Pinkwashing

I love October. I love the weather, the leaves changing color and I also love the pink ribbons and cancer awareness craziness I see everywhere I look. 

I read on other people's blogs that they are sick of pink ribbons on everything. 
I disagree for the most part. 
I LOVE pink ribbons; what I don't like is "pinkwashing."

A pinkwasher is a company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease.

According to the Think Before You Pink website, these are the questions you should ask yourself before being purchasing something because of the pink ribbon.

1. Does any money from this purchase go to fund breast cancer programs?
2. What organization will get the money? What will they do with the funds? 
3. Is there a "cap" on how much the company will donate? Has the cap already been met?

If you aren't able to answer these questions, you could absolutely buy whatever it is; just know that breast cancer research may not be receiving a penny of it. 

EXAMPLE: In 2011, Susan G. Komen for the Cure commissioned a perfume called Promise Me that contains unlisted chemicals that are regulated as toxic and hazardous, have not been adequately evaluated for human safety, and have demonstrated negative health effects. Although Komen says they will reformulate future versions of the perfume, without official adoption of the precautionary principle, there is no guarantee that future versions would be better.

EXAMPLE: In 2010, Dansko shoe company sold pink ribbon clogs. Consumers likely thought that a portion of theirpurchase of pink ribbon clogs went to a breast cancer program. However, purchase of the pink ribbon clogs was not connected to Dansko’s donation—none of the portion of the sales went toward their already set donation of $25,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. No matter whether or not you bought the clogs, their donation was the same.