EcoStream (SodaStream)

Probably BHPSC’s longest, and most hard-fought campaign was this one, against EcoStream (a Brighton store by worldwide carbonated drinks manufacturer SodaStream), which ran every weekend for two years between 2013 and 2014.

The background

SodaStream’s manufacturing plant is located in the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. All settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.

Seven Palestinian villages were destroyed and their inhabitants forcibly displaced to build Ma’ale Adumim.

In early 2013, SodaStream announced plans to open a flagship store in Brighton under the name ‘EcoStream’ – playing to Brighton & Hove’s reputation as an environmentally conscious city. The store was intended to be part of the company’s push to establish a foothold in the UK.

Our campaign

For almost two years, our indefatigable members, supporters and other community groups protested outside the EcoStream branch to raise public awareness of the issue – often in the face of extremely aggressive Zionist provocation and lies.

The result

In July 2014, SodaStream announced that, following a two-year test period, it was closing EcoStream to focus on distribution partnerships.

The following day, a campaign by national PSC demanding John Lewis stop stocking SodaStream products also bore fruit. The retailer announced that they would put ethical trading before profits and remove SodaStream from John Lewis’ shelves. A double win for Palestine!