Do You Boycott Companies over Unethical or Otherwise 'dodgy' Behaviour? if So - Which Ones?

I was browsing around for a neck gaiter today and found some at decathlon. I then had to think back to a Convo I had with my dad about the company. He said he won't shop there anymore since they've not pulled out of Russia. He's got a point here I feel.

I just wondered where other consumers draw the line? I've stopped buying certain chocolate bars since production moved to China - I avoid food products from there. Nestle had a pretty bad rep, too.

What's important to you guys when hunting for bargains?

Comments

    • I used to think they were pointless but I was wrong. Gillette quickly learned that, as did Nike, and Disney is learning it right now.

    • +1

      Hey Juki, in relation to the Nestlé thing I believe what actually happened is Nestlé representatives were hanging out in hospitals dressed as medical staff (nurses I think). They would hand out free samples of baby formula to new mothers that lasted just long enough for the titty milk to dry up, forcing those mothers to use baby formula (likely Nestlé's)

      Many of those mothers also weren't able to read English so they weren't making up the solution correctly, instead using less than recommended to stretch it out further. Nestlé also did other things that are not very cool in relation to animal testing if I recall correctly

      Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder gave a bunch of people boob/(profanity) cancer, with those rates also being higher amongst the black population who were encouraged to use it

      Wanted to share what little I know about their poopy behaviour

      • your memory is better than mine, i started that late 90's. I remember one of the issues is that the water they had to use was really polluted so not ideal for a newborn.

        johnson and johnson, yeah as a kid we'd do all sorts with that talcum powder ("smoke bombs", ghost makeup ect), quite a few oldies still use it a lot in a more sensible way. More recently i think some of their air freshners were linked to health issues (lung cancer?!) but i hate all those artificial fragrances, so boycotting wasnt much of an issue. Nonetheless the matter was swiftly swept under the carpet and hushed. :/

        boycotting nestle drove most of my girlfriends nuts and they didnt understand it, saying i was just pissing in a violin, i think eventually they got the best of me. These days i just avoid palm oil, fake sugar, msg… hydrogenated oil is near impossible unless i start cooking everything my self

  • +4

    Definitely!
    VW dropped from my list, and Toyota are are relegated because of their recent behaviour.
    Nestle for their human rights issues.
    I haven’t been able to find anything I buy that directly supports Putins rogue state, but happy to adjust if I know.
    Harvey Norman

    Not buying from companies that act counter to my ethics may do little, but it does something. And the cumulative effect makes a difference. Regularly see examples of businesses that alter their practices in response to human rights and other issues. The alternative argument lacks logic and is often disingenuous IMO.

    There’s other brands I avoid because their products, service or support have been spectacularly bad to me personally in the past.
    Qantas for entrenched terrible customer service.
    ARB for faulty fitment of a fuel tank, then refusing to fix it and literally leaving me stuck in Darwin.

    • this toyota attitude must be a new trend everyone around me seems to say they are so arrogant

      • Hey have fought tooth and nail to slow down EV support in US, and obviously doing the same here - because the trend is that way and their recent CE wanted hydrogen, so they are behind the market.
        Dodgy DPFs- class action for some. 200series land cruisers are well known for it. They are fixing them pretty well without fuss, but what about in 5 yrs time? They happily lawyer up to diesel repair places who say that it is crap engineering.
        Hino dieselgate, a subsidiary of Toyota Ad issued to fudging emissions testing.

        They were a really good company, but pretty sure Chinese EVs are going to be more reliable - and I think Toyota agree with me..🤣🤣

        • yeah that doesnt explain why the standard toyota dealer employee behaves like he's selling some luxury car

          • @juki: Funnily enough, when I was buying a large 4wd I test drove a Glandbruiser and the sales folk were really down to earth and friendly. Couldn’t fault their customer service.
            The worst I ever had was the new Commodore we bought about 10 years ago. Come the revolution…….

            • @saltypete: between colleagues and family, it just seems to be a current trend with that brand and thats in different dealerships. oh well at least they arent all bad then :) i just know a few rich old guys who dont want anything to do with them and hold a grudge (like old guys do i suppose)

              • @juki: Nothing wrong with old guys holding grudges - speaking as an aged grudge-holder myself. 😁

  • Coopers, because of their religious and political support agendas..

  • +2

    Gillette, M'SHE'U and Disney

  • Any toiletries/beauty/cosmetic products which aren't cruelty-free. Absolutely no reason to hurt or kill animals for vanity/general hygiene.

    Tip: while many of the big brands are cruelty-free in Australia, UK, Europe, they still sell in China where animal testing is a requirement.
    https://www.peta.org.au/living/cruelty-free-cosmetics-makeup…

    Generally, I try to buy Australian-made as much as possible.

    • Don't really by things in the beauty aisle but I do use grants and Colgate toothpaste. I'm guessing Colgate is bad here. Do you have some recommendations for things like shampoo etc?

      Also,

      F PETA.

  • +5

    Gloria Jeans - their coffee is crap anyway but boycotting due to Hillsong association. Also boycotting lots of place around Norwest where Hillsong own pretty much everything!

    Almond milk. Uses a hell of a lot of water to make.

  • +7

    I avoid buying anything from Gloria Jeans. Their funds go directly to supporting hillsong cult

    • Didn't know this, thanks!

  • Camera Action CameraHouse in Melbourne CBD - for refusing to price match a price from their own website. Said to me "Buy it online then".

  • Viagra, once you pop you can't stop.

  • +3

    Nestle

    What a POS unethical company

    • I haven't looked at Nestle for a while but it's been mentioned a few times. Are people referring to low paid labour? I don't see the point in that case. Nestle will sell less chocolate, so don't need to make as much, so they fire some of the workers. The girls then prostitute themselves to feed their families. Some boys will too, but demand is lower so their family starves. But at least we got to feel good about "doing something" to "help." I'm not sure forcing little girls to prostitute themselves would give me the warm fuzzies, and I'm even less sure they'd thank me for my "help." Boycotting Disney groomers on the other hand brings me great joy.

      • +2

        So illegally paying workers less than standards is ok with you?

        • No, but if they are prepared to work for less, who are we to sit on our overfed backsides dictating they should lose their job, sending them even deeper into poverty, removing food from their mouths, while our most difficult decision is what other brand of chocolate we'll scoff on until things "get fixed"? Not that switching brands means anything moral-wise, because every company who buys cocoa from locations known to use child labour that Nestle gets chided for, is guilty of the very same. It's just others obscure it better. They known plantation owners/foremen switch out adults for children the moment the chocolate company inspects and leaves.

          So how many children starving from us not buying chocolate blocks, cocoa powder, McDonalds choc thickshakes, cocoa pops, tiramisu cakes, coffee with cocoa sprinkled on top, etc is acceptable? Since they're all guilty of it, are we going to stop being hypocrites and instead boycott ALL chocolate? Singling out one company is virtue signalling nonsense that helps no one. Well, except us - we get to kid ourselves we made a difference, when what we've really done is made a child and/or his family poorer, hungrier, or if they were an abducted slave, they get dragged off sobbing into prostitution (probably pimped to those other western chocolate brand inspectors before they fly home), or into the forest to be given the chop with their own cocoa pod machete.

          The reason boycotts like Gillette and Disney cost them so much is because of their much higher profits lost on a DVD or pack of overpriced blades. So if people really cared they'd do something more effective than skipping a $1 KitKat that cost Nestle 20 cents or less to make. Do what? I don't know… maybe start a worldwide kickstarter and buy up cocoa plantations. I just know taking food out of childrens mouths isn't an answer.

          • +1

            @[Deactivated]: TL;DR you support the illegal exploitation of workers.

            • @Vote for Pedro: If it's illegal then how is it happening? Nestle isn't the law over there. Is it not that corrupt country, that corrupt government or officials, who aren't doing their job? So maybe we should stop allowing immigrants from those countries in until they stop it. Or ban all movies from those nations. Or… anything more effective than a <20 cent chocolate bar to make ourselves feel better.

              • +1

                @[Deactivated]: So that makes it ok?

                • +1

                  @Vote for Pedro: How many times do I have say "NO", and it's not "yes", but is "pointless" and "hypocritical"? Here's your question turned back on you… Does your starving, prostituting, or murdering in the forest of child slaves - make thoughtless boycotting of chocolate ok?

                  • +1

                    @[Deactivated]: Companies, particularly global conglomerates, have a choice. Pay workers in accordance with the law or participate in the (as you call it) corruption. No one is forcing them to participate in the corruption, they can choose not to participate.

                    So what we as consumers can do is demand that companies treat the workers fairly or as a bare minimum, in compliance with the law. And we can demand that they don’t participate in unethical behaviour.

                    Seems to me you are condoning illegal behaviour because ‘everyone is doing it’.

              • @[Deactivated]: maybe should rephrase it to you support opportunistic exploitation of workers? although i dont totally disagree with everything you said, Its what i was against when i was a teen/young adult/less young adult

                the thing that got me to boycott them and their family products was them encouraging african mothers to give formula rather than breast feed, when it costs more money, water is polluted, breastmilk is better for the baby - they did this posing as medical staff., someone replied refreshing the whole story up above

      • You do know that there are more jobs than just working for Nestle or straight-up prostitution, right?

        • You do know prostitution is attractive to young girls and pays better in the third world than those other jobs, and who are expected to send money back to provide for their families, right?

      • If by underpaying workers, you mean using slave labor, then yes that is one of the very many unethical things nestle is involved in. Check out the Wikipedia entry for a complete list.

        • +1

          LOL. Wikipedia… written by the same blinkered hypocrites who ignore the other chocolate suppliers "guilty" of the same which they can't be expected to stand there 24/7 and police EITHER.

          • @[Deactivated]: There are plenty of chocolate suppliers that don't use slave labor. Buy tasty ethically sourced Whittaker's, not shit Nestle chocolate.

            Nestle said they would stop decades ago, but obviously it was bad for profits.

            • +1

              @Aureus: There are NO confectionery manufacturers who "use slave labour" because they don't own the cocoa farms - they just buy the cocoa. And like I said, there are other companies who source cocoa from the same areas who are carefully silent on the matter, because they know they can't control that, but as long as it doesn't become common knowledge like it has with Nestle, that suits them just fine.

              • @[Deactivated]: Other providers may get their chocolate from the same area, but if they are Rainforest Alliance Certified (or some other fair trade program), then it is very unlikely the chocolate was produced with slave labor.

                Nestle could implement this, but it would increase costs and thus profits.

                • +1

                  @Aureus: I respectfully disagree but that's ok. The countries where this stuff is grown run on corruption. It's naive, in my view, to believe the ones saying "it doesn't happen here," while refusing to believe Nestle is trying but always fighting a losing battle because the moment they turn their back, that corrupt system falls back into its ruts. For example, last night I saw they are doing quite a bit to improve things. (Type in "Nestle slave labor" or something similar then look for an article from Jan this year that mentions "families" several times.)

  • +4

    Samsung - for dodgy products and questionable after sales services

    Uber eats / Door dash - Because of rip off prices compared to ordering directly

    Netflix - Ridiculous pricing tiers

    Tesla - Elon and that ridiculous aging design and arrogance.

  • Have boycotted Amaysim, SILK LASER, LASER CLINICS, Tiger airways, V Chain Global ecommerce, Circles.Life and more to come

    • Why Silk Laser and Laser Clinics?

      • Because both are liars, and fraud, Took thousands from me, no result at all ALL FAKE.

  • +1

    In todays economic climate I shop where ever the price is the best and/or the quality to price ratio is the best (mainly for food items)

  • +10

    Never buying Coon cheese again just because of their name change to appease the moronic "woke" mob.

    • You mean you will never buy Cheer cheese anymore. :P

      • +2

        Refuse to use the language of the woke mob, that's how they get you.
        Will always be known as Coon cheese!

        • +1

          Well, clearly cheer don’t want you as a customer. So its win win i guess.

          • +4

            @Vote for Pedro: And their stock price is down since they announced the name change, as expected. oof.

            Looks like you left wing nut jobs aren't buying enough of their rebranded virtue signalling cheese.

            • -4

              @Willy Beamish: Some companies believe in doing the right thing. That may surprise you

              • +6

                @Vote for Pedro: So you believe his last name that he had no control over was the wrong thing, hah, hilarious. How indoctrinated you must be to drink that kool-aid and not have a thought of your own.

                • -7

                  @Willy Beamish: Sharing a name with a racial slur is challenging for corporations. But they did the right thing. It can only be a positive. There is no negative except for a few snowflakes who got upset coz… actually i dont know why.

                  I guess the company executives ‘drank the kool aid’ as well.

                  • +2

                    @Vote for Pedro: The negative is clearly in their stock prices which tanked as soon as they announced the change.

                    No one in Australia had a problem with the name of Coon cheese except the snowflake SJW's. If it was such a popular and welcome change then the stock prices wouldn't have tanked, clearly. Again, you are wrong.

                    • +2

                      @Willy Beamish: Option 1: Change to a name that offends no one and does not contain associations a racial slur

                      Option 2: Keep a historical name that wasn’t necessarily intended as a racial slur but now shares it’s name with an offensive term in relation to the indigenous population

                      You choose option 2.

                      I guess the company chose not to share a name with a racial slur and for whatever reason, unbeknownst to anyone but yourself, you would prefer the name that is also a racial slur to remain.

                      • +4

                        @Vote for Pedro: Anyone with half a brain knows the name isn't a racial slur, its the name of the cheese.

                        Too many snowflakes pretending to be outraged and caused the stock price to tank with it, because people don't like your fake woke nonsense, again evidenced by the immediate price tank.

                        Just because you're ignorant and think everything is a racial slur doesn't mean it's a racial slur.

                        • @Willy Beamish: Ok. So why does it hurt you so much that the name changed to something inoffensive?

                          • @Vote for Pedro: Again, your comprehension skills are terrible. You admitted yourself that it wasn't being used as a racial slur but you don't have the brainpower to separate one from another because you're so highly politicised all you see is black and white with absolutely no room nuance whatsoever.

                            I do find it funny that you're extremely hurt by the name Coon, considering you're white. Does it make you feel important to feign outrage for other people? Does it give your little life some meaning to pretend to fight for those you believe are unable to fight for themselves?

                            • @Willy Beamish: You seem awfully offended that the name was changed. Why?

                            • +6

                              @Willy Beamish: You have to have some pretty average critical thinking skills to think that a decline in share price by a food manufacturer in a time of increasing inflationary pressures and natural disasters is caused by a change of name. Not to mention the small portion of their revenue that actually comes from cheese, vegemite and peanut butter carry their revenue.

                            • @Willy Beamish: Thats a lot of feelings over a brand changing its name…. Are you sure something else isn't upsetting you?

                        • +1

                          @Willy Beamish: Somehow lots of people have lost the ability to see context with words. Coon in context as a brand name for cheese isn't slur. Just like monkey or ape aren't when you're talking about primates. But of course when labeling some people as apes or monkeys' it is a slur. If I use the word chink as in "chink in one's amour" it's perfectly acceptable but if I directed it at people from a certain geographical part of the world it's a slur.

                          Context matters people.

    • +3

      Did you only buy it because you like the racist-sounding name? You seem to really care about the name of a cheese. If you get angry about things like this it could be worth seeing a GP and having a chat.

      • +3

        Personally, I’m offended it doesn’t come from the cheese region of France. Though it is tasty, it doesn’t bring me cheer. Sadface.

        I love the wild emotion behind the name change. It’s cheese. Call it Barry’s block or Sally’s crust, and it still cheese! People seem personally attacked as though it’s their own name, bizarre.

  • +6

    Tesla, for being a greenwashing fraud designed to enrich a narcissistic conman.

    • +1

      How is Elon a con man if he delivers a product that you pay for? Where is the con?

      • +2

        So now you support elon’s woke EV agenda? I’m confused.

        • +1

          Who supports elon's woke EV agenda? Can you read or?

          Questioning how someone is a "conman" when they provide what you pay for doesn't seem like a con to me…. Also never said I bought it, so you might wanna get your head checked because your comprehension skills are (profanity) terrible dude.

      • +1

        Full Self Driving? Cybertruck? Robotaxis? Semi? Roadster 2?

  • +1

    I hate the passing of time, because it kills everyone … indiscriminately.

  • +5

    Kind of a boycott but I buy free range eggs, the lower hens per hectare the better.

    I can't afford to buy organic or free range everything, but it's nice to give those hens some much needed comfort for a dollar or two more.

    • We usually buy free range or cage free if they're out. The eggs also DO tend to taste better (at least to us).

      Having said that, we do buy milk though.

  • +3

    Yep, Nike for their politics and any food that is halal …

    halal means no alcohol, commercial grade disinfectants are made from alcohol based products (methanol, ethanol, etc etc etc) - so any food that is halal certified is a far more likely to carry bacteria and other nasties

    • +6

      then there's the other aspect of halal - not allowed to stun the animal, you can't give it a quick death (slit the throat and wait for it to bleed out) - really quite disgusting and barbaric

      • So you’re ok with non meat halal products?

        • Is dihydrogen monoxide haram?

          • @2025: 1992 is calling. They want their jokes back.

            • @Vote for Pedro: Woowwwww that’s OriGInaL

              Legitimate question - is water Halal or Harem I have NFI

              • +1

                @2025: It's Halal. He drinks commercial grade disinfectant only i.e. toilet cleaner and rubbing alcohol.

                • @pompompom: Lmao wait until he finds out that 73% or whatever of his own body is water. Awkward.

      • -2

        The most ignorant comment ever. Won't even try to correct this guy as he is probably some racist POS who has hate issues with Jews and Muslims and quotes unresearched trope to justify it.

        • Is he wrong though? Can you explain about the slaughter thing?

          • -2

            @Zondor: Google it. There was a research paper published on this topic showing death from shock is much more painful for the animals.

            • +1

              @pompompom: The point of the Irreversable stun though is that it's an instant shock that at it's worst, is a moment of sharp pain. At best, it fries the brain even before the pain signal can be received.

              Seems alot less painful than having my throat slit while I'm alive and left to die.

              Giving it a google, this paper is the first result even:
              https://www.mla.com.au/contentassets/74517c73509148248a4b0b0…

              Articles supporting throat slitting all seem to be religious websites which obviously have a heavy bias.

    • What politics re Nike?

  • +7

    Ex Unilever here. Worked there for over 5 years.

    Totally dodgy transfer pricing practises. I.e pay near Zero tax. Make approx 600m profit per year here for really crappy, bad for you products.

    Sanctimonious wall charts saying we support close the gap re aboriginal health around the k Rudd era.

    In a board meeting was told aboriginals couldn't understand the writing difference between a 100pack of bushels and a 200.

    Very racist company.

    Enough said.

  • -1

    Kogan and Harvey Norman, never again. Jim's franchises because of Jim's anti-lockdown stance during Melbourne Covid wave.
    I don't like so called Gig economy services.
    I can't fully boycott because for wife but I don't like to order through Doordash or Deliveroo and try to minimise.
    I don't use Uber for any business travel as 1 they are unreliable compared to business level cab service and 2 work pays me for the trip.

    • -1

      He is a bit of a douche, isn’t he.

  • +4

    JAYCAR-

  • -1

    I don’t understand the VW hate. They gamed a broken system very successfully. There were specific operating parameters they were required to meet emissions testing for, which they did (and excelled at). Seems to me they met the brief and nailed it. Plus, they were only the first to get caught.

    • +1

      Because they are poisoning humans and animals with their polluting cars? And instead of coming clean when they were essentially caught they took it further by cheating even more.

      • Fair call, but the system is still gravely flawed.

        • +1

          what matters is the intent.

          like the difference between murder and manslaughter.

          system/law may be flawed, but the intent to leverage on it to do 'less' harm compared to others, does not make it any less shitty thing to do.
          doing something bad wilfuly? its utterly shitty.

    • But they didn't meet the standards.. they cheated to pass the tests.

  • +2

    Harvey Norman is the devil incarnate.

  • +1

    Any Israeli companies that I know of, I'll avoid. Also as of recently, Jaycar.

  • +1

    Circles.Life

    • I was considering joining. Could you explain please?

      • tl;dr it's not hakuna matata.

  • +2

    Microsoft, Qantas, Telstra, Apple and Harvey Norman

    • Found the one linux user. Jokes aside, how about google

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