Animal rights boycotts
Current boycotts
A number of companies are on the list for their poor record on animal testing. These companies include Boots, British Heart Foundation, Estee Lauder, Herbal Essences, Iams, Johnson and Johnson and Nestle.
There are also several companies on list for animal welfare related issues. These include: Adidas, Escada, Japan, Harrods, Joseph Ltd, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kurt Geiger and Tesco.
British Heart Foundation
Is on the list for conducting animal testing in order to find out about a human condition. The boycott is called by PETA whose British Heartless Foundation website contains a list of health charities which do not test on animals.
Adidas
Is on the list due to a boycott call from Viva for using kangaroo skin to make some types of football boots.
To see how Adidas rated in Ethical Consumer magazine see the following free buyers guides: sportswear, fashion trainers or sportswear trainers.
Burberry
Peta are calling for a boycott of Burberry over its use of fur. See www.bloodyburberry.com/home.asp and www.bloodyburberry.com/features/chavs/index.asp for more information.
Bluefin Tuna
According to Greenpeace Bluefin tuna is an endangered species which could be extinct by 2012. Despite this it is still being served in sushi restaurants in the UK. For more information see the Greenpeace website.
For more information see Ethical Consumers free Buyers' Guide to tinned tuna.
Canada
Respect for Animals has called a boycott of Canada due to the government-subsidised slaughter of nearly one million seals over the last three years.
Respect for Animals, Humane Society of the USA and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) are also calling for a boycott of Canadian fish and seafood, as exports to the UK earn five times more for Canada than the landed seal hunt in Newfoundland.
There is now also boycott specifically directed at Canadian maple syrup lead by PETA.
Escada
The Campaign Against the Fur Trade are calling for a boycott of fashion group Escada for using fur products.
Estee Lauder
Uncaged are calling for a boycott of Estee Lauder. It was named as a company that either openly used animal-tested chemicals, or failed to demonstrated that the finished products and ingredients they used had not been tested on animals since a fixed cut-off date.
To see how they rate and for alternatives see several of Ethical Consumer's Buyers' Guides in the health and beauty section.
Harrods
When contacted by Ethical Consumer in May 2008 the Campaign Against the Fur Trade stated that were calling for a boycott of Harrods, the last department store in the UK to stock fur products.
Herbal Essences
The Boycott Hurtful Essences campaign was started by Uncaged because of the company's animal testing policy.
Japan
Japan is under a boycott call from
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) due to whale hunting for "scientific" reasons in a protected whale sactuary around Antartica.See the Boycott Japan facebook group for more information and sign the petition here.
Johnson & Johnson
Uncaged is calling a boycott of Johnson & Johnson. Uncaged have named the company as one that either openly uses animal-tested chemicals, or failed to demonstrated that the finished products and ingredients it used had not been tested on animals since a fixed cut-off date.
To see how they rate and for alternatives see Ethical Consumer's free Buyers' Guides in the health and beauty section
Joseph Ltd
Thi scompany is under a boycott call from Campaign Against the Fur Trade for selling coats and other products made from animal fur.for selling boots made from rabbit fur.
Kentucky Fried Chicken
PETA has called a boycott of KFC for animal welfare reasones. They say suppliers cram birds into huge waste-filled factories, breed and drug them to grow so large that they can’t even walk, and often break their wings and legs. At slaughter, the birds’ throats are slit and they are dropped into tanks of scalding-hot water—often while they are still conscious.
L'Oreal
Naturewatch has a long-standing boycott of L'Oreal 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.
Contact: Naturewatch on 01242 252 871
See Ethical Consumer's buyers guides to skin care, eyeshadow and mascara for the L'Oreal company rating and alternative brands.
Mauritius
The Gateway to Hell campaign is calling a boycott of Mauritius over its complicity in the live export of primates. See the campaign website for more details.
Nestlé Purina
Nestle Purina is listed on the Uncaged website's petfood and animal testing page as a brand to boycott.
Procter and Gamble
This company is on the list for its continued use of animal testing for cosmetics, household products and pet food.
For more information see the Proctor and Gamble boycott profile page.
The Naturewatch Compassionate Shopping Guide 11th Edition 2008 listed Unilever as a company that was not endorsed by Naturewatch. It did not endorse Unilever as the company was unable to demonstrate a fixed cut off date for its animal testing policy.
For more information see the Unilever boycott profile page.
Tesco
Tesco is under a boycott call from Care for the Wild International due to the sale of live turtles, tortoises and frogs in their Chinese stores.
To see how they rate and for alternatives see Ethical Consumer's Buyers' Guide to Supermarkets.
Welsh Dairy Products
Viva! are calling for people to boycott Welsh dairy products. This is in response to the Welsh Assembly’s decision to press ahead with a five year cull of badgers in parts of Wales in an effort to curtail the spread of bovine TB. Badgers will be trapped, caged and then shot, despite contradictory evidence on the effectiveness of such action.
For more information visit www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/badgers/boycott.htm