Procter & Gamble/Archewell ~ Why The Royal Warrant Must Be Removed

The Procter & Gamble association with Archewell didn’t come as a surprise, however, P&G currently holds a Royal Warrant, which means that some of the products/services are used in the Royal Households, and thus have a stamp of approval and an endorsement from The Queen or Prince Charles. What it means, is that it is approved of by BP (a badge of honour), and that warrant holders should have an impeccable reputation and act with integrity to reflect the Royal values.

https://www.royalwarrant.org/company/procter-gamble-uk

In the past, Royal Warrants have been removed for a number of reasons; Rigby & Peller, lost its Royal Warrant due to the publishing of an autobiography that mentioned private interactions with members of the RF that BP didn’t approve of, Hoover, lost theirs over a damaging documentary on the free flights promotion where the company cancelled the promotion due to demand, and deliberately made the process to gain the free tickets difficult, and Harrods, lost theirs over allegations that the RF were involved with the accidental death of the son of the owner at the time. With this is mind, one should be questioning the status of the Royal Warrant of P&G, and many people have written to the company to express their disappointment at the collaboration with an entity that has attacked the Monarchy.

How can a company retain a Royal Warrant when they support an organization that is headed by people who have openly attacked The Queen and the heir?

A reader shared their responses to me when they wrote to P&G with their concerns, and also replied to the letter below. The follow-up was a generic, thank you for your comment that will be passed to the relevant department. The reply seems to ignore the fact that the consumer doesn’t consider that the association is in good faith, and are enabling and supporting an entity that many people consider to be traitorous. It seems the millennial PR team within P&G are out of touch with the core of their target consumers, and are more interested in the PR than keeping loyal customers happy. Let this be their lesson to learn that brand loyalty needs more than fancy advertising!

The call to boycott P&G products is already making people rethink their choices when buying items, and it is hard as the brand is a trusted one, or rather used to be. The much loved Fairy Liquid is now owned by them, and giving it up and replacing it won’t be easy, yet it is possible.

While there are many supermarket own brands, people have questioned whether P&G supply them and should they be avoided too? Unless someone in the know ‘leaks’ that information (a simple ‘no they don’t supply major supermarkets’ will do), then it’s best to stick to other companies in the meantime if you wish to express your disapproval at the P&G collaboration.There have been various petitions that have advocated the boycotting of P&G on a worldwide scale, and these issues have included their use of testing on animals, and their forest deforestation practices (from their suppliers), which continue despite protest from their shareholders. How can Charles support a company that violates his conservation efforts, especially when the company ignores the wishes of the shareholders as well?

When will P&G listen? People may stop buying their products and gradually switch to other brands, and even when people write to them it seems to fall on deaf ears. However, the loss of a Royal Warrant can be a badge of shame (although some warrants are lost through inactivity) when accompanied by controversial press. No amount of PR can convince the masses (that know the truth) that associating with Archewell is a positive step. This is an entity that has deliberately set out to harm and attack a nation (the UK) and the Monarchy, so how can they expect the nation to ignore their support (and endorsement) of people who advocate such behaviour? By choosing to collaborate with them, it indicates that they approve of such behaviour which is abhorrent to many.

It is up to the individual to choose how they wish to view this collaboration, and whether they wish to switch brands because of the unethical direction of the company, or to write to the company to tell them why they are boycotting their brands.

P&G are associated with many well-known brands such as Olay, Oral B, Pampers, Lenor, Flash, Gillette, Bold, Ariel, Fairy, Pantene, Aussie, Febreze, Daz, Viakal, Vicks, Braun, Ambi Pur, Charmin, Cushelle, Bounty, Head & Shoulders, and Herbal Essences. Many households will have some of the items, so what do you do? I never advocate waste, so use up the items and then switch, although I have read many people have chosen to ditch the products immediately and have sought alternatives in disgust. While those sitting in the offices of P&G may not be aware of this (or choose not to know) until profits drop, they may not ‘act’ unless the press gets so bad that supermarkets won’t stock their brands, and when the masses post on social media that they are actively boycotting the brands and not because they don’t like the products, but they are disgusted at how the company is being run, and who they choose to associate with.

In essence, by using P&G products, you are effectively stating that you consider attacking and accusing the UK of racism is acceptable, and that attacking the Monarch and her family is permissible. There are alternatives to P&G, and some readers have compiled a list of some items, but the choice is yours as to whether you wish to support P&G – personally I find their response disappointing, and do not wish to support them at all, and will tell others why I have chosen to boycott P&G.

Perhaps it’s time to support the smaller brands and more eco-friendly ones, and this is the ideal time to make that switch you may have been meaning to make? There are many other shampoos, laundry detergents, and washing up liquids available these days and we are fortunate to be able to have choices, not just on price, and quality, but also an ethical choice. Companies such as The Body Shop have a wide range of products, as do Weleda, Greenfrog Botanic, Lush, Smol, Ecover, Bloomtown, Nuddy, and Friendly Soap are some of the ethical brands that are well priced, and that are good quality (no endorsement, just companies I have heard of), and people are making more informed choices about what brands they wish to buy. There are other brands to choose from such as Arm & Hammer, Huggies, Marvis, and Oilatum, plus, it’s a good habit to get into by checking the small print. It will come to a point, anything but P&G!

While I realize P&G do donate many essential products to those in need, good deeds don’t eliminate unethical practices! P&G may choose to ignore the will of their shareholders, and may not care if they lose the Royal Warrant, but will they care when people stop buying their brands? Putting things into context, other brands have lost their warrants due to a lack of public integrity, false accusations, and the betrayal of a confidential business relationship – those pale into insignificance when P&G endorses and supports people who have defamed, and attacked the Monarch and her son, and have acted with no intergity whatsoever. If the People have no faith in P&G, then the Royal Warrant will be deemed worthless. The Royal Warrant stands for quality, ethics and businesses with integrity, but is that the case with Procter & Gamble? They may have taken a literal gamble with Archewell and the Sussex duo, but was it a wise or stupid gamble? Is it time to ditch and switch?