35 Greenpeace activists were arrested during a dramatic protest against Dove. The activists shut down the building and exposed Dove’s toxic plastic pollution.
What happened?
Greenpeace UK activists shut down the headquarters of Dove’s parent company Unilever.
The protest follows the firm’s ongoing failure to tackle their overwhelming plastic pollution, and their decision to cut back their sustainability goals.
- Climbers from Greenpeace UK scaled the building and attached a huge artwork to the outside wall.
- The artwork shows a young girl peeling back Dove’s iconic ‘Real Beauty’ branding to reveal real examples of the brand’s toxic plastic waste.
- Activists blocked the entrances to Unilever House, locking themselves onto large models of Dove products and a ‘Dead Dove’ parody of the company logo.
After blocking the building for around 12 hours, the activists were removed and arrested.
- 35 activists were arrested under the new Public Order Act. We have not seen this many arrests on a Greenpeace protest for well over a decade.
- Police used angle grinders to remove the activists blocking the entrances.
- Activists who climbed the building to install the artwork were also arrested.
How you can help
Dove is vulnerable right now. All eyes are on them for the 20th anniversary of their Real Beauty campaign, and they’re scared of public backlash. Your voice, at this crucial moment, could tip the scales and force them to change. Will you support our activists and pledge to stop buying Dove products this year?
Sign the pledge to ditch Dove products until Dove agrees to ditch single-use plastic.
Why Greenpeace is taking action
Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign positions it as a brand with a social and environmental purpose. But this marketing hides some ugly truths:
- Dove and their parent company Unilever is one of the largest plastic polluters globally. It sells the equivalent of 1700 super polluting sachets every second.
- They’re moving in the wrong direction. Earlier this year, the company announced a major rollback of their plastic reduction targets.
- Dove’s pollution is littering beaches and worsening floods. Dove sachets have been found polluting beaches and waterways in the Philippines and Indonesia. Discarded sachets are near-impossible to collect and recycle. Instead, they jam local drainage systems and waterways, contributing to devastating floods.
Dove is planning some big celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of its “Real Beauty” campaign. But we won’t let them party while they’re pumping out harmful plastic.
From India to Indonesia, Thailand to the Philippines – it’s many of the same young girls and women who Dove claim to champion who are left to deal with their pollution.
We’re not here to shame Dove or its consumers. We’re here to challenge a brand to live up to its proclaimed values. We’re here to empower those who have been let down and those who have been directly impacted by Dove’s plastic waste.
Dove say they care about real beauty? It’s time they prove it.
What should Dove do?
The protest is part of Greenpeace’s ongoing campaign against Dove’s parent company Unilever. We’re calling on them to to:
- Phase out single-use plastic from its operations and transition to reuse in the next 10 years, starting with the worst offenders: plastic sachets.
- Advocate for a strong Global Plastics Treaty which caps and gradually reduces plastic production by at least 75% by 2040.
Take action
Sign the pledge to ditch Dove products until Dove agrees to ditch single-use plastic.