History of Responsible Consumerism

Below is a list of successful responsible consumerism campaigns.  Please email us at theresponsibleconsumer1@gmail.com if we missed any campaigns.

Successful boycotts that have created change

Successful change cause by an ethical consumer demand

 

2016

• Driscoll Boycott wins the right for the farmworkers at Sakuma Brothers Berry Farms to Unionize
• Animal rights activist campaigns and boycotts of SeaWorld causes them to end their captive breeding of killer whales
• Due to campaigns from World Animal Protection and reporting by National Geographic’s Wildlife Watch TripAdvisor will no longer sell tickets to hundreds of tourist attractions that are widely accepted as cruel wildlife attractions.
• Due to consumer demand over 100 food companies have committed to only buying cage free eggs.

2015-2005

• In 2001 the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), launched a series of boycotts of major food retailers to signed on to the Fair Food Program agreement to improve farm conditions for Florida farm workers.  The following companies signed onto the Fair Food Program:
  • 2015 – Ahold
  • 2015 – The Fresh Market
  • 2014 – Walmart
  • 2012 – Chipotle Mexican Grill
  • 2012 – Trader Joe’s
  • 2010 – Sodexo
  • 2010 – Aramark
  • 2009 – Compass Group
  • 2009 – Bon Appétit Management Company
  • 2008 – Subway
  • 2008 – Whole Foods Market
  • 2008 – Burger King
  • 2007 – McDonalds
  • 2005 – Yum! Brands (Taco Bell)

2014

• GAP drops its fur products just days after a boycott was announced
• Due to the Detox Greenpeace campaign, Adidas has pledged to be toxics-free in its products by 2020.
• Barilla pasta reverses previously anti-gay views and becomes a strong supporter LGBTQ rights in their company due to an online petition.

2013

• Zara and GAP banned Angora Fur after shoppers threaten a boycott

• US Universities boycott any apparel companies not signed onto the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh causing Fruit of the Loom, parent company of Russell Athletic, Adidas, and other companies to sign the accord.

2012

• Due to a call for a boycott by from the US Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) Johnson & Johnson reformulated all of its baby products to remove a formaldehyde-releasing preservative.

2011

• Due to the Detox Greenpeace campaign, Nike has pledged to be toxics-free in its products by 2020.

2010

• Due to a series of PETA campaigns and boycotts major wool retailers, such as John Lewis Partnership Gap Inc, H&M, NEXT, Adidas, Abercrombie & Fitch, Liz Claiborne, Timberland, HUGO BOSS and Perry Ellis International ban any Australian wool that practices the cruel “mulesing“
• After a series of Greenpeace campaigns, Nestlé, McDonald’s, Kraft, Unilever and other corporate giants promised to cut its contracts with palm oil plantations involved in deforestation.
• Due to the United Students Against Sweatshops campaign that led to 96 US colleges severing their contracts with Fruit of the Loom, parent company of Russell Athletic, due to closing a Honduran Factory because it unionize, Fruit of the Loom re-opened the Honduran factory, gave all 1,200 employees their jobs back, awarded them $2.5 million in compensation and restored all union rights.

2009

• Due to Greenpeace campaign and boycotts, Kimberly who owns brands such as Kleenex, Scott, and Cottonelle, will stop sourcing old growth forests for their paper products and will increase recycle paper sourcing.

2008

• Due to a campaign success from the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops and the Chinese Staff and Workers Association Donna Karan and the DKNY brand came to a settlement with their workers over their claims of discrimination and failure to pay minimum wages or overtime.

2005

• Following campaigns by Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) Snow+Rock and Inditex Group, which owned fashion chain Zara, announced they would no longer be selling real fur garments.

2004

• Due to the Dogwood Alliance and ForestEthics campaigns, Staples and Office Depot pledged to achieve an average of 30% post consumer recycled content across all paper products, phase out purchases of paper products from endangered forests, create an environmental affairs division and to report annually on its environmental results.
• In response to a three-year Animal Aid campaign, Focus pledged to end the sale of all animals, including fish, in its stores throughout the UK.
• Marine campaign group Oceana’s boycott of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd led to the company installing Advanced Wastewater Purification technology (AWP) on all its ships.

2003

• In 2003 Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace organized nonviolence protests that included a sex strike. Their actions led to peace in Liberia after a 14‑year civil war and the election of the country’s first female head of state.
  • Read more about other sex strikes at this link.

2002

• Due to a four year boycott run by the National Anti-Hunt Campaign (NAHC),  John Lewis’ ended its staff pheasant shoots and closed company’s Shooting Club.

2000

• Due to the “Mitsubishi: Don’t Buy It” Campaign,  Mitsubishi pulled out of an industrial salt project in Mexico for environmental reasons. The project to extract salt from sea water in evaporation ponds was to be located in a World Heritage Site – the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve. Potentially covering 116 square miles, it threatened a breeding ground for whales and other endangered species.

1990s

• Over 2 decades of boycotts against Nike has caused Nike to admit to the injustices and sweatshop conditions in their supply chain and to implement many different measures to monitor and reduce these injustices with mix results but overall improvements.

1998

• The Rainforest Action Network Boycott of Mitsubishi for logging Tasmanian Old Growth Forest resulted in two American Mitsubishi companies banning old growth paper products in 1998 and eventually Mitsubishi moved from sourcing old growth paper products in 2005

1984

• International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) and Save the Children created a boycott campaign against Nestle due to their promotion of infant formula over breastfeeding in less economically developed countries which has led to health problems and deaths among infants.  Although Nestle has not stopped their promotion of baby formula to this day, in 1984 the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes was created by in direct result to these boycott campaigns, which has been adopted in laws in over 60 countries to protect them from Nestle.

1973–1995

• Series of boycotts of Coors for discrimination hiring practices against women, Hispanics, Black people, LGBTQ and pro union people.  These boycotts produce several victories preventing Coors from discriminating against anyone, allowing workers to vote for union representation and same-sex partner benefits.

1960s–1990

• International Divestment Campaign helped to abolish Apartheid in South Africa.

1970

• United Farm Workers Delano Grape Strike and Boycott giving grape growers the right to unionize, granting workers better pay and protections. 

1956

• Montgomery bus boycott wins forcing the Alabama and Montgomery laws requiring segregated buses to be unconstitutional

1914-1947

• Gandhi organized Indians to boycott British goods and buy Indian goods, which helped to revitalise local economies in India and also became a powerful form of disobedience undermining British Rule.

1880

• Captain Charles Boycott was a land owner in Ireland who tried to evict tenants who couldn’t pay his high rent.  The tenants organized and his employees stopped working, local businesses wouldn’t take his money, and even the postman wouldn’t deliver his mail which eventually forced Captain Boycott to move away, making his name synonymous with modern boycotts.

1770

• American boycott of British goods successfully repealed all the harsh taxes of the Townshend Acts except the tea tax which eventually lead to the American Revolution.

 

Please email us at theresponsibleconsumer1@gmail.com if we missed any campaigns.