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Boycotts List

Boycotts

We view boycotts as a vitally important extension of our formal democracy. Here is a comprehensive list of current boycott calls from campaigning groups around the world.

From combatting human rights abuses to protecting animal rights, boycotts exert economic pressure on some of the biggest companies to change their practices. They have seen repeated successes and played an important role in ethical consumption since the movement to boycott South African products during the Apartheid in the 1980s. 

The boycotts on this list are led by over a dozen organisations, including the BDS movement (which campaigns against Israeli apartheid), Peta (targeting animal exploitation), and our own campaign against Amazon's prolific tax avoidance. 

Inclusion in the list does not necessarily mean endorsement by Ethical Consumer. If you would like to suggest a boycott for inclusion please contact us.

You can support our work compiling and maintaining this list by subscribing to our magazine and website. Gift subscriptions include sponsorship of an organic olive sapling in Palestine. You can also subscribe to our free email newsletter.

Can you boycott an entire country? And should you?

Ahava

Image: Ahava Stolen Beauty Boycott

Several campaign groups have called for a boycott of Ahava due to its involvement in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. 

In 2009 CODEPINK, the US women's anti-war movement, launched the 'Stolen Beauty' campaign targeting Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories. The campaign saw coordinated actions in countries such as Palestine, the US, UK, Netherlands, South Africa, and France.

In 2016 the campaign appeared to have some success - Ahava announced it would be opening a new manufacturing plant outside of the West Bank and within Israel’s pre-1967 borders, which many hoped signalled the company would fully withdraw from settlements.

However, it appears that Ahava did not close down the existing plant and as such continues to operate illegally on Palestinian land. 

The BDS National Committee continues to call for a boycott of Ahava, stating “Ahava cosmetics has its production site, visitor center and main store in an illegal Israeli settlement.”

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Ahava.

@AHAVA_Dead_Sea

Airbnb

Airbnb logo

According to the BDS National Committee, "Airbnb (US), Booking.com (Netherlands) and Expedia (US) all offer rentals in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land."

Airbnb had previously committed to removing rentals from settlements, but due to pressure it reversed its decision. Read more on the BDS website

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Airbnb.

BDS National Committee

Amazon

Amazon logo

A post on the BDS National Committee website dated 5 January 2024 listed Amazon as a 'pressure target', calling for boycotts of the company if people were able to find viable alternatives. 

The organisation stated "In May 2021, as the Israeli military bombed homes, clinics, and schools in Gaza and threatened to push Palestinian families from their homes in occupied Jerusalem, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud signed a $1.22 billion contract to provide cloud technology to the Israeli government and military. By supporting Israeli apartheid with vital technologies, Amazon and Google are directly implicated in its entire system of oppression, including its unfolding genocide in Gaza."

Read more about the #NoTechForApartheid campaign, which is a project run by MPOWER CHANGE (a Muslim grassroots movement) and Jewish Voice for Peace.

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Amazon.

Amazon

Image: Boycott Amazon tax avoidance

Ethical Consumer has called for a boycott of Amazon over its outrageous tax avoidance since 2012. And tax isn’t the only reason for the boycott call – Amazon’s poor record when it comes to workers’ rights and environmental impacts are also reasons for the boycott.

In September 2021, Amazon – which has a market value of £1.5 trillion – released its tax figures for the previous year. Its key arm in the UK, Amazon UK Services, paid just £3.8 million more in corporation tax than in 2019 despite sales rising by £1.9 billion. Profits increased to £128 million.

Amazon has also come to dominate many online markets globally. Amazon’s monopoly supports staggering inequalities: between March and September 2020, at a time when most businesses were struggling, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos saw his personal wealth increase so much that he could have given all 876,000 Amazon employees a bonus of $105,000 and be as wealthy as he was pre-pandemic.

You can use your spending power to send Amazon a clear message.

Read more about Ethical Consumer’s boycott of Amazon on our detailed page.

@amazon

AXA

Boycott AXA

The BDS National Committee is calling for a boycott of AXA. It says "Insurance giant AXA (France) invests in Israeli banks financing war crimes and the theft of Palestinian land and natural resources. When Russia invaded Ukraine, AXA took targeted measures against it. Yet, Axa has taken no action against Israel, a 75-year-old regime of settler-colonialism and apartheid, despite its ongoing genocidal war on Gaza."

It claims that 10,000 people and over 230 organisations have signed the pledge to boycott AXA. Among the campaign's activities include holding an AXA Global Day of Action on 25 April 2022, seeing supporters globally contacting AXA Customer Services to demand the company end its complicity in Israeli apartheid.

Multiple organisations are campaigning against AXA worldwide, including Coalition Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli Apartheid, which commissioned a report into the links between AXA and Israeli banks in 2021.

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Axa.

@axainsurance

Barclays Bank

Stop banking on genocide: boycott Barclays

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is calling for a boycott of Barclays bank, claiming that its research found that Barclays invests over £1billion in arms companies supplying Israel with weapons and military technology.

PSC says "Barclays is bankrolling Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians through its financial ties with arms companies that sell weapons to Israel. We’re calling on all concerned people to boycott all Barclays services until the bank ends its complicity in Israel’s attacks on Palestinians. In order for your boycott action to be effective, Barclays NEEDS TO KNOW that you are boycotting it, and to know why".

It called for a mass account closure on 9 February 2024, and invites people without Barclays accounts to email the company saying why you choose not to bank with them. 

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Barclays.

@PSCupdates

Beko (Koç Holdings)

Turkey flag symbol with military figures in silhouette

The UK Boycott Turkey campaign is asking consumers to boycott Beko and Grundig, which it says are intricately tied up with the Turkish state. 

It states that "The current regime in Turkey is quick to imprison political opponents who criticise the state or its assaults on Kurds. Academics, journalists and elected politicians are routinely jailed for using their right to free speech.

Both Beko and Grundig are owned by Arçelik AS, which is 57% owned by Koç Holding AS.  The Koç group is a major Turkish conglomerate which plays a central role in the Turkish economy. It has a long history of links to the Turkish state, in particular through the Koç group company Otokar which manufactures products for the military. 

Read more about the Turkey boycott call here.

Booking.com

Booking.com

The BDS National Committee is calling for a boycott of Booking.com, as it offers rentals in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land. 

The campaign group says "we call on Booking.com to abide by its moral and legal duty to stop facilitating all rentals in illegal Israeli settlements. By continuing to rent property built on stolen Palestinian land, including in occupied East Jerusalem, Booking.com is profiting from apartheid Israel’s war crimes and supporting its relentless ethnic cleansing of Indigenous Palestinians."

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Booking.com.

BDS National Committee

Burger King

Burger King logo

The BDS National Committee says McDonald’s, Burger King, Papa John’s and Pizza Hut "are now being targeted in some countries by grassroots organic boycott campaigns, not initiated by the BDS movement. BDS supports these boycott campaigns because these companies, or their branches or franchisees in Israel, have openly supported apartheid Israel and/or provided generous in-kind donations to the Israeli military amid the current genocide."

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Burger King.

@McDonaldsUK

Chevron

Chevron logo

In October 2022 the BDS National Committee (BNC) called for a boycott of Chevron, stating that it “calls on supporters of Palestinian rights worldwide to join climate justice movements in holding Chevron and Siemens accountable for helping to fuel environmental destruction and Israeli apartheid”.

The BNC stated that Chevron had been the main international actor extracting gas claimed by Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean since 2020, and that it was therefore implicated in Israel’s “practice of depriving the Palestinian people of their right to sovereignty over their natural resources”.

It also stated that this makes Chevron complicit in Israel’s siege of Gaza. It stated that Israel illegally transfers fossil gas to Egypt through a submarine pipeline, “owing Palestinians millions in transit fees”.

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Chevron / Texaco.

Coca-Cola

Image: Coca cola

The #NotInMyFridge campaign by Friends of Al Aqsa (FOA) calls for a boycott of Coca-Cola because it profits from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It states, “Coca-Cola's violates international law by operating in Atarot illegal Israeli settlement.”

It continues, "Central Bottling Company (CBC) is an Israeli manufacturer and distributor of soft drinks, dairy products and alcoholic beverages. Coca-Cola profits from the occupation by working with CBC which sells its drinks in Israel. CBC has a Coca-Cola factory in Atarot illegal Israeli settlement. Israeli settlements are built on land stolen from Palestinians and are illegal under international law. By having it’s Israeli franchise in illegal settlements, Coca-Cola ignores international law and profits from the illegal occupation."

FOA is calling for a boycott of Coca-Cola until it cuts ties with CBC.

@cocacola

Coconut milk from Thailand

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    Animal Rights
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Monkey chained up

Peta is urging consumers to boycott canned coconut milk from Thailand. Investigations by PETA Asia documented the "rampant use and abuse of monkeys" in the Thai coconut industry, revealing that "terrified young monkeys are kept chained, abusively trained, and forced to climb trees to pick coconuts used to make canned coconut milk." 

Peta says the Thai government and industry insiders claim that monkeys are no longer used to make goods for export, but PETA Asia’s investigation confirms that abuse of primates is still going unchecked. 

According to Peta, "Since the Thai coconut industry continues to lie, the best thing consumers can do to help the monkeys it abuses is to avoid canned coconut milk from Thailand."

Crufts

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    Animal Rights
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Image: PETA Crufts boycott pug breathing

PETA are calling on Channel 4 to stop airing Crufts. The BBC dropped the show after revelations about ill, inbred animals, and the RSPCA refuses to attend it. The culture of breeding has serious health implications for the dogs involved on the show. PETA claims:

With its obsession with "purity of breed", Crufts popularises grossly exaggerated features in animals and awards prizes to dogs whose physical abnormalities make it impossible for them to lead a happy life – pugs with pushed-in faces who can barely breathe, Cavalier King Charles spaniels whose brains are too big for their skulls and bulldogs who can't even mate without assistance, to name just a few examples.

The campaign says that this culture of breeding also have wider implication for canine welfare, pointing out that breeders may receive thousand of pounds for pedigree puppies with a low quality of life, while many healthy dogs remain in animal shelters. 

In March 2022 PETA slammed the competition as a “grotesque charade”. It is asking its supporters to contact Channel 4 and ask it to stop airing the show.

@Crufts

Disney

Boycott Captain America New World Order

The BDS National Committee and several other organisations, including Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), are calling for a boycott of Disney. 

It says "Palestinian cultural organizations, including theaters and performing arts centers, are calling for “widespread boycotts” of Captain America: New World Order, unless Marvel drops its superhero Sabra AKA Ruth Bat-Seraph, who “personifies” apartheid Israel...

"Pointing to the character’s backstory in Marvel comics that includes working for apartheid Israel’s government and occupation forces, the signatories say that “by reviving this racist character in any form, Marvel is promoting Israel’s brutal oppression of Palestinians.”"

The film looks set to release in early 2025. 

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Disney.

BDS National Committee

Ecover

ecover bottle

Naturewatch Foundation launched a boycott call against Ecover in April 2018, over the brand's links to companies that test products on animals. In December 2017, Ecover and its sister company Method were purchased by SC Johnson, a US company that openly admits to testing on animals and owns other non Naturewatch-endorsed household cleaning brands such as Duck, Shout, Glade, Pledge and Windex.

In January 2023 campaign manager for Animal Experiments at Naturewatch, Natalie Harney, said:

We commend method and Ecover for their personal commitments to being cruelty free, but sadly they've failed to use their influence on their parent company, SC Johnson. For as long as these - and any other brands - maintain direct or indirect links to animal testing, we'll urge compassionate shoppers to leave their products out of their basket.

The boycott has since seen some success with Ecover and Method committing to use their influence to convince SC Johnson to go cruelty-free. However, SC Johnson is yet to do so, and Naturewatch Foundation is asking compassionate consumers to boycott all SC Johnson brands, including Ecover and Method, until the entire company is cruelty-free. Read more about the boycott.

@EcoverUK

eToro

etoro logo

The organisation Tech for Palestine is calling for a boycott of investment platform eToro, as part of its project 'Israeli Tech Alternatives'. An article on The Hindu website states "A group of more than 40 technologists have banded together and created the ‘Tech for Palestine’ initiative to show their support to Palestine and boycott tech products linked to Israel."

The campaign group says "Our short-term goal is to normalize and enable tech folks to speak up for the people of Palestine. Our main goal is to shift the Overton Window, and make it easier to speak up for Palestinian humanity and freedom".

In 2021, the group Qatar Youth Opposed to Normalisation (QAYON) also called for a boycott of eToro, accusing it of complicity in the occupation of Palestine. 

eToro was originally founded in Israel, and appears to have offices and staff based in Tel Aviv. While eToro is not an official BDS National Committee target, one of the company's investment portfolios feature Hewlett Packard and Chevron, both of which are subject to a official BDS boycott call.

Expedia

Expedia logo

The BDS National Committee is calling for a boycott of travel booking company Expedia, stating that Expedia (US) offers rentals in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land. Other travel booking companies such as Airbnb and Booking.com are also boycotted for this reason.

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Expedia.

BDS National Committee

Fox News

Fox News Boycott

Fox News faces a boycott call over its hate speech and fake news. TrueUSA is calling on all advertisers to boycott the news corporation, and consumers to boycott brands that continue advertising with it. It says:

We’re demanding integrity from the brands to which we give our money. Fox News has proven itself again and again, from birtherism to the vile Seth Rich smear to the demonizing of Black Lives Matter, to be the most powerful outlet for hate, fear, and propaganda in America.

TrueUSA is asking supporters to:

  • Choose one Fox News sponsor to boycott
  • Contact the brand telling them you’re boycotting them until they drop support of Fox News
  • Post about this on social media.

@FoxNews

Get Your Guide

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    Animal Rights
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Get Your Guide

World Animal Protection is calling for a boycott of Get Your Guide.

The campaign group says "Many of the world’s leading travel companies are exploiting animals for profit by continuing to sell tickets to captive wildlife attractions, such as dolphin shows or elephant encounters. By offering tickets, booking sites are maintaining public demand for captive wildlife experiences and misleading travelers to believe these activities are acceptable or even beneficial for animals, when in fact they are cruel and cause lifelong harm."

It is running pledge that people can sign to show they are boycotting GetYourGuide, Groupon, TUI/Musement, and Trip.com.

World Animal Protection says that these brands "have refused to stop selling captive wildlife entertainment. Until they decide to implement a robust animal welfare policy and stop selling animal cruelty, we will not support their business."

@GetYourGuide

Google

Google logo

A post on the BDS National Committee website dated 5 January 2024 listed Google as a 'pressure target', calling for boycotts of the company if people were able to find viable alternatives. 

The organisation stated "In May 2021, as the Israeli military bombed homes, clinics, and schools in Gaza and threatened to push Palestinian families from their homes in occupied Jerusalem, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud signed a $1.22 billion contract to provide cloud technology to the Israeli government and military. By supporting Israeli apartheid with vital technologies, Amazon and Google are directly implicated in its entire system of oppression, including its unfolding genocide in Gaza."

Read more about the #NoTechForApartheid campaign, which is a project run by MPOWER CHANGE (a Muslim grassroots movement) and Jewish Voice for Peace.

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Google.

Groupon

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    Animal Rights
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Groupon logo

World Animal Protection is calling for a boycott of Groupon.

The campaign group says "Many of the world’s leading travel companies are exploiting animals for profit by continuing to sell tickets to captive wildlife attractions, such as dolphin shows or elephant encounters. By offering tickets, booking sites are maintaining public demand for captive wildlife experiences and misleading travelers to believe these activities are acceptable or even beneficial for animals, when in fact they are cruel and cause lifelong harm."

It is running pledge that people can sign to show they are boycotting Groupon, GetYourGuide, TUI/Musement, and Trip.com.

World Animal Protection says that these brands "have refused to stop selling captive wildlife entertainment. Until they decide to implement a robust animal welfare policy and stop selling animal cruelty, we will not support their business."

@Groupon_UK

Grundig (Koç Holdings)

Turkey flag symbol with military figures in silhouette

The UK Boycott Turkey campaign is asking consumers to boycott Beko and Grundig, which it says are intricately tied up with the Turkish state. 

It states that "The current regime in Turkey is quick to imprison political opponents who criticise the state or its assaults on Kurds. Academics, journalists and elected politicians are routinely jailed for using their right to free speech.

Both Beko and Grundig are owned by Arçelik AS, which is 57% owned by Koç Holding AS.  The Koç group is a major Turkish conglomerate which plays a central role in the Turkish economy. It has a long history of links to the Turkish state, in particular through the Koç group company Otokar which manufactures products for the military. 

Read more about the Turkey boycott call here.

Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Image: HP Boycott

The Palestinian human rights movement Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is calling for a boycott of HP-branded corporations. These provide services to the Israeli police and prison services.

According to the Who Profits? website HPE was once again contracted to maintain servers for the Israeli Police until 2023.

In April 2022 the BDS National Committee called for an escalation of campaigns against HP.

View our list of ethical alternative brands to HP.

@HPE

Israeli dates

The header #BoycottIsraeliDates, with images of 6 Israeli date brand logos below

American Muslims for Palestine have a long-running boycott call against Israeli date exporters, in response to the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel.

The campaign says that dates are regularly grown in illegal Israeli settlements. It urges people to buy dates that are not sourced from settlements, stating “Palestinian dates are often labeled “Grown in Palestine,” and there are a plethora of Algerian, Tunisian, Emirati, and Californian varieties to choose from.”

Read more about its 2023 boycott campaign.

@MehadrinTnuport

Israeli produce in supermarkets

Image: Boycott Israeli Apartheid

The BDS movement is led by Palestinian civil society, and based on the 2005 Call for “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel Until it Complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights”, which was endorsed by more than 170 Palestinian civil society networks and groups.

BDS describes itself as "a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity."

Israel is occupying and colonising Palestinian land, discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the BDS call urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law.

The campaign has successfully persuaded governments, churches and banks to divest from companies involved in Israeli occupation, or which are operating in Israeli settlements in Palestine. 

The BDS National Committee says "Boycott produce from Israel in your supermarket and demand their removal from shelves. Beyond being part of a trade that fuels Israel’s apartheid economy, Israeli fruits, vegetables, and wines misleadingly labeled as “Product of Israel” often include products of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land. Israeli companies do not distinguish between the two, and neither should consumers." Read more about BDS.

BDS National Committee

JCB

JCB logo

The BDS National Committee says "Machinery from HD Hyundai (South Korea), Volvo (Sweden/China), CAT (US), and JCB (UK) has been used by Israel in the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians through the destruction of their homes, farms, and businesses, as well as the construction of illegal settlements on land stolen from them, a war crime under international law."

It is targeting JCB through a divestment campaign calling for governments, institutions, investment funds, city councils, and so on to divest from Volvo and exclude it from procurement contracts and investments. 

@JCBmachines

Kellogg's

Image: Kellogg's GMO boycott

GMO-Free USA has called a boycott of Kellogg's over the company's use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

The campaign also criticises Kellogg’s cereals for containing the cancer causing weed killer glyphosate. The cereal was proven to contain one of the highest levels of the chemical out of leading cereal brands in a 2018 investigation by the Environmental Working Group.

In December 2022 the campaign group posted on its Facebook page, “Boycott Kellogg's GMOs”.

A Kellogg’s spokesperson commented “Our food is safe … The Environmental Protection Agency sets strict standards for safe levels of these agricultural residues and the ingredients we purchase from suppliers for our foods fall under these limits”.

@KelloggsUK

L'Oréal

Image: L'Oreal Boycott

Naturewatch Foundation has a long-standing boycott of L'Oréal 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. It has also been criticised for lobbying against an EU ban on animal testing for cosmetics.

The company has a history of defending animal testing. In 2003, L'Oréal was also reported to be part of the European Federation for Cosmetics Ingredients, a coalition of 70 European cosmetics companies. The organisation launched a legal challenge in the European Courts against the EU's ban on animal testing for cosmetics. 

In January 2023 campaign manager for Animal Experiments at Naturewatch, Natalie Harney, said:

“Our boycott of L'Oreal still stands. They have some great PR on their website about how they've contributed to the development of alternative methods, and that's all good work. But they still don't categorically reject animal testing. There's really no excuse for that – so many companies are able to produce fantastic products that are truly cruelty free. It's about time L'Oreal, which is the biggest cosmetics company in the world, caught up.”

Naturewatch Foundation has organised protests and other actions against L'Oréal.

@Loreal

Made in China

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    Human Rights
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Made in China boycott

The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) have launched a Global Movement to Boycott Made in China, "to raise awareness about the atrocities committed by the Communist Party of China." The movement outlines four key reasons for the boycott call.

  1. Human rights abuses: "When we buy good manufactured in Communist China, we are innocently contributing to a system that imprisons and oppresses anyone who speaks out".
  2. Supporting China's military build up: "Every time a consumer buys a product that is 'Made in China' that money helps finance what is essentially the most rapid build up of an expansionist and aggressive totalitarian regime. In fact, thousands of factories and sweatshops are directly owned and operated by the CCP military."
  3. Outbreak of Coronavirus: "China hid facts, destroyed evidence and thus deprived the international community of crucial information during the critical initial period."
  4. Intrusion of Chinese troops onto Indian soil: in the Galwan Valley, which resulted in the killing of 20 Indian soldiers.

Tibetan civil society organisations have previously called for a boycott of products made in China in protest against the conditions in which some Chinese manufactured goods are made, "by the millions of prisoners in China's forced labour camps."

McDonald's

McDonald's 'm' logo

The BDS National Committee says that since October 2023 when violence broke out in the region, grassroots calls for a boycott of McDonald's have grown, and that it too now supports the boycott call. 

It states that McDonald's "Israel franchisee donated meals and beverages to Israeli military personnel committing the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and promoted this extremely provocative and racist form of complicity on their social media channels."

It also says that McDonald's Malaysia has sued the organisation BDS Malaysia, claiming that it made false and defamatory statements about it seeking to damage its business, because it allegedly linked McDonald's to Israel's "genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza"."

The BDS National Committee says it is calling for an escalation of the global boycott of McDonald's "until it ends ties with Israeli franchisee for supporting genocide, and Malaysian franchisee for bullying solidarity activists."

View our list of ethical alternative brands to McDonald's.

BDS National Committee

Method

Two bottles of cleaning products from Method

Naturewatch Foundation launched a boycott call against Method in April 2018, over the company's links to companies that test products on animals. In December 2017, Method and its sister company Ecover were purchased by SC Johnson, a US company that openly admits to testing on animals and owns other non Naturewatch-endorsed household cleaning brands such as Duck, Shout, Glade, Pledge and Windex.

In January 2023 campaign manager for Animal Experiments at Naturewatch, Natalie Harney, said:

We commend method and Ecover for their personal commitments to being cruelty free, but sadly they've failed to use their influence on their parent company, SC Johnson. For as long as these - and any other brands - maintain direct or indirect links to animal testing, we'll urge compassionate shoppers to leave their products out of their basket.

The boycott has since seen some success with Ecover and Method committing to use their influence to convince SC Johnson to go cruelty-free. However, SC Johnson is yet to do so, and Naturewatch Foundation is asking compassionate consumers to boycott all SC Johnson brands, including Ecover and Method, until the entire company is cruelty-free. Read more about the Method boycott in our feature article.

@methoduk

Mitie

Image of woman holding sign saying "Sanctuary not detention"

Women for Refugee Women and the End Detention group are calling for a boycott of Mitie over its involvement in running immigration detention centres in the UK.

They state "Immigration detention is extremely harmful and retraumatising. The majority of women in detention are survivors of rape, trafficking and torture. They have come to the UK seeing safety and instead are locked up in detention, causing long-lasting damage to their mental health."

Mitie runs Derwentside in County Durham, Colnbrook and Harmondsworth, near Heathrow, and Dungavel, in Scotland.

Serious issues have been raised in the detention centres Mitie run. In Manston, concerns of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions were raised, and, a man died following an outbreak of diphtheria. In Derwentside, HMI Prisons found that vulnerable women at risk of self-harm or suicide failed to receive consistent or well-organised care. They also found male guards were being used to observe women on ‘suicide watch’, despite this practice having been banned by the Home Office in 2016.

Read more about the boycott of Mitie.

Nestlé

Image: IBFAN Nestle Boycott

Nestlé has been the subject of boycott calls around the world since the 1970s for its irresponsible marketing of baby milk formula. It is accused of "contributing to the unnecessary death and suffering of infants" through its aggressive marketing practices, which promote baby milk formula as a superior option to breastfeeding despite evidence to the contrary.

The use of formula has been linked to many issues: from increased prevalence of water-borne diseases, where parents do not have access to clean drinking water, to poverty and malnutrition, due to its high cost. As a result, the World Health Assembly has written a strict International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes. Campaign group Baby Milk Action continues to call for a boycott of the company.

Nestlé also faces a boycott call from indigenous rights organisation the Lakota People's Law Project over its extraction of scarce water sources. The organisations say that Nestlé continues "to pump millions of litres of water from watersheds" despite serious droughts in recent years, and "to act beyond the boundaries of ecological protection and basic human dignity."

@Nestle

Papa John's

Papa Johns logo

The BDS National Committee says McDonald’s, Burger King, Papa John’s and Pizza Hut "are now being targeted in some countries by grassroots organic boycott campaigns, not initiated by the BDS movement. BDS supports these boycott campaigns because these companies, or their branches or franchisees in Israel, have openly supported apartheid Israel and/or provided generous in-kind donations to the Israeli military amid the current genocide."

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Papa John's.

@PapaJohnsUK

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut logo

The BDS National Committee says McDonald’s, Burger King, Papa John’s and Pizza Hut "are now being targeted in some countries by grassroots organic boycott campaigns, not initiated by the BDS movement. BDS supports these boycott campaigns because these companies, or their branches or franchisees in Israel, have openly supported apartheid Israel and/or provided generous in-kind donations to the Israeli military amid the current genocide."

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Pizza Hut.

@pizzahutuk

Puma

Puma logo

The Boycott Puma campaign was launched by Palestinian athletes in 2018 after 200 Palestinian sports clubs sent a letter to the company urging it to end its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA). The IFA includes teams based in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories. 

According to the BDS National Committee, "In a major BDS win in December 2023, PUMA leaked news to the media that it will not be renewing its IFA contract when it expires in December 2024. Until then, it is still complicit, so we continue to #BoycottPUMA until it finally ends its complicity in apartheid."

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Puma.

@BDSmovement

Russia

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    Oppressive Regimes
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Russian flag with three horizontal stripes, white on top, blue in middle, red on bottom

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for an international trade embargo. On March 7th Zelensky called for “a boycott of Russian exports, in particular the rejection of oil and oil products from Russia.”

Ukraine’s Culture Minister once again called for a boycott of Russia in December 2022.

The Yale School of Management has kept an up-to-date list of companies that have withdrawn from Russia. Over 1000 companies have curtailed operations in Russia, including Airbnb, Asda, Asos, BlackRock, BP, eBay, Netflix, Sainsbury’s, and Spotify to name a few.

At least 30 international sporting federations have also joined the boycott including FIFA, football's global governing body. In addition, a wide range of education, science and research collaborations with Russian institutions have been paused or otherwise affected.

Read more about the Russia boycott in our feature, or on boycottrussia.info or Putin100.org.

Sabra Hummus

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Image: boycott sabra hummus bds

In the US, the Sabra hummus brand is part-owned by The Strauss Group (along with PepsiCo). The Strauss Group is Israel's second biggest food company and has been identified as a target of the BDS movement, which stated: Sabra hummus is a joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, an Israeli food company that provides financial support to the Israel Defense Forces." Campaigners for Palestinian human rights continue to push for the boycott. For example, in February 2022 Harvard University students held a rally calling on the university to stop serving Sabra hummus in its dining halls.

Sabra Hummus sold in the UK is labelled as 'Produce of Israel', but it's got a different owner: Osem UK Ltd, which is ultimately owned by Nestle. As such, even though it's not clear whether Sabra UK is linked to Israeli apartheid, it's still featured on our boycotts list because other campaign groups are calling for human-rights related boycotts of its owner Nestle.

We'll add more information about whether there is a boycott call of Sabra in the UK from the BDS movement when more information becomes available. 

@Sabra

Siemens

Siemens logo

In October 2022 the BDS National Committee (BNC) called for a boycott of Siemens, stating that it “calls on supporters of Palestinian rights worldwide to join climate justice movements in holding Chevron and Siemens accountable for helping to fuel environmental destruction and Israeli apartheid”.

One of the reasons for the boycott call is that Siemens won a new contract to connect Israel’s electricity grid with that of the EU (the EuroAsia Interconnector project). It stated that if this contract was implemented it would contribute to the maintenance and expansion of Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

It stated “Since these settlements constitute a war crime and have been condemned as a flagrant violation of international law in resolutions by the UN and the EU, the EU and Siemens are violating their respective IHL and human rights obligations by promoting and financing this project”.

The BNC is calling for global consumer boycotts and divestment campaigns until Siemens terminates its business involvement with the EuroAsia Interconnector.

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Siemens.

SodaStream

Image: Boycott Sodastream BDS

SodaStream has long faced a boycott call over its “complicity in Israel’s grave violations of Palestinian human rights”, according to the BDS movement.

Sodastream faced a global boycott call due to owning a factory in the illegally occupied West Bank. In 2015 after intense public pressure Sodastream closed this factory and left the West Bank.

However, following this success, the BDS movement clarified that it continued to call for a boycott of Sodastream, claiming that its factory in the Nagaq was complicit in the displacement of indigenous Bedoin-Palestinians. BDS also stated, “SodaStream's mistreatment of and discrimination against Palestinian workers is not forgotten either.”

The BDS National Committee told Ethical Consumer:

“Far from reducing its direct contribution to human rights abuses, SodaStream’s factory in the Rahat area in the Naqab (Negev) amounts to conscious participation in Israel’s plans to ethnically cleanse tens of thousands of Bedouin Palestinian citizens of Israel from their ancestral lands.”

In August 2018 Sodastream became part-owned by PepsiCo. The boycott of Sodastream continues.

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Sodastream.

@SodaStreamUK

Starbucks

Starbucks logo with skeleton. Text saying boycott starbucks boycott nestle.

The Lakota People's Law Project Action Center is calling for a boycott of Starbucks due to its relationship with Nestle (see entry for Nestle in this list). 

It states "coffee empire Starbucks has struck a multibillion dollar deal with Nestle. We ask you to join the movement to #BoycottStarbucks, #BoycottNestle, and boycott all of their products."

It claims that Nestle profits from water theft, habitat destruction, child slavery and plastic pollution, saying the coffee brand should be boycotted because "Nestle and Starbucks have a global marketing alliance, in which Nestle has distribution rights outside Starbucks stores". 

@Starbucks

Texaco

Texaco garage

The Texico brand, and its petrol stations, are owned by Chevron. 

According to the BDS National Committee, "US fossil fuel multinational Chevron is the main corporation extracting gas claimed by apartheid Israel in the East Mediterranean. Chevron generates billions in revenues, strengthening Israel’s war chest and apartheid system, exacerbating the climate crisis and Gaza siege, and is complicit in depriving the Palestinian people of their right to sovereignty over their natural resources. Chevron has thousands of retail gas stations around the world under the Chevron, Caltex, and Texaco brand names."

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Chevron / Texaco.

BDS National Committee

Trip.com

trip.com logo

World Animal Protection is calling for a boycott of Trip.com.

The campaign group says "Many of the world’s leading travel companies are exploiting animals for profit by continuing to sell tickets to captive wildlife attractions, such as dolphin shows or elephant encounters. By offering tickets, booking sites are maintaining public demand for captive wildlife experiences and misleading travelers to believe these activities are acceptable or even beneficial for animals, when in fact they are cruel and cause lifelong harm."

It is running pledge that people can sign to show they are boycotting Trip.com, Groupon, GetYourGuide and TUI/Musement.

World Animal Protection says that these brands "have refused to stop selling captive wildlife entertainment. Until they decide to implement a robust animal welfare policy and stop selling animal cruelty, we will not support their business."

trip.com

Tui

Tui logo

World Animal Protection is calling for a boycott of Tui Group.

The campaign group says "Many of the world’s leading travel companies are exploiting animals for profit by continuing to sell tickets to captive wildlife attractions, such as dolphin shows or elephant encounters. By offering tickets, booking sites are maintaining public demand for captive wildlife experiences and misleading travelers to believe these activities are acceptable or even beneficial for animals, when in fact they are cruel and cause lifelong harm."

It is running pledge that people can sign to show they are boycotting TUI, GetYourGuide, Groupon and Trip.com.

World Animal Protection says that these brands "have refused to stop selling captive wildlife entertainment. Until they decide to implement a robust animal welfare policy and stop selling animal cruelty, we will not support their business."

@TUIGroup

Turkey

Country of Turkey outline in red with flag symbol

The UK Boycott Turkey states "The current regime in Turkey is quick to imprison political opponents who criticise the state or its assaults on Kurds. Academics, journalists and elected politicians are routinely jailed for using their right to free speech."

UK Boycott Turkey is asking consumers to avoid supporting the Turkish government by avoiding taking holidays to Turkey. Turkish holding companies own travel companies and hotels also own arms companies. 

Consumers can also boycott the brands that are "intricately tied up with the regime", primarily Beko and Grundig under Koç Holdings. They make a range of white goods such as fridges and freezers, cookers, and washing machines.

Read more about the Turkey boycott call here.

Volvo

Volvo

The BDS National Committee says "Machinery from HD Hyundai (South Korea), Volvo (Sweden/China), CAT (US), and JCB (UK) has been used by Israel in the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians through the destruction of their homes, farms, and businesses, as well as the construction of illegal settlements on land stolen from them, a war crime under international law."

It is targeting Volvo through a divestment campaign calling for governments, institutions, investment funds, city councils, and so on to divest from Volvo and exclude it from procurement contracts and investments. 

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Volvo.

BDS National Committee

Wendy's

Image: Wendy's workers rights boycott

US fast food chain Wendy’s, which has some branches in the UK, has long faced criticism for refusing to join the Fair Food Program. 

The Fair Food Program was set up by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to address the rampant exploitation of workers in the Florida tomato industry. Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway, Taco Bell and KFC all joined the programme over a decade ago but Wendy’s has refused to do so.

Several cases of modern day slavery have emerged on farms in the US and Mexico, which has seen campaign calling on Wendy’s to join the program return to the spotlight in 2022.

Over 800 farmworkers and conscious consumers marched to demand Wendy’s join the Fair Food Program and help end modern slavery in the fields on 2 April 2022 in Florida.

Read more about this in our article on the Wendy's boycott.

@Wendys

Wix

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wix logo

The organisation Tech for Palestine is calling for a boycott of investment platform Wix, as part of its project 'Israeli Tech Alternatives'. 

The campaign group says "Our short-term goal is to normalize and enable tech folks to speak up for the people of Palestine. Our main goal is to shift the Overton Window, and make it easier to speak up for Palestinian humanity and freedom".

According to the website 'Boycott Wix', launched in 2019 by a small group of US-based technologists, "Just a short drive away from the WIX headquarters at the Tel Aviv port overlooking the Mediterranean Sea are Palestinian communities with poor or no access to the internet". 

The BDS National Committee is not running a strategic boycott campaign against Wix, but it does endorse a general boycott of the brand.

@tech4palestine

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

panda bear lying on tree trunk

'WTF WWF' is a decentralised campaign co-led by XR Youth Solidarity and members of the Maasai, Baka, Sangwer and Guarani Indigenous communities. It is calling for a boycott of WWF.

WTF WWF says: “Over the last few years there has been an increasing level of exposure around the ongoing human rights abuses and land grabs committed in the name of wildlife conservation by WWF including several investigations. WWF trains, equips, and funds militarised eco-guards who commit human rights atrocities against Indigenous peoples living in and around WWF “protected” areas, and when an independent report into this was leaked, it became clear that WWF had done nothing to stop this happening. WWF also partners with and greenwashes the oil industry, furthering the destruction of ecosystems and communities.”

WTF WWF's open letter has been signed by organisations ranging from Survival International which has long-criticised WWF and the Pan-African Living Cultures Alliance, to individuals including Arturo Escobar.

There has been significant engagement between WWF UK and WTF WWF.