boycott Procter & Gamble
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Part 1: Why boycott P&G?
- Why is Uncaged targeting P&G when so many other companies test on animals too?
- How can I help animals when I boycott P&G?
- Can the boycott make a difference?
P&G’s gargantuan scale makes them a hugely influential organisation. As one industry magazine puts it: ‘What P&G does, others emulate’ . Although some smaller companies are also guilty of animal testing, with power comes responsibility, so P&G deserve particular criticism. Furthermore, by targeting and influencing P&G, Uncaged hopes to spark a domino effect throughout the industry.
P&G say that if people buy their products, then they are ‘voting’ for P&G as a company. By the same token, if you buy P&G products you are voting for cruel and unnecessary tests on animals. Conversely, if you boycott P&G, you are voting for a more compassionate future. A boycott is the most fundamental moral action that people can take to show disapproval and to reject an unethical company from society. This is an essential part of changing society.
Procter & Gamble exist for one reason, and one reason only – to make as much money as possible. They test on animals to push new chemical ingredients on to the market, so they can claim that their new skin cream or washing powder is ‘new improved’. Money is the only language P&G understand. Ultimately, by boycotting P&G, you take away their reason for testing on animals. This is the key to saving the many thousands of animals who suffer and die every year in cruel and unnecessary tests conducted by this company.
Taking responsibility for the consequences of our actions is one of the most empowering and liberating things for a human being to do. The most significant thing we can do with our lives is to try to make the world a better place. We can all do that by exercising our choice in a conscientious and positive way - by boycotting P&G.
In the UK alone, over a quarter of a million people have signed a pledge to boycott P&G, equivalent to over £12 million a year in lost revenue for P&G. Despite P&G being the world’s largest advertiser , typing ‘Procter & Gamble’ into google.co.uk brings up Uncaged’s website as the top two hits! Consequently, every month thousands of people see the link between P&G and animal testing when searching for info about P&G products.
The potential impact of the boycott campaign is highlighted by a recent ethical consumerism survey by the Co-operative Bank. They found that in 2004, £173 million was spent on humane cosmetics in Britain, and 58% of consumers boycotted companies to whom they objected. Significantly, 80% of the public believe that animal testing for cosmetics is totally unjustified, with 79% opposed to animal testing for chemicals used in the home .
The fact is that the vast majority of people are opposed to Procter & Gamble’s animal cruelty, so our campaign is pushing at an open door really. All that is constraining our progress is our limited funds for campaigning and education.
- Ian Morgan, 'Majority accept medical testing', 24Dash.Com, 28 July 2006