Pinkwashing: Creating the Cause

One of the great things about the world we live in today, is we get so many option to choose from when we shop. In fact we have so many choices, that companies look for any possible way to make their product stand out among the rest and to make you choose them over all the other similar products.

Pinkwashing is when a company claims to care about breast cancer by promoting the Pink Ribbon Campaign, but the companies products are actually linked to the disease. It makes sense that someone would choose a company that advertises it will donate proceeds to an great organization, over another company with a similar product, who does not. It can make you feel good knowing you chose a company who cares. In fact, it is a really is a good marketing campaign. Sadly, for many companies, that is all it is, a marketing campaign, to boost their profits.

Yoplait has recently launched a big campaign, commercials, advertisements, it's hard not to know about it. The campaign, Save Lids to Save Lives, urges consumers to buy their brand of yogurt with the pink lid. They will donate ten cents, for every pink lid sent back by the end of the year to the Susan G. Koman foundation, up to the amount of $1.5 million.

The concern is that the milk Yoplait uses to make their yogurt comes from cows that are injected with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone.) rBGH, a genetically engineered form of a natural hormone, has been linked to many health concerns, including breast cancer. The request for them to go rBGH-free is not an impossible one, since Wal-Mart and Starbuck's have already gone rBGH-free and it is already banned in the European Union, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Yoplaits continued use of this drug is contradicting their campaign.

Estee Lauder has a Pink Ribbon collection of cosmetics, They plan to donate up to $500,000 from the sales proceeds to Breast Cancer Research. Many of their products contain parabens and phthalates, ingredients which have been linked to cancer and found in breast tumor biopsy samples. But, they refuse to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics which guarantees their products do not contain chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of contributing to breast cancer.

Many other companies, such as, Revlon, Mary Kay and Avon, have strong breast cancer support campaigns, but continue to sell products with carcinogenic ingredients in them. Ford, Mercedes and, BMW have ran Pink Ribbon campaigns, that raise money by urging consumers to purchase cars, yet car exhaust have been linked to breast cancer.

If a company has more in mind then a profit making campaign, then finding out where the money goes, what it will be used for and who it will be donated to should be easy and your part should be easy too. With Yoplaits 'Save Lids to Save Lives' campaign you have to collect the lids and send them back to Yoplait, to get your donation to count. Plus, someone would also have to eat 100 containers of yogurt just to equal a $10 donation. You would be better off donating directly to the organization. Also, many times the companies spend far more on advertising than their donations contribute.

A campaign started by Breast Cancer Action called Think Before You Pink (www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org) helps educate consumers on the importance of asking questions about pink ribbon products promotions. They encourage consumers to ask 6 critical questions before purchasing pink ribbon products.

1.) How much money from your purchase actually goes toward breast cancer?

2.) Is the amount clearly stated on the package?

3.) What is the maximum amount that will be donated?

4.) How are the funds being raised?

5.) To what breast cancer organization does the money go, and what types of programs does it support?

6.) What is the company doing to assure that its products are not actually contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?

If you ask those critical questions before you buy, you will help take action to stop pinkwashing and help us be one step closer to a cure. You can also demand that your favorite cosmetic or car company stop contributing to the problem. If you visit www.safecosmetics.org you can find companies who have already made the step to better, safer products.