Not so innocent any more

[Loobyloo]

I have to admit to be a bit gutted about this. No matter how much they say they're still the same company with the same ethos they've sold their soul in my opinion.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7988517.stm

[jim]

I agree .... and to Coca Cola with their supression of human rights, trades union repression, use of death squads, depletion of Indian water tables and pollution of land and bodies record .......!

.....lost for words!

Love and Peace
Jim

[Nomada]

How depressing and dissappointing

[Annpan]

Really sad, I don't honestly think any company can reach a certain size without selling out and losing its character.

OH said Ben and Jerry's did a similar thing and a few years later they admitted that they had lost the spirit of the company.

Can anyone name any companies that haven't done this? Devine? Yeo Valley?

[Penny Lane]

That's just awful, these companies really are taking over the world!

It reminds me of lo'real buying the body shop.

Body shop: We're so good, we don't test on animals!
Lo'real: We test on animals but we'll buy a company who doesn't and pretend to care.

[Annpan]

My Lord, I have just read through their blog comments - I am hoping the powers that be at innocent are looking for a loophole to get out of that coke contract - looks like they are loosing lots of loyal customers.

http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innoc ... tment.html

[Rosendula]

Thanks for pointing out the Body Shop/L'Oreal one, Penny Lane. I was going to mention it myself. I'm sure I read somewhere that Netsle part own (or something of that nature) L'Oreal. Can it get much less ethical?

Here's a list of current boycotts for anyone interested.



Edited to add that following my own link I have found the bit where it says that Netsle own 26% of L'Oreal.

[invisiblepiper]

They sold out

[Mylovelyhorse]

Dreadful news. I'm really not happy about it. I'm not an impetuous horse, but I shall be thinking very carefully about whether I want to buy their smoothies anymore. I don't buy any Coca Cola products at the moment. I'm not very happy at the prospect of that changing.

[Annpan]

I feel that I will boycot innocent now, but we do buy the occasional bottle of coke (tia maria needs something to mix with ) but I feel that it is the principle of the matter.

We payed a bit more because we were paying for the innocent ethos, and that has gone now

Oh well, I have a juicer, a blender and a few fruit trees and bushes... I guess I'll just need to be inventive.


Rosendula, thanks for that link, got me into the ethicscore section and you can see how all sorts of businesses fair.

[Green Aura]

Oh heck - just looked at the boycott list - most don't pose any problems - I already don't use things by most of them - but what do I do about the big T - where do I do my shopping? I fear that much as I hate them I'll have to continue at least until the new Sainsburp (thanks Rosendula - love that) opens in Nairn.

[red]

I'm not feeling the loss, as I never liked them - found the drinks a bit gloopy and very sweet.

what is it about innocent that is (or was) ethical in the first place? I must have missed that (not being a fan and all) ?

[Millymollymandy]

Oh dear I buy a number of things from the unethical list including coke occasionally! I do wonder why they are boycotting T***o for selling live frogs and turtles in their Chinese stores - are they more endangered/unethical than the live lobsters and crabs that are sold in French supermarkets?

[Annpan]

I'm not feeling the loss, as I never liked them - found the drinks a bit gloopy and very sweet.

what is it about innocent that is (or was) ethical in the first place? I must have missed that (not being a fan and all) ?

The first time I tried smoothies I couldn't stomach them, but now I love them.

Innocent was kind of grass-roots company - We were led to believe that a group of 3 friends took the weekend off work to take a rented van to Glastonbury and make smoothies, they had 2 bins under a sign that read "should we give up our day jobs and do this for a living?" The "yes" bin was over flowing and the "no" bin was empty.

I have since read on the comments on the blog that this was 'pre-designed' and the 3 friends all worked in marketing and/or for soft drinks companies.

The support several charities, including the rainforest alliance (a sort of fair-trade group) and help the aged (for whom they mobilise hundreds of knitters to make wee hats for their bottles every december)

Through their funny new-letters emailed out to subscribers they ran photo comps, had forums, did market research.

They sold us the ethos of getting more fresh fruit into our diets, they encouraged people to get their 5 a day (2 of which you can get from a smoothie) They got smoothies stocked in McDs as part of a kids meal (the argument being that if this gets more kid some more vitamins then it is no bad thing)

They were into their green energy (pretty sure their company vans were recycled chip fat powered, but I may be wrong)

They had that hippy ethos that we all fell for as with Greens and Blacks, Ben and Jerrys, the Body Shop... and now, just like them, they have sold out.

I have also found out via the bog comments that they never made their own smoothies, but used suppliers who probably supplie countless other brands.

The Ethical consumer website gave them an ethiscore of 12.5 out of 20 (based on various things, they lost out because they are neither fair-trade nor organic) they now have an ethiscore of 6.5.



I'm more put out cause I feel like I was used - I have argued with people about how this business model works

[invisiblepiper]

Well said Annpan - and with a lovely twist you accidently typed 'bog' instead of 'blog' - which really does say it all!
I am interested to read further on these so called ethical businesses - have you any web addresses or similar ?
IP