Summary
About P&G and its support for Israel
Procter & Gamble (P&G) is a multinational corporation that produces a wide range of consumer goods, including personal care products, cleaning agents, and pet food. The company has been operating in Israel since 1995, and it has gradually increased its holdings in Israel over the years. P&G has a corporate office in Tel Aviv and provides significant investment (funding, expertise, resources) into Israel through its “House of Innovation”.
P&G is a major customer of Avgol, a company with a factory in the Barkan Industrial Area, adjacent to the illegal Israeli settlement of Barkan in the occupied West Bank. Avgol manufactures approximately 10% of the raw materials for diapers in the global market.
The Barkan Industrial Area is an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. The presence of P&G’s major supplier, Avgol, in the Barkan Industrial Area has led to criticism of P&G’s indirect support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
According to a Forbes article from 2012, P&G has been investing in Israeli startups since 2008. The company has a dedicated team in Israel that scouts for promising startups and helps them grow. P&G has also established a partnership with the Israeli Innovation Authority to support innovation in the country.
P&G’s support for Israel has led to calls for boycotts of the company and its products. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to pressure Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories, has called for a boycott of P&G. The movement argues that P&G is complicit in the Israeli occupation of Palestine by operating in Israel and supporting the Israeli government.
Conclusion
P&G’s involvement with Israel and its support for the Israeli government have been a source of controversy and criticism. P&G supports a country that is waging genocide against the Palestinian people with significant investments and collaborations, this includes collaborations with companies complicit in the illegal settlements in the West Bank. P&G should end all ties with Israel until justice is served and the Palestinians are treated equally and have an autonomous state. Until then, all P&G brands should be boycotted. Click here to get to know them all.
References
Companies Supporting the Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Land. Interfaith Peace Initiative, Oct. 2009, www.interfaithpeaceinitiative.com/profiting.pdf.
Boycott Cosmetics Companies Backing Israeli Occupation in Palestine. Mayniaga, 17 Nov. 2023, https://www.mayniaga.com/boycott-cosmetics-companies-backing-israeli-occupation-in-palestine/.
P&G Israel: Career Site. Procter & Gamble, https://www.pgcareers.com/global/en/locations/israel.
Procter & Gamble – English Innovation Site. Israel Innovation Authority, n.d., https://innovationisrael.org.il/en/winner/procter-gamble/.
Geromel, Ricardo. Procter & Gamble Israel Startup. Forbes, 16 May 2012, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ricardogeromel/2012/05/16/procter-and-gamble-israel-startup/?sh=766ad3d811f5.
The Baby Diaper Market. Nonwovens Industry, 7 Jan. 2013, www.nonwovens-industry.com/issues/2013-01/view_features/the-baby-diaper-market/.