Unilever is the third largest consumer goods company in the world, with a vast variety of products. Due to things like th euse of animal testing in the development of their products, chemical spills, and allegations of forced labor in various counties, there are already numerous calls here and there to boycott the company.
In my opinion, these calls have not been effective. If we have to move forward in our lobbying strategy to convince Unilever to take a stand against the Rohingya genocide, I am suggesting that we call for a boycott of those items which represent the bulk of Unilever sales in Southeast Asia, beginning with Lifebouy soap. This is their best-selling product in the region; it is easy for consumers to replace with an alternative, and it is targeted enough that Unilever will be able to recognize the very specific negative impact their silence on the genocide is having on their profits.
We are not at that stage yet, we are still giving Paul Polman (Unilever’s CEO) time to reply to our request. But, if necessary, I believe this is a good strategy to adopt.