Skip to main content

Boycotts List

Boycotts

Boycotts exert economic pressure on some of the biggest companies to change their practices. Here is a comprehensive list of current boycott calls from campaigning groups around the world.

Boycotts have seen repeated success and played an important role in ethical consumption since the movement to boycott South African products during Apartheid in the 1980s. 

Over a dozen organisations lead the boycotts on this list, including the BDS movement (a Palestinian campaign against Israeli apartheid), Peta (targeting animal exploitation), and our campaign against Amazon's prolific tax avoidance. 

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

You can support our work compiling and maintaining this list by subscribing to our magazine and website. You can also subscribe to our free email newsletter.

Airbnb

Interior of bedroom

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 including a number of lawsuits it reversed its decision. 

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Airbnb.

@Airbnb

Amazon

Image: Boycott Amazon tax avoidance

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

It 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, 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

Amazon

Image: Boycott Amazon tax avoidance

Ethical Consumer has called for a boycott of Amazon over its outrageous tax avoidance since 2012. We also support boycott calls of the company based on its treatment of workers and the environment.

We estimate that Amazon's tax avoidance could have cost the UK economy around half a billion pounds in 2021. Read more about our call to boycott Amazon on our website.

If you want to join the boycott of Amazon, you can:

@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."

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.

In April 2024 the campaign organisation EKO claimed that AXA had stated that it no longer had "direct or indirect" investments in any Israeli banks. It claimed that this was stated at the company's AGM in response to a question asked by an Eko member. AXA acknowledged the "calls for boycotts". 

However, the BDS National Committee says AXA has "twisted the truth", and that while it has divested from some complicit banks it continues to hold shares in Bank Hapoalim. It is calling for an escalation in the boycott of AXA calling for full divestment. 

According to AXA, its investments in Hapoalim are "non-controlling, minority investments" and are mostly undertaken on behalf of third-party clients via a US asset manager. 

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Axa.

@axainsurance

Barclays Bank

Boycott Barclays image

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is calling for a boycott of Barclays bank. 

In June 2024 PSC, Campaign Against Arms Trade, and War on Want published a joint report documenting Barclays' "Bankrolling [of] genocide and apartheid". It claims that the bank holds over £2bn in shares, and provides £6.1bn in loans and underwriting, to "9 companies whose weapons, components, and military technology are being used by Israel in its attacks on Palestinians." 

PSC 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.

Barclays says "We have been asked why we invest in nine defence companies supplying Israel, but this mistakes what we do. We trade in shares of listed companies in response to client instruction or demand and that may result in us holding shares."

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Barclays.

@Barclays

Booking.com

Interior of bedroom

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

In May 2024, a group of Dutch NGOs filed a legal complaint against Booking.com because of these links to settlements. 

Booking.com has responded to allegations on, for example, the ABC News website and Business & Human Rights Resource Centre to say that it is up to travellers to decide where they want to go, and it allows all accommodation providers to feature on its site providing they comply with "applicable local laws". Booking.com also says that legal action was taken against other companies that tried to withdraw their activities and that it would expect the same to happen if it tried to withdraw.

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

@bookingcom

Burger King

Person holding burger

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."

Burger King Israel gave free food to Israeli soldiers in October 2023, according to Newsweek. Newsweek claims that Burger King posted on Instagram saying: "We went out to strengthen the nation Israel [...] Our teams are working diligently to continue donating thousands of meals to our heroes." 

Ethical Consumer viewed the Burger King Israel Instagram page and could not see the mentioned post. As Burger King did not appear to have publicly denied that free food had been distributed, it could be presumed that the post was removed. 

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Burger King.

@BurgerKingUK

Chevron

Blue gas flame in circle

In October 2022 the BDS National Committee (BNC) called for a boycott of Chevron. It says that the US fossil fuel multinational was the main international corporation extracting gas claimed by Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean since, and that it was therefore implicated in Israel’s practice of "depriving the Palestinian people of their right to sovereignty over their natural resources”.

In March 2024, an article by The Canary stated that an app-based union representing over 100,000 uber drivers and other app-based drivers in 20 countries had united to boycott Chevron gas stations, including Texaco and Caltex, in solidarity with Palestinian trade unions.

Chevron does not appear to have commented publicly on its ties to Israel.

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

@Chevron

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 has a factory in Atarot, an illegal Israeli settlement built on stolen Palestinian land."

Al Jazeera stated in 2024 that a "Coca-Cola factory is located in the occupied West Bank’s Atarot, an Israeli settlement considered illegal under international law."

@cocacola

Coconut milk from Thailand

  • Category:
    Animal Rights
  • Called by:
  • Date boycott started:
  • Company profile:
  • Related Shopping Guides: Vegan and plant milks
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 told Ethical Consumer in an email in November 2023 that 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. They said, "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

  • Category:
    Animal Rights
  • Called by:
  • Date boycott started:
  • Company profile:
  • Related Shopping Guides: Ethical Dog Food
Image: PETA Crufts boycott pug breathing

PETA are calling for a boycott of dog show Crufts over cruelty involved in breeding. It states, "The BBC stopped airing Crufts in 2008 after revelations emerged about the prevalence of hereditary defects among pedigree dogs, including some Crufts prize winners, and the RSPCA refuses to attend the show."

Peta is calling on Channel 4 to stop airing Crufts.

"Crufts also exacerbates the homeless dog and companion animal overpopulation crises by encouraging people to dash out to buy the latest “must-have” breed they saw on television while rescue centres burst at the seams with lovable dogs waiting to be adopted."

In March 2024 Peta crashed the Crufts event holding a sign reading "Boycott Breeders", and activists unfurled a banner in the stands among the audience saying the same thing. 

@Crufts

Disney

Boycott Captain America New World Order

The BDS National Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Movement for Black Lives are calling for a boycott of Disney. 

The BDS movement 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. 

The organisations also criticise Disney's decision to cast Gal Gadot in Snow White, due to her vocal support for the Israeli military.

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Disney.

@Disney

Ecover

Person wearing yellow rubber gloves cleaning desk with spray liquid

Naturewatch Foundation launched a boycott call against Ecover in April 2018 following its purchase by SC Johnson, a US company that tests on animals and owns other household cleaning brands such as Mr Muscle, Duck and Pledge.

In September 2024 campaign manager for animal experiments at Naturewatch, Natalie Harney, said in an email to Ethical Consumer:

While Ecover and method promote strong values, both brands are owned by SC Johnson, a corporate giant that still conducts animal testing when required by law. For us, the ethical standards of a parent company are just as important as those of the brands it owns. This is why we do not endorse Ecover or method in our cruelty-free Compassionate Shopping Guide, and why we urge ethical consumers to exclude these products, along with other SC Johnson brands, from their baskets.

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 Ecover & Method boycott.

@EcoverUK

eToro

Person holding phone with graph of financial investment

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, it appears to trade stocks in official BDS targets such as Hewlett Packard and Chevron (when checked in August 2024).

Expedia

Interior of bedroom

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.

@Expedia

Get Your Guide

People holding event tickets

World Animal Protection is calling for a boycott of travel company 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 a 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."

In August 2024 it published a report called 'Making misery' revealing GetYourGuide’s "ties to venues that abuse animals".

@GetYourGuide

Google

Laptop open with Google on screen

The BDS National Committee lists Google as a 'pressure target', calling for people to boycott the company if they are able to find viable alternatives. 

The campaign group says "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.

@Google

Groupon

Tickets

World Animal Protection is calling for a boycott of travel company 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 a 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."

@Groupon_UK

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. 

According to the campaign group "HP Enterprise (HPE) continues to provide servers, data storage and data security services for Israel's prisons, where Palestinian political prisoners and child prisoners are held hostage in inhumane conditions and are often tortured. In April 2024, for instance, in the midst of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, Hewlett Packard Israel was contracted by the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to be the sole supplier providing HPE equipment maintenance for approx. $97,650 for one year."

In July 2024 the BDS movement said it was calling for an "Escalation of all BDS campaigns against Israel, and in particular the #BoycottHP".

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 exported Israeli dates, including brands such as Mehadrin.

The campaign group claims "Dates are considered the “black gold” of Palestine... With the holy month of Ramadan knocking on the doors, this “black gold” is especially sacred due to the Muslim ritual of breaking fasts with them. But the Israeli colonial enterprise has produced its own industry of dates in a manner that is much more sinister.

"Israeli date farms profit off of theft and abuse. They are predominantly grown in illegal Israeli settlements and are grown using stolen natural resources like water. Palestinian laborers, who are often forced by economic necessity to work in these illegal settlements, are forced to work in grueling physical conditions."

@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." 

BDS National Committee

JCB

Yellow JCB digger tractor

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 and exclude it from procurement contracts and investments. 

@JCBmachines

Kellogg's

Image: Kellogg's GMO boycott

GMO-Free USA (also known as Toxin-Free USA) calls for a boycott of Kellogg's, accusing it of greenwashing and "healthwashing".

The campaign group provides a list of examples showing how, from its view, Kellogg's is misleading consumers. For example, "No person on Earth should be even remotely convinced that Kellogg’s Froot Loops cereal is healthy. Yet, some people would be led to believe that this ultra-processed junk food has some redeeming characteristics by what’s printed on the box." It says that listing 'fibre' and 'wholegrain' prominently on the box, when in fact the product is "primarily made of sugar". 

It also claims that Kellogg's backtracked on its 2020 commitment to phase out herbicide glyphosate in its wheat and oat supply chains by 2025, claiming that the company "did absolutely nothing since 2020 and as of the writing of this article, has backtracked on its commitment."

@KelloggsUK

L'Oréal

Image: L'Oreal Boycott

Naturewatch Foundation has a long-standing boycott of L'Oréal due to its stance on animal testing.

In September 2024 campaign manager for animal experiments at Naturewatch, Natalie Harney, said in an email to Ethical Consumer:

We’re pleased to see that L’Oreal’s animal testing policy has improved and that it will no longer test ingredients on animals in any circumstances. However, L’Oreal’s policy does acknowledge that its products could still be subject to animal testing by health authorities in China. In this day and age, we believe no cosmetic company should accept animal testing as a trade-off for market access. For this reason, our boycott of L’Oreal remains in place.

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

@Loreal

Made in China

  • Category:
    Human Rights
  • Called by:
  • Date boycott started:
  • Company profile:
  • Related Shopping Guides:
Made in China boycott

A range of groups have called for a boycott of China in recent years. 

  1. Friends of Tibet is calling for a boycott of China, citing forced labour among a range of reasons to boycott produce from the country.
  2. The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) launched a Global Movement to Boycott Made in China in 2020, "to raise awareness about the atrocities committed by the Communist Party of China", listing human rights abuses and imprisonment of 'people who speak out' as a key reason for the boycott. 
  3. Tibet Truth called for a boycott in 2010 of products made in China in protest against "slave labour" employed by the government. 

McDonald's

Person holding burger

The BDS National Committee is calling for a boycott of McDonald's.

It states that the company'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.

@McDonalds

Method

Person wearing yellow rubber gloves cleaning desk with spray liquid

Naturewatch Foundation launched a boycott call against Method in April 2018 following its purchase by SC Johnson, a US company that tests on animals and owns other non Naturewatch-endorsed household cleaning brands such as Mr Muscle, Duck and Pledge.

In September 2024 campaign manager for animal experiments at Naturewatch, Natalie Harney, said in an email to Ethical Consumer:

While Ecover and method promote strong values, both brands are owned by SC Johnson, a corporate giant that still conducts animal testing when required by law. For us, the ethical standards of a parent company are just as important as those of the brands it owns. This is why we do not endorse Ecover or method in our cruelty-free Compassionate Shopping Guide, and why we urge ethical consumers to exclude these products, along with other SC Johnson brands, from their baskets.

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.

@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.

The campaign groups 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 seeking safety and instead are locked up in detention, causing long-lasting damage to their mental health."

Serious issues have been raised in the detention centres Mitie run. The campaign groups claim that at its centre in Manston, concerns of "poor and dangerous conditions" were raised, and one man died following an outbreak of diphtheria. They also say that male staff were being used to constantly supervise women in a form of ‘suicide watch’, despite this practice having been banned by the Home Office.

Read more about the boycott of Mitie.

@mitie

Nestlé

Image: IBFAN Nestle Boycott

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

In November 2023 Baby Milk Action said in an email to Ethical Consumer that Nestle is "interfering with governments who are trying to bring in strong laws to protect child health and survival. It’s still essential to protect and support women who want to breastfeed – a lifeline that provides food, nurturing care and immune support for so many babies."

@Nestle

Nestlé

Nestle logo

Nestlé faces a boycott call from indigenous rights organisation the Lakota People's Law Project over its extraction of scarce water sources, among other issues.

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."

You can view their list of alternative brands on the organisation's website. The campaign group confirmed it is ongoing in an email to Ethical Consumer in August 2024.

@Nestle

Papa John's

Person holding burger

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 slice

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."

According to a Yahoo! Finance article, "On January 19th 2024 Pizza Hut Israel reposted an Instagram story from user @alex_shults that depicted two smiling soldiers holding stacks of Pizza Hut pizza boxes, implying the chain had provided the meals to soldiers. The story expired after 24 hours and can no longer be viewed on Instagram."

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Pizza Hut.

@pizzahutuk

Puma

Person's feet in red trainers by Puma

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.

@Puma

Russia

  • Category:
    Oppressive Regimes
  • Called by:
  • Date boycott started:
  • Company profile:
  • Related Shopping Guides:
Russian flag with three horizontal stripes, white on top, blue in middle, red on bottom

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on March 7th 2022 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an international “boycott of Russian exports, in particular the rejection of oil and oil products from Russia.” Subsequently, Ukraine’s Culture Minister 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 1,000 companies have curtailed operations in Russia, including Airbnb, Asda, Asos, BlackRock, BP, eBay, Netflix, Sainsbury’s and Spotify.

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

  • Category:
    Human Rights
  • Called by:
  • Date boycott started:
  • Company profile:
  • Related Shopping Guides:
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 is targeted by the BDS National Committee, which states "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." 

Sabra Hummus sold in the UK is labelled as 'Produce of Israel', but has a different owner: Osem UK Ltd, which is ultimately owned by Nestle. It's therefore unclear whether Sabra hummus in the UK faces a BDS boycott, but as the UK company is owned by Nestle which also faces boycott calls we have decided to feature Sabra on the boycotts list.

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

@Sabra

Siemens

Kitchen appliances

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

Over 2,500 people have used the template on the BNC website to email Siemens, explaining why they are boycotting it.  

View our list of ethical alternative brands to Siemens.

@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 National Committee continues to call for a boycott of Sodastream, stating:

SodaStream is an Israeli company that is actively complicit in Israel's policy of displacing the indigenous Bedouin-Palestinian citizens of present-day Israel in the Naqab (Negev) and has a long history of racial discrimination against Palestinian workers.

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."

@Starbucks

Texaco

Person putting petrol or diesel into car tank

In October 2022 the BDS National Committee (BNC) called for a boycott of Chevron. It says that the US fossil fuel multinational was the main international corporation extracting gas claimed by Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean since, and that it was therefore implicated in Israel’s practice of "depriving the Palestinian people of their right to sovereignty over their natural resources”.

In March 2024, an article by The Canary stated that an app-based union representing over 100,000 Uber drivers and other app-based drivers in 20 countries had united to boycott Chevron gas stations, including Texaco and Caltex, in solidarity with Palestinian trade unions.

Chevron does not appear to have commented publicly on its ties to Israel. (Chevron owns Texaco.)

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

@Chevron

Trip.com

People holding event tickets

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 a 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."

trip.com

Tui

Open suitcase packed with clothes and travel things

World Animal Protection is calling for a boycott of travel company Tui.

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 a 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."

122,000 people have signed its petition telling TUI to "stop profiting from dolphin cruelty". Tui Group also owns Thompson Group and other travel brands.

@TUIGroup

Twitter / X

  • Category:
    Human Rights
  • Called by:
  • Date boycott started:
  • Company profile:
  • Related Shopping Guides:
Blue twitter bird and X logos

In 2022 the coalition 'Stop Toxic Twitter', composed of around 60 organisations, called on advertisers to "cease all advertising on Twitter globally" whilst owner Elon Musk fails to uphold community standards and content moderation. 

Its website lists a range of brands that have stopped advertising on Twitter (such as Allianz, Apple and Coca-cola) and ones that hadn't. It claimed that over 500 advertisers had stopped advertising on Twitter as of February 2023. One of the coalition's members, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), called on people to tell brands like Apple that they want them to stop advertising on the platform and "bankrolling the spread of hate and disinformation."

According to CDDG, "In July 2023, Elon Musk and X Corp. filed a lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, blaming the nonprofit for ‘tens of millions of dollars’ in lost advertising revenue after the organization reported on hate speech and misinformation on the platform". It appears that Musk lost the lawsuit in March 2024. The judge described the case as a "a blatant attempt to intimidate researchers and critics."

In August 2024 it was announced that Elon Musk is trying to sue a group of advertisers and major companies, accusing them of unlawfully agreeing to "boycott" the site, including Unilever and Mars. Legal experts say the case is unlikely to succeed.

Read more in our article on the growing boycott of X/Twitter.

@X

Unilever

Image: Unilever

The group B4Ukraine is calling for a boycott of Unilever, over its continued operations in Russia. 

It states, "As an individual consumer with purchasing power you vote every time you buy a product or service. You also vote every time you do not buy a product or service from a company that chooses to remain in Russia, thus indirectly supporting its government’s war efforts."

According to the B4Ukraine website, Unilever had been "placed on the Ukrainian Government’s International Sponsors of War list".

@Unilever

Volvo

  • Category:
    Human Rights
  • Called by:
  • Date boycott started:
  • Company profile:
  • Related Shopping Guides:
Dark Volvo car on country road

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. 

The boycott appears to apply to AB Volvo which produces trucks and construction equipment among other services including under the Volvo brand, as opposed to Volvo cars. Ethical Consumer has contacted the BNC seeking further information about whether Volvo cars are also being targeted by a boycott call.

Wendy's

Image: Wendy's workers rights boycott

US fast food chain Wendy’s, which has some branches in the UK, faces a long-standing boycott because it refuses 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 the 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

  • Category:
    Human Rights
  • Called by:
  • Date boycott started:
  • Company profile:
  • Related Shopping Guides:
Screen of laptop with computer program code

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 supports the boycott call.

@Wix

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

  • Category:
    Human Rights
  • Called by:
  • Date boycott started:
  • Company profile:
  • Related Shopping Guides:
panda bear lying on tree trunk

WTF WWF is a 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 the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The campaigners told Ethical Consumer in an email in June 2022 “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 writer Arturo Escobar.

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

@WWF