A transnational network of activists led the international consumer boycott against Nestlé from 1976 to 1984. The boycott aimed to make transnational corporations “immediately stop all promotions of infant formulas in developing nations,” as the deaths of numerous infants in the developing nations were attributed to these formulas. An international movement originating from the U.S. spread to networks of NGOs from 65 nations. Eventually, the boycott successfully pressured Nestlé to abided by the international code drafted by the WHO and UNICEF to sanction excessive marketing of infant formula.
Although this boycott transpired three decades ago, the case deserves a thorough analysis for its political strategy. To effectively pressure Nestlé, activists pushed for "information politics, symbolic politics, leverage politics, and accountability politics" by mobilizing various economic and political actors (e.g. consumers, GOs, IGOs), and leveraging their power against Nestlé. My analysis enriches the understanding of international political economy through illuminating the rich potential of transnational activists’ networks to harness the power of multiple stakeholders to curb multinational corporation.