Clean Creatives Asia-Specific F-List Reveals 72 Agencies Working with Fossil Fuel Contracts in 10 Countries
Wednesday 25 October, Singapore – Research by campaign group Clean Creatives uncovered 103 fossil fuel contracts from 72 different advertising and PR agencies based in Asia from 2022 to 2023 in a new Asia-specific F-List report.
Created to explore the industry's relationship with fossil fuels and expose those who knowingly work against scientific consensus, the F-List by Clean Creatives has released three annual global editions. Its most recent F-List 2023 (released in September 2023) revealed a record 500 fossil fuel contracts from 294 different agencies worldwide.
The Asia F-List is the first time a continent has been the focus of Clean Creatives’ research, as the region is disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change due to its geographic features and socioeconomic conditions. Singapore is heating twice as fast as the rest of the world. Jakarta, Dhaka, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok are sinking from rising sea levels, and pollution is responsible for nearly 2.4 million deaths in India and 2.2 million deaths in China every year. In parallel, the last few decades have seen Asia become the fastest-growing region for fossil fuel production and consumption.
The countries included in the research are Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. China is not included due to its unique corporate ownership structures and state of media transparency. Criteria for an agency to be included in the F-List is for them to actively be under contract with a fossil fuel company between 2022 and 2023.
Key findings:
103 contracts across 72 agencies in 10 countries.
WPP has the most holding company contracts by a large margin (22 contracts compared to IPG, which has the second most holding company contracts with 9).
The agency with the most contracts (9) is Kiroyan Partners, an independent PR firm in Indonesia.
Of these 103 contracts, 58 are for national/regional oil and gas companies (56% of the total), and 45 are for large global companies (44% of the total).
Holding companies make up a much more significant percentage of contracts in Asia (44% as compared to 28% share of the Global F-List).
Indonesia has the most significant number of contracts (15) across 4 agencies, and India has the second-largest (11) across 11 agencies.
Indonesia 15, India 11, Thailand 9, Japan 8, Singapore 6, Philippines 6, Maylasia 5, Korea 4, Vietnam 2, Hong Kong 2
As well as examining the number of fossil fuel contracts, the Asia F-List includes a qualitative study of fossil fuel advertising in Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. From this data, Clean Creatives found campaigns by major polluters can be grouped into two categories: incentivising customers to buy more and purpose-washing to persuade people to believe they are doing good.
Case studies include how Shell, Caltex (Chevron) and Denko buy loyalty through prize giveaways for items such as a Porsche, gold bars, BMW motorbikes and cash, how companies like PTT purpose-wash through CSR efforts where they plant mangroves instead of taking responsibility for their multiple oil spills, and how Big Oil companies use TikTok (Flying V) to appeal to younger generations and organise eco-runs (Pertamina) where consumers must purchase fuel before entering.
"Asia has a complicated relationship with fossil fuels. The oil and gas industry has created growth and opportunity for many people while, at the same time, putting the most climate-vulnerable region at deeper risk. In Asia, fossil fuel campaigns can be especially insidious and manipulative, leading to miseducation and making people believe that climate change is their personal responsibility.
To support the creative community, we must find solutions which thoughtfully consider local culture and history and make people feel comfortable enough to speak up. Asia is not a monolith, and in every country, creatives will have to work together to find their own pathways to change." Nayantara Dutta, Research Director, Clean Creatives
"This report shows how fossil fuel advertising and PR campaigns are a barrier to a safe energy transition in the most climate-vulnerable part of the world. Hundreds of millions of people in Asia are at risk from climate disasters and air pollution caused by fossil fuels, and we need creativity to be a force for promoting renewable energy solutions in the region and not the companies that are doing so much damage. As the first known research project into fossil fuel advertising in Asia, we hope this is the start of an open dialogue with the agencies named in this report to have an opportunity to lead that transition." Duncan Meisel, Executive Director, Clean Creatives
Clean Creatives will hold an event in Singapore at Mandala Club, 31 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089845, at 07 pm on Thursday 26 October, to mark the Asia F-List release, featuring Qiyun Woo from The Weird and the Wild and Meilin Wong from Clean Creatives pledge signer agency Milk & Honey PR.
A link to read the Asia F-List Report can be found here: cleancreatives.org/asia-f-list
###
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