The brutal war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine is not just a distant geopolitical event; it impacts our everyday choices here in Europe. Each time we purchase products from companies still operating in Russia, we unknowingly support helpers of a regime responsible for devastating human suffering. This reality presents a difficult but essential question: Can European consumers really make a difference?
By Felix Hosse, CEO of Push To Leave and German entrepreneur who moved to Kyiv after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
The brutal war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine is not just a distant geopolitical event; it impacts our everyday choices here in Europe. Each time we purchase products from companies still operating in Russia, we unknowingly support helpers of a regime responsible for devastating human suffering. This reality presents a difficult but essential question: Can European consumers really make a difference?
A Silent Complicity
Free-trade and the opening of global markets have brought us more advantages than we can think of. The laptop I am writing this on is a magnificent machine, which has a supply chain reaching around the world. In a vast majority of cases, the liberal impulse should be a vehement support of more trade between countries and a decrease in all trade boundaries.
However, through sometimes very painful historical experience emerges a group of countries where this rule seizes to hold: authoritarian regimes with large degrees of control over their populations’ economies. These countries don’t operate like ours and leverage the powers of free trade against us, be that through covert operations or all-out war against us and our Western values.
This uncomfortable fact is often ignored by companies and those responsible for trade policy. Companies continuing operations in authoritarian regimes, particularly Russia, inadvertently prop up these governments economically and symbolically. Every euro spent on products from these brands indirectly finances oppression, military aggression, and human rights abuses.
In Ukraine, the consequences are visible in every shattered building and lost life. Russian missiles targeting civilian infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and homes have killed thousands and displaced millions. Reports of atrocities, children forcibly taken from their families, civilians tortured, entire communities devastated, reveal the chilling brutality enabled, in part, by continued economic engagement.
This isn’t unique to Russia. Similar dynamics play out in authoritarian regimes worldwide, from China to Iran, where consumer spending from Europe indirectly supports human rights violations and democratic suppression. As Europeans, we must reflect on our indirect participation in these injustices.
The Hidden Web
Yet, despite wanting to make ethical choices, many European consumers feel powerless. The complexity of corporate ownership, sprawling subsidiaries, and opaque supply chains makes it difficult to know who benefits from our purchases. Brands we trust daily, from household cleaners to fashion labels, may have hidden ties to companies that continue business in Russia and other authoritarian countries.
For example, a popular clothing brand might belong to a multinational conglomerate with factories or stores still operating in Russia. Without transparent information, consumers are effectively blindfolded, unable to ensure their money aligns with their values.
This lack of transparency is not accidental; it protects corporate profits but leaves conscientious consumers feeling helpless. However, an often overlooked information problem is on the side of the companies themselves. Understandably, their goal is to maximize shareholder value and they try to align with consumer preferences to the best of their abilities. But how would they know what their customers’ ethical stances are and how much money they lose if these customers switch to the competition?
Unfortunately, most companies don’t have this information. European consumers and companies deserve clear information to avoid funding authoritarian regimes and the atrocities they commit.
Power in Consumer Choice
Consumers have immense collective power. When informed, Europeans can reshape corporate behavior through ethical purchasing decisions, forcing companies to reconsider their involvement with regimes like Russia. Ethical choices become more than just personal acts, they become powerful collective statements for democracy, human rights, and freedom.
Companies that choose transparency and ethics gain lasting benefits, including consumer loyalty and brand resilience. Ethical business practices not only support justice abroad but foster sustainable and trusted brands at home.
Empowerment Through Technology
Recognizing these challenges, freedom tech solutions, like Push to Leave, were created to restore agency to European consumers. Rather than feeling powerless or confused, users gain clear, accessible information about companies and their activities in Russia and other authoritarian states. By scanning product barcodes or searching a straightforward database, consumers instantly identify which brands uphold ethical standards. Once they switch to the competition, the app notifies the companies of their losses. This drastically increases the economic pressure of the companies and gives them a clear path to avoiding these losses: leave the Russian market for good.
Ukrainians defending their country, values, and lives on the front lines deserve more than our sympathy. They deserve active, meaningful support. Freedom tech helps Europeans bridge the gap between intention and action, ensuring our consumer choices reflect our deepest values.
In standing clearly against authoritarian aggression through our wallets, we send a powerful message: Europe will not be complicit. Together, we can leverage the strength of informed consumer choice to build a freer, more ethical world.