Consumer Boycott Targets
Boycott, as a non-violent form of resistance to injustice, has a long and honourable history. Mahatma Ghandi used the boycott of textiles in the struggle that led to India’s independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The 1955-56 bus boycott in Mongomery Alabama, supported by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., led to the 1956 U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring Mongomery’s segregation on buses unconstitutional. An international boycott and sanctions movement led to the end of South Africa’s apartheid regime in 1994.
A present on-going example, consistent with these earlier examples, is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in response to the continuing occupation of the Palestinian territory by Israel. It began with a call issued on 9 July 2005, one year after the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice found Israel’s Wall built on occupied Palestinian territory to be illegal.
As reflected in multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, the numerous violations of international law being committed by Israel include its refusal to permit Palestinian refugees to return to their lands, the construction of housing for illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and its annexation of East Jerusalem.
UNJPPI supports the BDS Campaign, which is led and supported by the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC).
The BNC uses targeted boycotts inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the US Civil Rights movement, and the Indian anti-colonial struggle. It focuses on a relatively small number of companies and products, carefully selected for maximum impact.
UNJPPI supports the targeted approach. The list below includes companies and products the boycott of which is recommended by BNC. It also includes some the boycott of which is recommended by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), a Canadian not-for-profit organization with the mission of enabling Canadians to promote justice, development and peace in the Middle East. It also includes information from Who Profits Research Center, an independent research center dedicated to exposing the involvement of Israeli and international corporations in the ongoing Israeli occupation.
Learn more about BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement has three elements (as you can see in the name). This page is focused on Consumer Boycott Targets. For more information about the history and origins of BDS as well as what you individually can do, please refer to our overview page about BDS.
Consumer Boycotts Work - Puma
Puma was the subject of a consumer boycott that succeeded.
From the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
Since 2018, we have called for a boycott of PUMA (Germany) due to its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which governs teams in Israel’s illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land. ”
Following significant BDS pressure, PUMA indicated that it would not be renewing its IFA contract when it expired in December 2024.
Companies and products presently targeted for boycott:
Click on any logo to learn more about why this company is targeted for boycott, and to access a letter you can download and use (as is or with your own modifications) with any retailers of these products. It’s important not just to boycott the products, but also to let the retailers know that you are doing so, and the reasons for your boycott.
AHAVA Cosmetics
Boycott Recommended by:
- Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), CJPME
- Identified by Who Profits Research Centre as a corporation involved in the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian.
BNC states: “Ahava cosmetics is an Israeli company that has its production site, visitor center, and main store in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory.” (From BNC’s January 5, 2024 detailed guide to our targeted consumer boycotts, divestment and pressure campaigns)
CJPME elaborates further: “AHAVA Dead Sea Laboratories Ltd. manufactures its cosmetics in a factory in the illegal Mitzpe Shalem settlement in the occupied West Bank, where it also has a visitor centre. Ahava exploits Palestinian natural resources by extracting mud from parts of the Dead Sea that are occupied by Israel. Meanwhile, Israel denies Palestinians access to the shores of the Dead Sea and its resources, despite one-third of the western shore of the Dead Sea lying in the occupied West Bank.”
Full CJPME Fact Sheet on AHAVA Cosmetics: https://www.cjpme.org/fs_243
Who Profits states that Ahava products are also sold under the brand name Dead Sea Naturals. Who Profits Detailed Report on AHAVA
Click the button below for a letter in rft format (can be opened with any word processor) that you can personalize (or use as is) and share with any retailers of AHAVA Cosmetics
Hewlett Packard Inc (HP Inc US)
Boycott Recommended by:
- Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
- Identified by Who Profits Research Centre as a corporation involved in the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian.
BNC states: “HP Inc (US) provides services to the offices of genocide leaders, Israeli PM Netanyahu and Financial Minister Smotrich. HPE, which shares the same brand, provides technology for Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority, a pillar of its apartheid regime.” (From BNC’s January 5, 2024 detailed guide to our targeted consumer boycotts, divestment and pressure campaigns)
More information from BNC
Who Profits detailed report on HP
Click the button below for a letter in rft format (can be opened with any word processor) that you can personalize (or use as is) and share with any retailers of Hewlett Packard (HP) products.
Indigo / Chapters
Boycott Recommended by:
- CJPME
CJPME states: “Indigo Books & Music Inc. is the largest Canadian book retail chain. Founder and CEO Heather Reisman co-founded the HESEG Foundation for Lone Soldiers, which encourages foreigners to join the Israeli army and continue their studies in Israel.”
CJPME Factsheet on Indigo/Chapters
Click the button below for a letter in rft format (can be opened with any word processor) that you can personalize (or use as is) and share with any Indigo/Chapters retailers.
Israeli Wines
Boycott Recommended by:
- Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), CJPME
- Further supportive Info provided by Who Profits
CJPME notes that wines sold in stores in Canada “are labeled as ‘products of Israel’, despite the grape farming, wine production, and bottling often being done on stolen land.”
CJPME encourages consumers not to buy these products, and demand that they are removed from store shelves.
While there are those who continue to believe they should not boycott products produced in Israel, the area of Israeli wine production and sales demonstrates how tied together settlement and Israeli production are.
BNC states that “…Israeli fruits, vegetables, and wines misleadingly labeled as “Product of Israel” often include products of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land. Israeli companies do not distinguish between the two, and neither should consumers.”
Who Profits states: “The Israeli wine industry remains deeply complicit in the occupation of Palestinian and Syrian land. Dozens of wineries are based in and around Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan. Many wineries located within the Green Line, including some of the largest commercial wineries in the Israeli market, use grapes originating from occupied land in their wines.”
Who Profits provides additional details in its excellent resource “Made in Israel: Agricultural Exports from Occupied Territories”
Click the button below for a letter in rft format (can be opened with any word processor) that you can personalize (or use as is) and share with any retailers selling Israeli Wines.
Keter Plastics Products
Boycott Recommended by:
- CJPME
CJPME states: “Keter Plastic manufactures many of its products in the Jewish-only colonies of Barkan and Oranit in the West Bank. Keter specialises in plastic items such as garden furniture, shelves, boxes, etc. These products are sometimes distributed under the brand name Black & Decker Keter.”
For more information, read CJPME’s Factsheet
Click the button below for a letter in rft format (can be opened with any word processor) that you can personalize (or use as is) and share with any retailers of Keter Plastics products.
McDonald's
Boycott Recommended by:
- Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
- CJPME
CJPME states: “Palestinians have called for a boycott of McDonalds until it terminates its agreement with its Israeli franchisee, which donated meals to Israeli military personnel committing genocide in Gaza.”
BNC states: “The BNC calls for escalating global boycott of McDonald’s until it ends ties with Israeli franchisee for supporting genocide, and Malaysian franchisee for bullying solidarity activists.”
More Details from BNC
Click the button below for a letter in rft format (can be opened with any word processor) that you can personalize (or use as is) and share with any McDonald’s retailers
Sabra Hummus
Boycott Recommended by:
- CJPME
CJPME states: “Sabra is a US-based company which produces Middle Eastern-style food products including Hummus. Sabra is jointly owned by PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, an Israeli multinational food and beverage corporation. A boycott of Sabra has been called due to the Strauss Group’s financial support for the Israeli military, particularly the Golani and Givati Brigades, which have been implicated in human rights violations against Palestinians.”
For more Information, read the CJPME Factsheet
Click the button below for a letter in rft format (can be opened with any word processor) that you can personalize (or use as is) and share with any retailers of Sabra Hummus.
Scotiabank
Boycott Recommended by:
- Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
- Further supportive Info provided by Who Profits
On March 11, 2024 The Financial Post reported that even after the Scotiabank cut its holdings in Elbit Systems from 5.1 per cent to 4.3 per cent, it remained the largest non-Israeli shareholder in Elbit, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. See: https://financialpost.com/fp-finance/banking/scotiabank-cuts-stake-in-israeli-defense-firm-elbit
In May 2024, Reuters reported that Scotiabank cut its investments in Elbit Systems even further, to 2.5% of Elbit’s outstanding shares. See: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/scotiabanks-fund-unit-halved-stake-232901032.html
Since the start of Israel’s most recent assault on Gaza began in October 2023, there have been protests against Scotiabank in response to its Elbit holdings. Its reductions in March and May are in response to the protests.
BNC states: “Elbit Systems is apartheid Israel’s largest arms company. It “field-tests” its weapons on Palestinians, including in Israel’s ongoing genocidal war in Gaza. On top of building killer drones, Elbit makes surveillance technology for Israel’s apartheid wall, checkpoints and Gaza fence, enabling apartheid. The US and EU use Elbit’s technology to militarize their borders, violating refugee and indigenous peoples’ rights.”
Who Profits provides additional details, including in relation to Elbit’s connection to Israel’s 2023-2024 assault on Gaza. See: https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/3794
Click the button below for a letter in rft format (can be opened with any word processor) that you can personalize (or use as is) and share with any Scotiabank branch manager.
SodaStream
Boycott Recommended by:
- Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
- CJPME
BNC states: “SodaStream is an Israeli company that is actively complicit in Israel’s policy of displacing the indigenous Bedouin-Palestinian citizens of present-day Israel in the Naqab (Negev) and has a long history of racial discrimination against Palestinian workers.” (From BNC’s January 5, 2024 detailed guide to our targeted consumer boycotts, divestment and pressure campaigns)
Previously SodaStream’s factory was located in an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank and it was also boycotted for that reason. It closed that factory when it opened its factory in the Naqab (Negev).
For more Information, see CJPME’s Factsheet
Click the button below for a letter in rft format (can be opened with any word processor) that you can personalize (or use as is) and share with any retailers of SodaStream products (for example; London Drugs).