Ribbons are an iconic symbol of raising awareness for a certain cause, and the brightly colored autism awareness ribbon is no exception.

It's no surprise, then, that people affected by or passionate about autism would want to show it off on their car, keychain, clothing, or just about anywhere else you can think of. And there is no shortage of supply for these individuals; a simple Google search will pull up a multitude of companies selling the autism awareness ribbon1 in many forms of products.

Because the autism awareness ribbon is not trademarked, that status allows anyone and everyone to use the symbol for whatever purpose they want, whether it be pure profit, pure charity, or somewhere in between2.

But where does the money from these sales go?

Some companies use the awareness ribbon as a ploy to get consumers to buy their products without actually making any donations3, but that doesn't make sense. If companies are going to advocate a cause by selling related products, they should also donate a portion of the proceeds to relevant, charitable organizations. That way, consumers would not just be taking pride in their cause; they would be helping their cause, as well4.

Tell the Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection: the awareness ribbon isn't just a piece of merchandise that companies can profit from!

More on this issue:

1. The Autism Society, "The Autism Awareness Ribbon."
2. Azure Aster, (2 November 2013), "Creating An Awareness Ribbon Campaign And Awareness Ribbon Info."
3. Daniel Borochoff, Charity Watch (1 August 2003), "Supreme Court Rules that Fundraisers Who Don't Lie Can Pocket 85% of Donations."
4. Better Corporation (27 April 2022), "What is Cause Marketing? (AKA Donating a Portion of Your Proceeds)."