The Pink Ribbon was co-created by the late Evelyn H. Lauder. People across the globe now use the iconic shade of pink to represent breast cancer. In 1992, Evelyn knew that the topic of breast cancer needed more awareness and alongside The Pink Ribbon, she launched The Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Research Campaign.
The charity aimed to generate funding and educate others about the disease. It now continues to grow with thousands of survivors and supporters joining the community. The foundation has led the way for many different organisations around the world. These organisations now also conduct research and raise awareness for breast cancer. A few examples of these charities include; Breast Cancer Now, Breast Cancer Support and Against Breast Cancer. There are also thousands of advocates, many of them with their own experiences of the disease, working tirelessly every day to raise awareness.
Pinkwashing is a phrase that has been circulating for many years. People use it to help recognise that breast cancer goes beyond the colour pink. Every October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, various well-known brands market ‘pink’ versions of their products. They do this with the promise of donating a percentage or all of the proceeds to charity. While this seems harmless, and in some ways selfless, it is important to understand how the iconic ‘pink’ came about. It is also important to understand the detrimental impact this has had on Breast Cancer Awareness.
The core reason behind Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to raise awareness of the disease. The campaign creates discussion points around the signs and symptoms to look out for, statistics, new treatment methods and any progress being made. Many fundraising events take place to support Breast Cancer Awareness during this time. The money raised helps fund charities and organisations that research ways to prevent and cure breast cancer. It also helps offer support to those diagnosed and their families.
The international campaign has helped both men and women around the world discover the disease earlier. This has therefore increased thousands of people’s chances of survival. An estimated 600,000 people are alive in the UK after a diagnosis of breast cancer. It is with the campaign’s great efforts that this number continues to increase. Most organisations take part in helping to spread awareness and actively help the campaign to succeed. However, there has been backlash from some companies who have created a public awareness campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness but contradicted the cause. This is known as Pinkwashing.
While raising awareness is important, too much of it can dilute the truth of breast cancer. Every October, various companies support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Everything from burgers and coffee to pyjamas and beauty products sport the iconic shade of pink. While most companies who participate will have the intention of helping to raise awareness and donate to support the cause, others raise no awareness at all. It is simply a marketing exercise – people call this Pinkwashing.
In addition, the use of ‘pink’ for products that contain carcinogens (chemicals that can cause cancer) has caused outrage in the community. People have previously called out a few brands for this, including Campbell Foods, Yum! and car manufacturing giant, Ford. Although these companies have raised large sums of money (Ford alone is thought to have raised over £100 million), people have deemed them all to be Pinkwashing. This is because their products either contain or produce ingredients/chemicals that can cause cancer.
Last, but not least, Pinkwashing can create misconceptions about how devastating breast cancer can be. The overwhelming use of the colour pink portrays breast cancer as ‘feminine’. In fact, it also affects many men around the world. Brands also give limited recognition to secondary breast cancer, which currently has no cure. So, while their intentions may be in the right place, awareness doesn’t necessarily mean knowledge.
With this in mind, if you are wanting to donate money towards breast cancer research, it may be a better idea to go straight to the organisation or charity that carries out the research itself. You could even host your own fundraising event. That being said, if you come across breast cancer awareness products that you wish to buy, but are not sure how much of your donations will go to the charity, here are a few things you can look out for:
Look in the fine print for information on how much the company donates from sales of breast cancer awareness merchandise. This information should be easy to find out either at the point of sale or on the company’s website.
Some companies will state that they are donating to “breast cancer research”, but will leave out the detail of which organisation, in particular, they are donating to. To make sure you have a better understanding of where your money is going, look for a statement that says which organisation will be receiving the donations.
Sometimes, a percentage of product sales will go toward breast cancer research, but the company will cap it at a certain amount. If a company caps the amount, look to see if it has met the maximum donation. If so, you might be better spending your money as a direct donation to the charity itself.
Brands can use their platforms to spread awareness about breast cancer. However, you can really make a difference by connecting with an organisation that spends its time and money on researching how to prevent, treat or cure breast cancer. You can do this by donating a percentage of your proceeds to a breast cancer research organisation. It’s also recommended to make it clear to your customers that you are doing this. You should also tell them which organisation your proceeds will be going to, so that your customers know exactly where their donations are going.
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