Is Simple Green Pinkwashing?

Pinkwashing: A term used to describe companies that position themselves as leaders in the fight against breast cancer while engaging in practices that may be contributing to rising rates of the disease.

Yep, Simple Green is guilty of pinkwashing; Simple Green Pink Ribbon is the company’s All-Purpose Cleaner dressed up in a pink costume. But while the company trumpets their commitment to breast cancer awareness, it may still be using chemicals linked to the disease.

Simple Green doesn’t disclose the ingredients in fragrances or preservatives in their regular line of products, including Pink Ribbon. We know that several chemicals used in both fragrances and preservatives are possible carcinogens or hormone disruptors (which can lead to increased risk of breast cancer), such as triclosan and parabens. With 1 in 8 women diagnosed with breast cancer, we can’t afford exposure to hidden ingredients that may be linked to the disease.

If the company is truly committed to supporting breast cancer research, it should be proud to reveal that it doesn’t use chemicals linked to the disease. They disclose all ingredients in their Naturals line—what are they hiding in products like Simple Green Pink Ribbon?

Tell Simple Green to make good on their commitment in the fight against breast cancer and disclose all the ingredients in their products. Awareness is only part of the solution. What we need is prevention, and the first step to preventing breast cancer is having the information we need to avoid chemicals linked to the disease.

October is Breast Cancer Month

Pink Ribbon is the name of the international breast cancer awareness foundation and they have named October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The pink that is colouring our lives during the month of October. whether commercial or sincere, shouldn’t cover the reality of breast cancer itself. Worldwide, millions of people, women and men are suffering from breast cancer every day. And each and every one of them feels the pain, the fear, the guilt, the uncertainty, the responsibility, the loss, being thrown back to the core essence of life. And let us not forget our loved ones we lost. May all of this being represented by this vulnerable appearing colour.

However, the brightness of pink at the same time stands for hope and strength of each individual to fight its personal fight. It stands for the community making this personal fight a community responsibility. It stands for all the efforts of people; fund raisers, medical staff, researchers, students, and volunteers worldwide, working together to find the cure. It stands for the industry proving its mature responsibility towards manufacturing processes, ingredients and products. It stands for equal fundamental rights for all breast cancer survivors whether born in richness or in poverty anywhere on mother earth.

Pink Ribbon stands in my view for one thing that makes Pink Ribbon unique, a worldwide solidarity of people and breast cancer organisations to stand together. We therefore dedicate October 2010 to the solidarity of all people. Let’s fight together!

To support Pink Ribbon either by donation or by buying some of the cool stuff in their shop, have a look at their website: http://www.pinkribbon.org