Do boycotts actually work?

Zaffron Islam
Dec 7, 2023
3 min read

A boycott is a voluntary non-violent sanction or abstention in protest against an organisation, country or person. They are often used as a form of consumer activism to inflict economic turmoil or profit loss onto the recipient, in this case typically a company. Whether they are effective is disputed, however there is much evidence in recent history to suggest they are – if not in creating financial trouble, at least in damaging the reputation of the boycotts’ intended target.

Anti-Apartheid movement for South Africa

One of the most notable boycotts in history is the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa. Apartheid was the deliberate marginalisation of the non-white population, via laws that gave the white population superiority over others. There were separate facilities, schools, transport and land for different races. The boycott was a global effort and led Britain to withdraw support from the apartheid by abstaining from South African products in an attempt to create enough economic pressure for South Africa to change the discriminatory laws.

The first major victory of this movement was in 1961 when the country was forced to leave the Commonwealth. The following year, the UN General Assembly called on all member states to impose a boycott against trade with South Africa, along with a partial arms ban (UN, n.d.). In subsequent years came sports bans, call-backs of loans and years of civil disobedience. Finally, after years of unrest and boycotts, in 1994 came the end of the white rule and negotiations for an end to the apartheid began. It is evident that the international boycotts contributed to the end of the apartheid in South Africa.

BDS Movement for Palestine

Years later, an extremely influential boycott, the BDS (boycotts, divestment, and sanctions) movement,was founded in protest of the Israeli occupation of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This ongoing movement includes abstaining from many major companies such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Disney, all of whom have economic ties to Israel. In the case of McDonald’s for example, the movement was recently refuelled after a location in Israel announced free food for members of the Israeli military (Zahn, 2023). Despite claims from Israel that singling out the state is antisemitic, this movement has regained support following the recent conflict in Gaza, as people want to mobilise their economic power to call for Israel to comply with international law The movement was inspired by the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement – further showcasing the success and influence of such boycotts.

Photo2: Peter Hain, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/things-fall-apart-for-barclays-in-africa-c8w02k3zj

Global solidarity against governments in power and corporations supporting Israel are having a major impact, with major US and European companies such as G4S and Orange to exit the Israeli market after their complicity with Israeli violations resulted in high profile campaigns (BDS, 2017). Despite gaining much attention from the public and ongoing shifts in attitudes towards the Israeli state and its actions, most Western governments refuse to withdraw or sanction Israel’s actions as unjust . Given the BDS movement is led by the public, it does not have the advantage of authority and influential support that the AAM had; many economically advanced nations could contribute more to prevent the loss of life. Furthermore, there is the risk that any publicity may be good for a company, or that smaller scale campaigns spread by social media or started by the public as opposed to governmental institutions can be short-lived. However this may be more prevalent with regards to company-specific boycotts such as the call for companies like Shien and Nike to stop their unethical working practices and conditions in China and Bangladesh (The Economist, 2022). Moreover, as seen in the Anti-Apartheid Movement, building such an influential boycott requires people, power, resources, and perhaps most importantly – time.

The Future of Boycotts

The future of boycotts is unknown, but they are likely to take place as long as we live in an inherently consumerist society. Whilst the success of boycotts is subjective,, the main objectives of such movements are typically to change the behaviour of certain countries or institutions. By gaining momentum, influence and getting others involved particularly in protest, boycotts can be successful.

Bibliography

BDS (2017). What is BDS? [online] BDS Movement. Available at: https://bdsmovement.net/what-is-bds

BDS Movement. (2016). Economic Boycott. [online] Available at: https://bdsmovement.net/economic-boycott

Braw, E. (2022). Do rising consumer boycotts threaten corporate geopolitical neutrality? [online] WTW. Available at: https://www.wtwco.com/en-gb/insights/2022/11/do-rising-consumer-boycotts-threaten-corporate-geopolitical-neutrality

Bruce (2023). The Walt Disney Company Donates To Support Humanitarian Relief Following Terrorist Attacks In Israel. [online] The Walt Disney Company. Available at: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/the-walt-disney-company-donates-to-support-humanitarian-relief-following-terrorist-attacks-in-israel-2/#:~:text=October%2012%2C%202023-

McGreal, C. (2021). Boycotts and sanctions helped rid South Africa of apartheid – is Israel next in line? [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/23/israel-apartheid-boycotts-sanctions-south-africa

The Economist (2022). Companies fear consumer boycotts. [online] The Economist. Available at: https://www.economist.com/business/2022/04/16/companies-fear-consumer-boycotts

Turits, M. (2023). Why boycotts eventually fall into ‘the dustbin of outrage’. [online] www.bbc.com. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230829-why-boycotts-eventually-fall-into-the-dustbin-of-outrage

UN, www.un.org. (n.d.). Nelson Mandela International Day. [online] Available at: https://www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay/un_against_apartheid.shtml#:~:text=December%202%2C%201968