Proctor & Gamble’s Latest Gimmick

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Have you seen the advert on the telly? For every pack of Ariel we purchase, Proctor & Gamble are going to donate 10 litres of safe drinking water to children in developing countries. Commendable - or so it appears.

Before you start clapping and dashing out to buy your pack of Ariel (it’s a laundry soap, should you be in a part of the world where this stuff isn’t sold), stop and think for a moment. While you’re supporting the children of the third world and their need for clean water, you’re adding to the pollution of our own waterways.

Commercial washing powders like Ariel contain carginogens and reproductive toxins, amongst other things, that pollute our environment. Some have been known to change the sex of fish so Lord only knows what they could be doing to us. Wouldn’t it be better if they started producing an environmentally friendly washing powder and donate water to the developing countries whenever we choose the green alternative instead? Not that what they’re doing in those places isn’t laudable but it isn’t enough and, to me, it smacks of a gimmick more than anything else; if it boosts sales, the share holders get richer.

I’m tired of the manufacturing giants pretending to be full of care and concern whilst actually doing very little to change anything. Proctor & Gamble are, in my opinion, just another of those.

Sharon J x

Proctor & Gamble’s Ariel website
My blog post looking at the impact of commercial washing powders

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