It’s hard to limit a top 10 list of bad, immoral, lying, cheating, stealing, bastard companies. In fact, it’s so hard my top 10 became a top 20!
I’m certain there are many many other companies who should be on the list, feel free to add them in the comments section.
Amazon
Category: Tax Avoidance
Called by: Ethical Consumer
We have called a boycott of Amazon over their outrageous tax avoidance.
Asda / Wal-mart
Category: Supply Chain
Called by: Organic Consumers Association
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) are calling on people to boycott Wal-Mart and support commerce that was organic, local, fair trade and fair made
Boycott Profile Page: ASDA / Wal Mart
Bacardi
Category: Poltical
Called by: Rock around the Blockade.
Bacardi is on the list for continuing to use its Cuban origins in its marketing despite being active in anti-Cuba lobby groups in the US.
Related Product Guides: Gin, Rum and Whisky.
Barclays
Category: Environment
Called by: Ethical Consumer
This bank is subject to a boycott call by Ethical Consumer for its involvement in destruction of the the Canadian Oil Sands.
Related Product Guides: Current Bank Accounts and Saving Bank Accounts
Bluefin Tuna
Category: Environment
Called by: Greenpeace
According to Greenpeace, Bluefin tuna is an endangered species could soon be extinct. Despite this it is still being served in sushi restaurants in the UK. For more information see the .
Related Product Guides: Tinned Tuna.
BP
Category: Environment
Called by:
The company has come in for a boycott call thanks to one of the worst environmental disasters ever to befall the United states, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
BP are also accused of large scale UK tax avoidance.
Related Product Guides: Petrol & Diesel and Solar Panel
Caterpillar
Category: Political, Environment
Called by: Ethical Consumer, War on Want
Subject to a boycott call from Ethical Consumer for involvement in the exploitation of the Canadian oil sands.
War on Want have called for a boycott of Caterpillar for selling bulldozers to Israel in full knowledge that they will be armoured and used to destroy Palestinian homes, infrastructure and agriculture in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
“One of the great strengths of the Caterpillar campaign is that it has given ordinary people the chance to be personally involved in the fight for Palestinian rights. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by such an intractable situation as Palestine, but Caterpillar is a known high street brand that is directly involved in the Israeli Occupation, so people had an instant connection. The campaign also developed its own life, with people inventing their own forms of action completely independent of anything we had suggested. And the results were amazing, including the Church of England’s decision to divest its £2.2 million holding in Caterpillar after we had successfully lobbied the General Synod to do so. The campaign continues, including legal action in Israel itself, and many other brands have now been targeted for boycott, divestment and sanctions. Caterpillar was a great test case for the broader movement.”
Chevron Texaco
Category: Political, Environment
Called by: Ethical Consumer, Chevron Toxico and Avaaz.org
Chevron Toxico boycott call for dumping billions of gallons of toxic waste in the Ecuadorian Amazon and failing to clean it up.
Avaaz.org are also calling for a global boycott of Chevron and all its subsidiaries over its involvement with Burma.
Related Product Guides: Petrol & Diesel
Coca-Cola
Category: Political, Environment, Human Rights
Called by: Colombia Solidarity Campaign, and the India Resource Centre.
Murder of union officials, ground water robbery
Related Product Guides: Soft drink
EDF Energy
Category: Environment
Called by: Kick Nuclear
Kick Nuclear have called a boycott of EDF for its involvement in the planned building of a new generation of nuclear power stations across the UK.
Related Product Guides: Gas suppliers and Electricity Suppliers
HSBC
Category: Environment
Called by: Ethical Consumer
This company subject to a boycott call from Ethical Consumer for involvement in Canadian oil sands. Also see our ethical profile of the Big 5 Banks for information about tax avasion, environmental destruction and human rights abuses relating to HSBC.
Related Product Guides: Current Bank Accounts, Saving Bank Accounts, Child Trust Funds, Ethical Investment Funds, Mortgages
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Category: Animal Rights
Called by: PETA
PETA has called a boycott of KFC for animal welfare reasons. 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.
LV= (Insurance, Banking)
Category: Arms & Military Supply
Called by: Shut Down H&K
The campaign ‘Shut Down H&K’ is calling for a boycott of financial services mutual LV= (formerly know as London Victoria). Activists discovered that LV= owns a small business park on an industrial estate in Nottingham which is home to Heckler & Kochs’ UK head office.
Related Product Guides: Car Insurance, Home Insurance, Pet Insurance, Travel Insurance
Nestlé (Chocolate, Nescafe, Felix)
Category: Irresponsible Marketing
Called by: Baby Milk Action
Baby Milk Action has called a boycott of Nestle for its irresponsible marketing of baby milk formula which infringes the International Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes. Also criticised for use of Palm Oil and not labelling GM ingredients.
Related Product Guides: Breakfast Cereal, Chocolate Bars, Chocolate Boxes, Dairy Ice Cream
Nokia Siemens
Category: Arms & Military Supply, Human Rights
Called by: Boycott Nokia Seimens
The company provided the Iranian regime with a “monitoring center” that enables security forces to tap cell phones, scramble text-messages, and interrupt calls. Nokia’s new surveillance system has enhanced the regime’s ability to crack down on dissent during recent protests. See the pledge page or Facebook group for information.
Related Product Guides: Bread Making Machines, Coffee Makers, Dishwashers, Electric Irons, Fridge Freezers, Games Consoles, Gas & Electric Cookers, Gas & Electric Kettles, LCD Televisions, Microwave Ovens, MP3 Players, Mobile Phones, Set Top Boxes, Toasters, Washing Machines
Procter and Gamble (Ariel, Crest toothpaste, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Oral-B, Wella)
Category: Animal Testing
This company is on the list for its continued use of animal testing for cosmetics, household products and pet food. See the Proctor and Gamble boycott profile.
Related Product Guides: CLEANING PRODUCTS SPECIAL REPORT, COSMETICS SPECIAL REPORT, Cat Food, Dog Food, Disposable Nappies, Coffee Makers, Food Processors, Gas & Electric Kettles, Razors & Shavers, Toasters
Royal Bank of Scotland
Category: Environment
Called by: Ethical Consumer
For its involvement in the Canadian oil sands. RBS and it’s many subsidiaries also feature prominently in many of our other reports and campaigns. It was found by ActionAid to have 1,303 subsidiaries, 31% of which were in tax havens. In 2011 RBS was named by the Ecologist as one the worst banks involved in financing fossil fuel companies, supporting drilling both in Greenland and the DRC. The Bank’s involvement in the Madagascar tar-sands project has also been criticised. It gave more than £300 million in corporate loans to energy giant Total to explore the region.
BankTrack’s ‘Bankrolling Climate Change’ report put the Royal Bank of Scotland as number seven on a list of the top 20 banks which had been financing coal-fired electricity and coal mining since 2005, having provided €10.946 billion of such finance over this period. In May 2010 the report ‘Nuclear Banks – No Thanks’ listed RBS as having provided €8.576 billion of finance to this sector between 2000 and 2009 – the sixth highest amount of all banking groups. The bank also has shareholdings in a number of arms companies including BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, QinetiQ, VT Group, Babcock, Ultra Electronic and Chemring.
Related Product Guides: BANKING INDUSTRY SPECIAL REPORT, INSURANCE INDUSTRY SPECIAL REPORT, Current Bank Accounts, Saving Bank Accounts, Child Trust Funds, Ethical Investment Funds, Mortgages
Shell (Petrol stations)
Category: Human Rights
Called by: MOSOP-UK and Essential Action
Boycotts of Shell over their activities in the Niger Delta.
Related Product Guides: Petrol & Diesel
Starbucks
Category: Worker Rights
Called by: Industrial Workers of the World and Organic Consumer’s Association
Starbucks is under a boycott call from the Industrial Workers of the World and US Organic Consumer’s Association over its treatment of Ethiopian coffee farmers. Also heavily criticised by Ethical Consumer over corporate tax avoidance.
Related Product Guides: Coffee Shops
Tesco (Supermarkets)
Category: Animal Welfare
Called by: Care for the Wild International
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. Criticism of Tesco also features prominently in many other areas including tax avoidance, food labelling, use of palm oil, supply chains.
Related Product Guides: Supermarkets, Furniture Shops, Garden Furniture, High Street Clothes Shops, Mobile Networks, Mobile Handsets Home Phone Providers, Baking Flour, Bananas, Biscuits, Bottled Water, Cat Food, Chocolate Bars, Chocolate Boxes, Disposable Nappies, Cold Remedies, Dog Food, Flowers, Fruit Juice, Milk, Nuts, Razors & Shavers, Rice, Squash & Cordial, Tinned Tuna, Wine, School Uniforms, Current Bank Accounts, Saving Bank Accounts, Child Trust Funds, Ethical Investment Funds, Mortgages, Car Insurance, Home Insurance, Pet Insurance, Travel Insurance
Kind thanks to Ethical Consumer
