Breast cancer awareness and pinkwashing

Pinkwashing is a relatively new term, coined by Breast Cancer Action as part of their Think Before You Pink campaign. It is used to describe an 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.

A prime example would be KFC who partnered with Susan G. Komen For The Cure, to produce Buckets For The Cure, which were their usual fatty fried chicken in pink tubs – it seems that you can make anything appear virtuous by simply colouring it pink and slapping a ribbon on it. Breast Cancer Action (BCA) described the distasteful gimmick as “feeding people carcinogenic grilled chicken that raises the risk of … breast cancer”. But, you could argue that KFC donated over $4million dollars to the charity and raised awareness for a killer disease in low-income neighbourhoods as a result of the campaign, so what’s the problem? Here’s a look at both sides of the pinkwashing coin.

Raising awareness

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK, counting for almost a third of new cancer cases in women, and the lifetime risk of a woman in the UK developing the disease is one in eight. Over 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year, but 90% of women diagnosed in the earliest stage survive the disease for more than five years. With these powerful facts, it is no wonder that so many people believe that all awareness is good, no matter what the underlying motive; the more people who regularly check their breasts, the greater the chance of early-stage diagnosis, therefore the greater number of people beating breast cancer.

Commercialising emotion

But as the global breast cancer awareness business has become a multibillion dollar runaway train, other people are getting upset that plenty of organisations are just cashing in on the power of pink to boost sales. Changing the shade of the packaging for one month of the year is big business: research by Cone Communications in America showed that, all things being equal, 79% of consumers would be likely to switch brand allegiance for a good cause. Companies know that the product is virtually irrelevant and that the public are only really buying goodwill under a false sense of activism.

More sales, less donations

While all pink products experience a surge in sales, many companies unashamedly increase prices; the uplift in prices and profits, plus ongoing brand loyalty, more than makes up for the amount “generously” donated to charity. Other companies put a cap on the amount given away, so that sales over and above that figure improve their own bottom line. Some people say that is fair enough, because at least the company is sending some money to the cause, but sadly there are plenty of companies who blatantly cash in on the power of pink without giving one penny to a breast cancer organisation.

Humble beginnings

Other cause symbols haven’t suffered this abuse – the red AIDS ribbon has kept its dignity and the poppy is still a strong sign of support for the Royal British Legion – but sadly the pink ribbon didn’t have a very auspicious start. It began life in America as a peach ribbon that Charlotte Haley handed out, to raise awareness that only five per cent of the National Cancer Institute’s $1.8 billion budget went towards cancer prevention. Women’s health magazine, Self, and Estée Lauder teamed up to ask for permission to use the ribbon as the latter’s executive, Evelyn Lauder, was a breast cancer survivor. Haley refused, on the basis that the request was too commercial, but the companies decided to cash in on the idea anyway and produced their own pink version. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fading power of pink

Where breast cancer was once a taboo issue and the ribbon was worn as a sign of solidarity, now breast cancer support is a fashion statement, with top designers creating ranges of pink ribbon clothes and celebrities attending fancy launch parties drenched in pink. While it is amazing that one little piece of coloured material has achieved so much fame, the power of pink is waning since it has been turned into a commodity. Such gimmicky pink products can be hurtful to the thousands of women living through breast cancer hell on a daily basis, and survivors of the disease can feel that their struggle has been cheapened.

It seemed that the awareness campaign for testicular cancer had learnt valuable lessons from pinkwashing as Movember couldn’t be bought – supporters had to actually grow a moustache. But, of course, you can now find moustaches emblazoned on everything. Maybe pinkwashing is not just the curse of breast cancer, but a comment on the commercialist society in which we live.

Undesirable links

While KFC’s fatty fried food is a clear non sequitur to raising awareness for breast cancer, other products might not seem so at odds with the cause. Pink perfumes and cleaning products, for example, seem harmless enough, but criticism ranges from toxic chemicals known to increase the risk of breast cancer being used in the product, to other harmful products the parent company produces, and reinforcing sexist stereotypes.

However, like KFC, some of the products that have been “pinked up” are so wrong, the executives responsible should blush. For instance, didn’t anyone see the irony of the pink grip on a Smith & Wesson gun being used as a symbol to save lives? Or the Pink Your Drink campaign run by vodka manufacturer Chambourd, when alcohol consumption is known to increase the risk of breast cancer? Even pink packaging for Jaffa Cakes and Lucozade is awkward as, although an occasional sweet treat is acceptable, the association with sugar-filled products is uncomfortable given that obesity significantly increases a person’s risk of the disease.

Think before you pink

Although it undoubtedly raises awareness, many people would prefer it if consumers and manufacturers alike just donated directly to breast cancer organisations, rather than wasting money on a pointless piece of pink packaging. BCA is fighting back against pinkwashing with a Think Before You Pink Toolkit, which helps people detach themselves from superficial awareness and provides resources to move the conversation away from fashion and back to action.

by Lucy Ellis