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.
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Palestinian civil society asks people around the world to support their human rights. Specifically, they are calling for people internationally to boycott and divest from companies that are complicit in the Israeli state's violations of Palestinian human rights.
There are many ways to support this call for support, and Ethical Consumer has published a range of articles explaining what these are.
Learn about Palestine and take action
On this page we link to our research providing you with information to make informed decisions about brands to support or avoid, and other ways to take action in support of Palestinian human rights.
Our research covers:
- What the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is
- Which brands support Israel or are complicit in its abuses
- The different types of boycott calls and why it's important to be strategic
- Which brands are better alternatives to ones being boycotted
- Different organisations supporting Palestine and ways to get involved
We also link to articles with updates such as Puma dropping its sponsorship of the Israeli Football Association, and which financial institutions are financing weapons. In our print magazine we have a regular 'boycott news' page which provides updates on Palestine boycotts. You can subscribe to receive the magazine.
What is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement?
In 2005 Palestinian civil society launched the BDS movement: calling on people worldwide to support it. It's a very similar campaign to that which was held in Apartheid South Africa, and it's one of the largest, most pro-active and impactful human rights movements in the world today.
It uses three methods to help achieve its aims, a key aim being for the Israeli state to abide by international human rights legislation. These are:
- Calling for boycotts of Israeli and international companies which are engaged in violations of Palestinian human rights.
- Leading divestment campaigns which encourage banks, local councils, churches, pension funds and universities to withdraw investments from the State of Israel and all Israeli and international companies that facilitate Israeli apartheid.
- Calling for the actions of the Israeli state to be publicly condemned (sanctioned) by international governments and other organisations.
Boycotts can play an important role in the ethical consumer movement, and Ethical Consumer was founded during the South African boycott. Alongside many other organisations and public figures, we support the BDS movement.
