B Corp Ad Agencies Call for Immediate Action from B Lab on Fossil Fuels in Official Complaint Letter
A group of 22 communications and advertising agencies has submitted an official complaint letter to B Lab to request immediate action on B-Corp-certified agencies working with the fossil fuel industry.
The move, supported by industry campaign group Clean Creatives, is in response to Havas winning Shell’s media account, which sparked widespread backlash from climate campaigners and purpose-driven agencies as several Havas subsidiaries have achieved B Corp status. Before the news broke, momentum for action from B Lab was already building as GOOD, with support from Clean Creatives and Creatives for Climate, challenged B Lab to clarify its stance on granting accreditation to agencies who work with fossil fuel clients.
The complaint calls for B Labs to take action to address advertising and PR agencies with B Corp status that work with fossil fuel polluters, and describes how it undermines the core values of the B Corp movement.
The requests posed by the co-signers in the complaint letter to B Lab are to:
Declare and apply the same criteria to B Corp advertising and PR agencies with fossil fuel and high polluter clients as are applied to fossil fuel and high polluting companies themselves.
Declare and apply the same criteria to parent companies of B Corps.
Action the steps above immediately.
Each agency co-signer of the complaint letter is B-Corp-certified and has taken the Clean Creatives pledge. The number of agencies that have taken the Clean Creatives pledge to refuse work with the fossil fuel industry has sharply risen to over 800 agencies worldwide following its recent F-List 2023 launch and the news of Havas winning Shell’s account.
The full co-signer list includes the following agencies:
17 Communications
A Little Better Co
Actif Studio
Climbing Trees
Compose[d]
Conspiracy of Love
Creative Chi
done!
Empower Agency
Enviral
Fernweh Studio
GOOD
Good Stuff Partners
Grosomono
Greenhouse Communications
Grounded World
Growth Animals
Growbetter Agency
GRRR
Hooton
Manifest
Marlin Communications
Profile
RALLY
ThinkShift Communications
Unity Web Agency
Excerpts from the complaint letter:
Havas, as a parent company of a network that includes B Corp agencies, has agreed to become the main media agency for Shell. This contract will require work from certain B Corp subsidiaries in their network. Additionally, the agency MSQ has been providing marketing services to Shell since 2022, and the agency Tam-Tam\TBWA represented PetroCanada from 2016-2022 while also maintaining B Corp status.
We believe that by allowing advertising and PR agencies with B Corp status to work with fossil fuel polluters undermines all of the listed core values of the Declaration of Interdependence.
B Lab has clear criteria for fossil fuel and energy companies that they “are eligible for B Corp certification if they are not engaged in specific prohibited practices regarding extraction, lobbying, and financial incentives; have successfully transitioned their energy portfolio to be at least 50% carbon-free; and have committed to make progress towards transitioning to a fully carbon-free portfolio within specified timeframes.
Havas taking on Shell’s media account means that a select number of their B Corp subsidiaries will play a vital role in the business of one of the world’s worst polluters. MSQ already provides these services, as does Tam-Tam/TBWA for PetroCanada. We believe certifying these agencies that directly support fossil fuel polluters devalues the principles and public image of B Corp agencies worldwide.
Quotes from Co-Signers
“B Corp certification stands for the highest standards of integrity in business, which is incompatible with providing advertising and PR services to fossil fuel polluters. It’s clear that a small number of agencies are undermining the true meaning and purpose of B Corp status to greenwash their work with fossil fuel polluters. This complaint provides B Lab with an opportunity to clarify their standards and protect the hundreds of B Corp agencies whose hard work and strong principles are being undermined by the cynicism of a small number of bad actors.” Duncan Meisel, Executive Director, Clean Creatives
“We have always believed in the standard B Lab hold agencies too. However, we are deeply disappointed by B Lab’s inability to clarify their position on B Corp agencies that take on fossil fuel clients or any B Corp that works with fossil fuel clients. This complaint demands immediate action and asks B Lab to not wait until they next review the standards, as in that time, those fossil fuel clients will have caused immeasurable and unmitigable damage. The current ambiguity, which has enabled Havas to become the main media agency for Shell, undermines the values and behaviours that B Lab claims to uphold. B Lab are devaluing the B Corp accreditation by their inability to make a timely decision on such a critical issue.” Chris Norman, CEO and Founder, GOOD Agency
“In these times of polarization, it is important to clarify that we are not against B Lab: we want to build with them. We are very proud of being a B Corporation, proud of being part of an ecosystem of inspiring business leaders, and we want to honor that seal of integrity that we work so hard to maintain every day. We are here to support B Lab in stepping up to its role as a moral compass for business, to preserve its leadership role in a new economy, and not allow a few companies to tarnish the integrity of our movement.” Marian Ventura, done!
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For more information, please contact Sam Narr – sam.narr@kibbokiftagency.com / +447840145031.
About Clean Creatives
Clean Creatives has mobilised over 800 agencies and 2000 individuals to pledge not to work with fossil fuels, including Top 150 UK-ranked Hope&Glory, strategic design studio Bruce Mau Design, global creative services company The Moon Unit, and TRIPTK from the holding group Havas, brand commitments range from Everlane to Gentleman Farmer to S'well and more.
Clean Creatives created an open letter signed by 273 creative professionals under 30 who promised they would not work for fossil fuel clients. In partnership with the Union of Concerned Scientists, Clean Creatives also released a letter from 450 scientists condemning the advertising and PR industry's work with fossil fuels.
Clean Creatives Website: cleancreatives.org
Clean Creatives Twitter: @CleanCreatives
Clean Creatives Instagram: @clean_creatives
Clean Creatives Executive Director Duncan Meisel Twitter: @duncanwrites
About GOOD Agency
GOOD is an independent purpose-driven strategy and creative agency. We are an employee-owned company and take pride in being the UK’s highest-ranking B Corp creative agency. GOOD works with some of the UK’s largest commercial and charity brands to maximise their positive impact on the world. We are driven by our passion to use brilliant communication to create positive social and environmental change. Our work has helped raise over £1.5b for charities and has transformed international businesses through Purpose. www.goodagency.co.uk