 04/20/2011

L'Oreal is owned 30% by Nestle. So in effect, Nestle bought the Body Shop.



It is not just the infant formula issue which is a good reason to boycott Nestle. They continue to take action to break the WHO code governing the marketing of breastmilk substitutes to this day. Here in Canada, they regularly contravene breastmilk substitute marketing rules. But if you don't care about that, there are other good reasons...



Nestlé and forced child labor



With an annual sales of over $65 billion, Nestlé SA is not only one of the world's largest manufacturers of chocolate products but according to Global Exchange, also the third largest exporter of cocoa from regions affected by forced child labor. As both a leading exporter of cocoa from the Ivory Coast and manufacturer of chocolate products for consumption around the world, Nestlé owes a special responsibility to consumers to ensure that its cocoa is no longer produced using forced and abusive child labor. Send a message to Nestlé to demand justice for cocoa child laborers. Click here and act now.



Nestlé and Fairtrade



Nestlé UK has announced its four-finger KitKat bar will be certified by Fairtrade in the United Kingdom and Ireland from January 2010. Fairtrade terms require buyers to commit to a minimum price of USD 1,600 a tonne but as world cocoa prices are currently (December 2009) above the price that Fairtrade certification guarantees (above USD 2,000 a tonne), there is little extra cost to the company. The UK Fairtrade certification of KitKat is a CHF 110 million initiative of Nestlé’s to show their global commitment to promote sustainable cocoa production and support farmers and cocoa farming communities in Ivory Coast through The Cocoa Plan. Two-finger KitKat bars and other Nestlé chocolate outside the scheme will continue to involve child slavery. Which raises the question, if Nestlé believes it is able to make these guarantees for the cocoa going into its Kit Kat, why has it not taken the action it promised in 2001 to end child slavery in its cocoa supply chain as a whole? And we can learn from history: when Nestlé gained a Fairtrade mark for its Partners' Blend brand of coffee, this was used in a big US-wide advertising campaign. But just 0.02% of its coffee purchase was covered by the scheme, involving 0.1% of the farmers dependent on Nestlé.



Nestlé and rainforest destruction



The Greenpeace report, "Caught Red-Handed: How Nestlé Use of Palm Oil is Destroying Rainforests and the Climate" exposes how Nestlé is sourcing palm oil from suppliers in Indonesia, which continue to expand into virgin rainforests and carbon-rich peatlands, including habitat critical for endangered orangutans. Nestlé suppliers include the controversial Sinar Mas group, Indonesia’s largest producer of palm oil. Sinar Mas is breaking Indonesian law and ignoring its commitments as a member the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Nestlé, the world’s leading food and drink company, is a major consumer of palm oil. In the last three years, its annual use has almost doubled, with 320,000 tons of palm oil going into a range of products, including some of its most popular brands. Nestlé is using palm oil from destroyed Indonesian rainforests and peatlands in popular products like Nestlé Crunch, CoffeeMate, and PowerBar.



Nestlé and Ethiopia



Global coffee giant Nestlé are demanding millions of dollars from famine stricken Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world with an average income of less than $2 a day. The Ethiopian government is urged to pay a US$6 million compensation for a business formerly owned by Nestlé Germany that had been seized by a previous military regime in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is currently facing a terrible drought which is already leaving over 11 million people facing hunger.

Kelly - posted on 04/20/2011

I boycott walmart, I fact, I've been boycotting them for so many years that I actually forgot I was doing it until Jenny mentioned it (we agree on something, Jenny!!)



As for the Nestle boycott, If you remember,in the 70's the scientific consensus was that formula was better than breast milk. Yes, the research was faulty, but the companies and people promoting it were not aware. When Nestle went to Africa and gave out free formula, they were TRYING to help, not hurt the African population (they knew the people in these countries would not be able to buy the formula, it was a charity act). When the babies began to die because of unsanitary water conditions, Nestle pulled out without realizing that they could not just switch back to breast milk. This is tragic and horrid, and if you feel a boycott is justified, I say go for it. I just feel people should know they did not intentionally kill babies as many of the boycottists would have us believe. It was a tragic mistake, of course, that level of screw up and sheer lack of foresight could be considered pretty good grounds for a boycott.





I am not sure I understand the reasons for boycotting Body Shop for selling out to L'Oreal. They specified in their contract that their products could still not be tested on animals, and they still do a lot to help less developed countries. What is so bad to selling out to a bigger company?

I sold my small company to a bigger company and my employees, clients, and I all came out better for it--my clients got lower prices and faster service, my employees all got to keep their jobs and got group health insurance and other benefits that I could have never afforded for them. It is not always a bad thing when companies merge--sometimes it is, but not always. Am I missing something?

Sherri - posted on 04/20/2011

Sorry I boycott nothing. I buy from all products probably that you guys have listed. I just can't keep up with it and therefore just don't care. I need to feed my family and I do it at the most inexpensive way possible sorry folks that is usually the big brands that most of you have listed. I try and buy from the US when at all possible. If there are two brands one from US and one from overseas and they are same price I am going with US made for sure.

Stifler's - posted on 04/20/2011

I don't boycott but Nestle sucks! I have stopped buying their shit after hearing about their formula in poor countries scam.

Jenny - posted on 04/20/2011

We are moving towards as close to the 100 mile diet as we can get so it helps cut out those crap companies from the get go. We've never been pop drinkers so Pepsi and Coke don't get a dime from me. I get my water from the tap.



We don't buy food in packages anymore. I used to love the convenience but the price it comes with is too high. I now make larger vats of natural food to allow for quick smaller meals that can be baked or fried up. I don't own a microwave.



Most of our clothes are hand me down except for footwear, socks, undies and the occasional other item like Grace's sweet winter jacket that lasted her 3 years and can be handed down to Jacob too.



We don't buy junk food except for chips which are fairly easy to source local. If we have cookies we bake them.



The reason places like WalMart are so cheap is because the cost is paid by others. A little stereo can not possibly cost 39.99 and make a profit for all of the different companies that make up the manufacturing and retail process. Think of how far each seperate part of that one item has to travel around the world. Metal, plastic, paint, rubber etc.



We don't see that part of the process on purpose. It is paid through the toxins leaking into their environments. It is paid through the slave wages other countries are forced to work for for our cheap shit in the first world. It is paid when they take our mountains of toxic waste to store on their land and ruin their environments. Have you ever seen pictures of those huge mounds of computers and cell phones? What about coffeemakers, toasters, Gladware? We may pay less money but rest assured others are paying a much higher price.



I still have a long way to go to get where I want to be (I envision riding a horse to the store in my future) but I believe it is very important to make these changes with the way our world is working. And just to be a good human being.



My favourite quote: "Every dollar you spend is a vote for what you believe in."

Kathy - posted on 04/20/2011

I boycott Nestlé. I hate that company with a passion! Not just for their unethical marketing practices for formula, but for their use of child slave labour when sourcing chocolate beans and for sourcing palm oil from unsustainable sources.



It's hard, as Nestlé owns so many companies but I feel I have no choice.



OthI have all sorts of problems with lots of other companies, too (Coke, KFC etc) but Nestlé is the main one.

ME - posted on 04/20/2011

I never shop at walmart...I buy as many products from small independent cos as I can, though I know that many of those co's wind up being bought out by larger co's. I try to support small, local businesses, which I think is equally important to boycotting major corporations and a whole lot easier! I shop at farmers markets when they are available, and, as a vegetarian, this certainly limits my purchases from major corps (all but monsanto, but they have made themselves almost unavoidable). This summer, I am going to help my parents plant a LARGE garden on their 55 acre farm, and buy as little outside of that as possible!

Rosie - posted on 04/20/2011

unilever markets a skin bleaching cream called "white beauty" over in india. for a company that promotes natural beauty as much as they do, it sure is hypocritical of them to market this product.
sure it's not like they are killing people like nestle, but hopefully if enough people complain/boycott they will take the product off the market. :)

Cathy - posted on 04/20/2011

Marina - I used to love Body Shop but to me it was just unbelievably hypocritical to sell out to L'Oreal when they were so opposed animal testing. The hypocrisy bothers me more than the animal testing.

Jenn - posted on 04/20/2011

What does Unilever do that is bad? There was a big thing in the paper here yesterday about how they are now the single largest commercial purchaser of green electricity in Canada, and the ice cream plant here in Simcoe no longer sends waste to landfill. I've never heard of bad things that they do.

Jenni - posted on 04/20/2011

I don't even see a point in buying from walmart at all anymore. They came into the market with their low low prices. Wiped out the competition. Now you walk into a walmart and everything is up in price and at par with all the smaller companies they wiped out.

Jenny - posted on 04/20/2011

I am in the process of a big lifestyle change and it allows more freedom of my boycotts. I've boycotted places like WalMart for years, they have decimated small business and do not pay livable wages which has set new standards. Not to mention enticing people to buy junk they don't need and we don't have the resources to give up for it to be made in the first place.

I have many more but have to get ready work so I'll post more later.

Jocelyn - posted on 04/20/2011

Laura imo the main company to boycott is Nestle. The condensed version is as follows:
They went to Africa, convinced the mothers to switch to their formula (because it's "better" than breast milk), by giving it out for free. Then when they left, the mothers couldn't afford to buy it, and since their milk had already dried up, the babies either died of starvation or from being fed formula mixed the un sanitary water.

http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/boyc...

~♥Little Miss - posted on 04/20/2011

I am gonna go back to something someone said earlier about the "Body Shop". I worked for them for a number of years, well before it was sold to L'Oreal. They did NOT test any of the products that went into the final product, nor did they test the final products on animals. I am sad to hear that they were bought out, but unfortunately that happens. They wrote into the contract that no products could be tested on animals.

I would still buy Body Shop products for what they stand for, and how they help communities. I am not sure if they still do this, I will have to research, but I hope they do. Such things like Community Fair Trade that gave employment to people from other countries, and "love your body" that stood against women being treated like they need to look like Barbie. They have done some wonderful things in this company, well really Anita Roddick did, and I will still buy the product for what she made the company about, and how she built it, and what she stood for.