The B4Ukraine Coalition calls on Mondelez International to do the only right thing: to exit the Russian market as soon as possible. We call on the Mondelez employees to help us persuade the leadership of the company to exit! We call on the consumers of the well-known brands of this American snacking giant to stop voting with your dollar as long as Mondelez continues supporting the Kremlin with tax revenues.
In March 2022, two of Mondelez’s manufacturing facilities in Ukraine (a biscuit factory in Trostyanets and a potato-chip factory in Vyshhorod) were destroyed by Russian invaders. As of today, the company continues to operate three factories in Russia. How ironic that an American snacking giant — the maker of Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers, Philadelphia cream cheese, and Milka chocolate — continues to support the Kremlin with tax revenues used to destroy its own property in a neighboring country!
How do Mondelez employees in the US and globally feel knowing this is happening to their colleagues in Ukraine? How does an employee from Chicago feel knowing that his/her company is paying taxes to the Kremlin, enabling it to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity?
In 2021, the company’s annual revenue in Russia hit $1.3bn, with Mondelez alleged to have paid about $170m in taxes to the Russian state in 2020, according to the KSE Institute. With that amount of money, the Kremlin could have obtained 26 Kalibr cruise missiles that have been used to terrorize and kill Ukrainian civilians. And while the US taxpayers have provided Ukrainians with over $73B in humanitarian, financial, and military assistance, companies like Mondelez continue undermining the American government’s support to Ukraine.
How does Mondelez explain its position?
CEO Dirk Van de Put justifies Mondelez’s continued corporations in Russia under the guise of providing ‘essential’ food in ‘difficult times.’ No doubt that eating chocolates or biscuits isn’t required to sustain one’s health.
There is no time for cheap hypocrisy when the Russian state is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine! While companies like Mondelez are counting profits made in Russia, Ukrainians are counting and mourning lost lives.
What you can do!
The time to act is now! Both consumers and employees have the power to encourage Mondelez to do the right thing and exit Russia as soon as possible.
If you are a Mondelez employee, call on your CEO and senior leaders to commit to their corporate values by putting human lives over profit. Share your views on the best way to encourage Mondelez to pull out of Russia and stand on the right side of history. You can do so ANONYMOUSLY here.
If you are a concerned citizen, boycott Mondelez’s products as long as it funds the Kremlin. Tag @MDLZ on Twitter or @Mondelēz International on Linkedin and let them know your thoughts about their continued business operations in Russia.
#ExitRussia #StopFundingTheWar #BoycottMondelez
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