Successful boycotts

[Flabbergasted]

http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/boycotts/successfulboycotts.htm

Most people think that you've got to reduce sales a lot, but if you reduce any company's sales from two to five per cent you've won. Having said that, it is very hard to reduce a company's sales by five per cent because it takes a massive degree of organisation.”
Ralph Nader (Co-op America, 1989).
Campaigns that have achieved just that:

October 2005
The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) stated that Inditex Group, which owned fashion chain Zara, had decided to withdraw fur from all the group's 2,064 stores in 52 countries. The fur was phased out over a period of several weeks and Inditex ceased sale of fur in its shops from 31 December 2004. Inditex stated in a letter to its customers that a formal policy had been established and as of 1st January 2005 no fur was to be used in Inditex Group clothes or other products. The policy was announced 3 days before a planned international day of action against Zara.

August 2005
Snow+Rock announced it would no longer be selling real fur garments following a campaign by Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT). The managing director, Dion Taylor, said: “We feel there are enough man made equivalents to satisfy the needs of our customers.” More info on CAFT's other campaigns on 0845 330 7955.

August 2005
Aon Corporation informed the Burma Campaign UK it intended to terminate all business in Burma. The company had appeared on the Burma Campaign's ‘Dirty List’ of companies directly or indirectly funding the regime in Burma. The campaign group welcomed the decision: “Aon have acted responsibly by ending their involvement in Burma,” said Director, John Jackson. Other companies that have either pulled out of Burma, or made a principled decision not to become involved with the country, can be viewed on www.burmacampaign.org.uk/dirty_list/clean_list.html. Alternatively, contact the campaign on 020 7324 4710

July 2005
The Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS) claimed that the Automobile Association (AA) had told them “no wild captive animals will feature in future AA advertising.” This was in response to a customer furore, following an AA ad featuring Anne, an elderly Asian elephant on loan from Bobby Roberts Circus. To read about Anne, and the Bobby Roberts Circus that made £6,500 from loaning her out, see www.captiveanimals.org/elephants/index.htm or contact CAPS on 0845 330 3911.

Lots more....

[Warpy]

1. I remember what boycotting grapes and lettuce did for

the UFW in the 1970s. Targeted boycotts do work, but they have to be very carefully targeted.