Pinkwashing (breast cancer)

Pinkwashing is a form of cause marketing, using various pink ribbon logos that represent support for breast cancer-related charities.[1]

This term is associated with companies that will use the pink ribbon or the support of breast cancer charities as a marketing technique to promote one of its products, while at the same time manufacturing products that either contain ingredients that are linked to the disease or are used in a manner that associates it with the disease.

As the largest organization monetizing breast cancer, Susan G. Komen Foundation and its licensing of a proprietary trademark pink "running ribbon" logo and "...for a cure" slogan on a wide range of products have drawn close scrutiny.

Etymology

The term, a portmanteau of "pink" and whitewashing, was first coined by Breast Cancer Action. On thinkbeforeyoupink.org, ‘pinkwasher’ is defined as, “a company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease.”

Modern Usage

In 2010, KFC ran its “Buckets for the Cure” campaign. During the course of this campaign, the company donated 50 cents to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for every pink bucket of fried chicken sold. This partnership was accused of sending a mixed message on health, as KFC is known to contain a potential carcinogen-acrylamide. In addition, two of the ingredients that are added to their fried chicken includes maltodextrin- a sugar substitute that suppresses immune function and increases the chances of diabetes- and highly refined table salt containing additives that have been known to lead to Alzheimer’s disease, high blood pressure, and kidney disease. Obesity itself also represents an increased risk for cancer.

Other Komen promotions which have drawn criticism include Houston-based fracking equipment vendor Baker Hughes $100,000 sponsorship for a campaign with the tagline “Doing their bit for a cure”;[2] opponents insist that hydraulic fracturing itself extracts oil and gas using a mixture of water and chemicals, including known or possible carcinogens.[3] Similar concerns have been raised about automobile manufacturers as sponsors,[4] as vehicle exhaust contains carcinogens.[5]

Komen’s own Promise Me perfume has also drawn Breast Cancer Action's ire, as the label fails to disclose that the product contains galaxolide and toluene.[6]

The "pinkwashing" issue is not limited to Komen and its sponsors. In 2007, the Estée Lauder Pink Ribbon Collection series used a donation to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) to promote products containing parabens, chemicals linked to breast cancer. In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration had connected 5-Hour Energy Drink, a caffeinated energy shot promoted using a Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) sponsorship as cause marketing, to thirteen deaths and serious injuries including heart attacks.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jaggar, Karuna (21 October 2014). "Komen is supposed to be curing breast cancer. So why is its pink ribbon on so many carcinogenic products?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Women's health advocates denounce Komen Foundation's partnership with Baker Hughes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  3. ↑ "Komen is supposed to be curing breast cancer. So why is its pink ribbon on so many carcinogenic products?". Washington Post.
  4. ↑ ABC News. "Pink Washing Is Real and It Hurts [Commentary]". ABC News.
  5. ↑ "IOM Report Has Familiar List of Known Breast Cancer Risks". WSJ.
  6. ↑ http://bcaction.org/raise-a-stink/
  7. ↑ "Breast Cancer Awareness Month Brings the Usual 'Pinkwashing' and Unethical Cause-Marketing Partnerships". The Huffington Post.