Business & Tech
Beware 'Pinkwashing' in October, BBB Warns
Products with pink ribbons don't always benefit cancer charities
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and many businesses are marketing “pink” products and services to support breast cancer charities and organizations.
But the Better Business Bureau urges consumers to think twice before buying in order to support the cause.
Businesses can and do misuse pink ribbon marketing to promote products and services that provide little or no benefit to breast cancer causes, the consumer protection agency says.
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This practice is called “Pinkwashing.”
The widely recognized pink ribbon is not officially licensed by any group and its use is no guarantee that a portion of your purchase is going towards research, awareness, or programs that support cancer victims or survivors.
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BBB advises consumers to:
Ask questions - Find out what percentage of the sale price will be donated and to which charity. Also ask if there is a cap on the donations or if a percentage will only be donated for a limited period of time.
Research the business - Go to cleveland.bbb.org to check out their rating and history of consumer complaints with Better Business Bureau.
Confirm charity affiliations - If a business claims to be a sponsor of or donate proceeds to a particular charity, contact the charity to confirm the relationship. To be certain your donation gets to the organization, consider donating directly to the charity.
If you decide to donate directly to charities supporting breast cancer causes, BBB cautions you to make sure your donation is being used wisely.
Earlier this year, a New York organization, Coalition Against Breast Cancer (CABC), and its for-profit fundraiser, Campaign Center were ordered to pay millions of dollars in restitution for deceiving donors.
The New York Attorney General's office reported that the outfit raised nearly $10 million through phone calls to the public, but did not engage in any research and helped only 40 women obtain mammograms over seven years.
Meanwhile, two officers of CABC paid themselves more than $550,000 in combined salaries for 2005 through 2009, another $150,000 in retirement accounts, and dental and medical benefits that totaled at least $9,000 per year.
Before giving to any charity, BBB advises:
Check out the charity at cleveland.bbb.org or give.org.
Donate via check rather than cash. Write checks to charities rather than individuals.
Do not give personal information to people with unsolicited donation requests.
Be wary of donation requests that are high-pressure and don't adequately describe the work of the charity. Be wary if a charity refuses to answer questions about their operations, finances and programs.
Keep records of donations with receipts, canceled checks and bank statements for tax purposes.
Carefully read product labels like those on pink ribbon products. They should include the charity name and the percentage of the sale going to charity.
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