Consumer Boycotts

For Ethical Consumer, boycotts offer campaign groups and/or individuals the chance to exert economic pressure on companies. They are particularly appropriate when governments are unwilling or unable to introduce reforms. We see them as a vitally important extension of our formal democracy.

They can also be especially empowering for consumers through the process of actively rejecting something produced or sold in an unethical way. We see them as one of the four types of ethical buying.

A company usually becomes a target due to questionable business practices such as testing on animals or using sweatshop labour. Companies are sensitive to boycotts because they can have serious financial implications. Once boycotted few consumers return to a brand - so companies can lose a customer for life.

The economic clout of boycotts shouldn't be underestimated. In 2011 a boycott of the state of Arizona in the US cost its economy a massive $141 million dollars in just seven months after it past controversial immigration laws.

And there are more people boycotting products than you might think. Research carried out by the Co-operative bank in 2007 put the value of UK boycotts at around £2,500million - food and drink boycotts were valued at £1,144m, travel boycotts £817m, and clothing boycotts £338m.

More recent research by YouGov showed that half of customers will boycott companies that fail to give good service. Four in five people will tell friends and family not to use firms that disappoint. Another quarter put negative reviews online. While research for the 2010 Ethical Consumerism Report revealed that 55% avoided a product or service because of a company’ behaviour.

We currently have over 60 active progressive boycotts listed on our site, covering everything from animal rights issues to deforestation. Ethical Consumer also has its own boycott call inplace. We are asking consumers to join our boycott over superdrug over its parent companies investment in the Canadian oil sands.

"Most people think that you've got to reduce sales a lot, but if you reduce any company's sales from two to five per cent you've won... Having said that, it is very hard to reduce a company's sales by five per cent because it takes a massive degree of organisation.”

Ralph Nader, consumer activist and US Green Party presidential candidate