monkeypeaches

I try to shop ethically in the UK - it's a minefield figuring out which companies own what etc, but I do my best. I'm getting into the Nestle boycott (including Nestle part-owned companies like L'Oreal and Body Shop) too.

I'd like to do the same in Australia - can anyone give me some brands to avoid? Especially brands that have Nestle's dirty fingers in their pies...

Thanks :-)

RAch x

Siren & Brian

If you are that serious about it, why not look up the Nestle website and find a list of subsidiary companies to avoid?

steandleigh

I always thought The Body Shop ethically sourced and produced their products? Or is it 'all change' since Anita Roddick sold up?

thebears

Also consider buying from local shops rather than the big supermarkets.

monkeypeaches

I have done, thanks. But all I can find is a list of their products, not what other companies they own. Unless I am totally missing something (which is not unheard of...)

thebears

The reason the prices are higher is because of the sourcing issues. Where other companies only review the source of product the body shop also goes into the supply chain going back several tiers from initial product.

There may be some hiccups but the ethos and strategy is worth your business

PS I used to be a senior manager and saw first hand the company does live and breath the ethics it sells. Frustrating from a commercial point of view but valuable from brand point of view.

Anita has actually been sidelined for several years already before 2000 infact.

monkeypeaches

Yeah, apparently L'Oreal now own a fair bit of the Body Shop, and they in turn are part owned by Nestle.

I'm a bit new to this, so don't always know what I'm going on about, but I think that's right - there was a post on here about the Body Shop selling out a while back.

Siren & Brian

It is possible to obtain a full list of companies that Nestle owns from a directory called Who Owns Whom, published by Dun & Bradstreet. Large libraries would have this publication in theire reference section. However, having said that, I suspect what you are really after, is a full listing of brands produced by Nestle. Unfortunately, all Nestle companies operate independently in country, and therefore, Nestle itself does not have a complete list of all its brands, which in total amount to over 20,000 I believe.
There is a short brand listing which you can get from Baby Milk Action and/or Ethical Consumer, I think, which highlights all the major UK brands such as its cereals, petfoods, pastas, etc.






**Found on Google when I searched "Companies owned by Nestle"



Siren

bridie

Absolutely, I think that's probably the biggest thing to remember over here!

themerlin

Good to know you where not fooled by Woolworth screw the farmers day

matt-and-jenny

I try to do this.

A loosley related topic - I recently bought some new trainers called No Sweat trainers. Oxfam sell them, and they guarantee they haven't been manufactured in "sweat shop' conditions. They come complete with a piece of copy detailing the wages, conditions and benefits the workers receive.

Now, not all my shoes are No Sweat, but at least when I wear these I can feel warm and fuzzy inside
J

iPom

Sorry bears, but couldn't disagree more. Anita sold to L'Oreal, who are owned by Nestle, who are responsible for promoting bottle feeding in developing nations and hence a large number of infant deaths there every year. They even admit it, yet refuse to deal with it, saying they are helping the nation 'develop'!!! What a joke! Helping a nation develop by pushing a totally unnatural behaviour resulting in deaths of children. Wow, that's progress! Ever tried to sterilise bottles in an african village?

Anita was an idiot to sell to Nestle and even more of an idiot to continue saying she didn't understand why it was a problem. Read her blog. Sidelined? Absolutely!

No company that does this is worth my business. Ever.

iPom

Yes, here's that thread...
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...stle+Body+shop

(Incidentally, Mr Bear, you were touting a different line in that thread!!!)

Monkey, Nestle are huge in Aus, and Fair Trade is a little behind here, though catching up. You can get ethical produce in Aus by checking out the Fair trade site and a bit of googling for the area you're in. Coffee etc I know is listed by shop in the area you choose, so you can ID where to go for some of this stuff.
Good on you for doing this. Nestle is THE most boycotted company in the world, so you're not on your own. New or not, you'll get the hang real soon.

Deer Hunter

Perhaps I am a bit thick but I don't understand why Nestle should be boycotted more than any other major companies? They don't force women in developing countries to feed their babies Nestle milk the mothers willingly give their babies the milk. Where is the problem????

iPom

No, they don't 'force' them to do it, but they advertise heavily there, both bottle feeding and formula milk. They also send around 'educators' to 'help' these women choose the 'best' for their child.
They'd do it in other countries too but in places like the UK, it's illegal and there are heavy rules to govern advertising in the UK. Haven't you ever seen a feeding ad 'This advice is not intended to replace that of health professionals/We all agree breast feeding is best for your baby' - tiny writing underneath the add usually.

Read how it's done at http://www.babymilkaction.org/

These are vulnerable people and bottle feeding shouldn't even be suggested to these people, never mind be advertised constantly and have 'free' products given to them, whilst their own milk dries up. It's unethical to push the products in a place where people are not educated to a good standard, have access to the information they need or who are vulnerable.
Nestle has been convicted for baby food marketing malpractice by the courts, yet they are supremely rich and can pay the fines. It continues to claim it does 'nothing wrong'.

It's not entirely the fact that they do this, it's also the manner in which it's done. Babies die every day from dysentery and Nestle pocket the cash, thank you very much. Profit from death of children....

Yes, I boycott other companies too. Nestle is not the only one.