Boycotts: everything you need to know

John Preece looks at the ins and outs of boycotts as a way to influence the behaviour of companies and organisations.

The Boycott Esso campaign Tescopoly

"Yes, there are things that we are for. But there are also things that we are against."
- George Monbiot, People & Planet summer festival 2005

In a world where global corporations have more money and power than developing countries, getting them to act responsibly may seem daunting at best and impossible at worst. Many large companies have repeatedly ignored international outcry in the pursuit of profit. So, what's an ethical consumer to do?

A boycott is a type of direct action where you simply stop buying anything produced by a particular company. This may not sound very exciting, but remember that corporations don't think like you and me. They only understand the ebb and flow of money. As a consumer, one of the strongest statements you can make is to say, "I disagree fundamentally with the way you go about your business. You have ignored repeated requests for change. Your unethical practices sicken me and I will not buy your products ever again".

This isn't to say that you should avoid buying from a company because you want more varieties of beans, or larger packets of tofu. A boycott is rarely called until years of campaigning and engagement have proven fruitless. However, the successes of a few high-profile boycotts have led to them being called regularly, without full research or planning.

So whom, as an enlightened Oxfam supporter, should you boycott? As with many other aspects of campaigning, this one is down to your personal beliefs. What do you care about? Why are you reading this article? Would you rather engage with a company or take direct action? Which would be more effective?

Once you've got your principles sorted out, you need to look at your lifestyle and find out more about the businesses you use. There are woefully few "perfect" companies. If you look hard enough, just about everybody has done, or is doing, something wrong somewhere. What's important is how badly the wrongdoing conflicts with your own principles and how likely the company is to change. Most campaigners will have some knowledge of popular boycotts and the reasons behind them - they will also have their own opinions and arguments to support or refute them.

Deliberately setting out to look for something to boycott is a fairly bad idea. Don't feel that, as a clued-up campaigner, you have to be boycotting something. What you should do is take a look at the things that don't get reported in the mainstream press. If a company's behaviour shocks you, consider whether your money would be better spent elsewhere.

One thing you should never do is boycott a company simply because somebody else tells you to. Take their arguments on board, do your own research and come to your own conclusions. The only person who can decide how you live is you!