Back in July I wrote about Cadbury's introduction of palm oil into its chocolate. This month Cadbury announced that it was removing palm oil from its chocolate, and that one of its most popular products, Dairy Milk chocolate, is getting Fairtrade certification. What an amazing response to consumer pressure!
There are lots of groups out there trying to get people to employ consumer pressure against other products and corporate practices - why was this particular campaign so successful? I think it was a combination of a number of factors:
Cadbury's high profile and huge popularity in New Zealand. This meant that there was a large consumer base who felt personally connected to the issue. The sheer numbers who got behind the campaign meant Cadbury couldn't ignore it.
The issue had broad appeal. Palm oil production destroys the habitat of orang utans. Who wants to be responsible for wiping out a species so closely related to us?
But, I think what really made this campaign take off was that the media got behind it. It was on the primetime news, it was in the papers, it was on the radio. Everyone knew about it. And then Whittakers got on board and promoted the issue too to try and steal some of Cadbury's market share.
It is heartening to know that, at least where a perfect storm of circumstances exists, consumer pressure can make a difference. How else can we use our collective power to create positive change?
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