Major Environmental Groups Call on PR and Advertisers to Quit Fossil Fuels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

March 9, 2021 

Contacts: Jamie Henn, jamie@fossilfree.media, (415) 601-9337

Washington, D.C. -- A coalition of the nation’s largest and most influential environmental and climate groups released a letter today calling on Public Relations and Advertising agencies to stop working with the fossil fuel industry to spread climate disinformation. 

“Today we are calling on PR and advertising agencies to cease all client relationships with fossil fuel companies, industry associations and related front group entities as they continue their decades-long efforts to undermine climate action and spread climate disinformation,” the letter reads. “The stakes could not be higher, or the timeline more urgent. The fossil fuel industry is fueling a climate crisis that is increasingly spiraling out of control.” 

Signatories to the letter include the Sierra Club, Greenpeace USA, The Wilderness Society, Sunrise Movement, NextGen, Hip Hop Caucus, Public Citizen, Indigenous Environmental Network, 350.org and more. 

The letter is part of a growing effort led by the Clean Creatives campaign that is pressuring PR and Ad agencies to clean up their act. 

“This letter establishes a clear benchmark for creative agencies: if you care about sustainability goals, you can’t work with fossil fuels,” said Duncan Meisel, Clean Creatives campaign director. “The biggest environmental impact of any agency is the work they do for their clients, and even a single contract with a fossil fuel client can wipe out an agency’s sustainability gains. With the nation’s largest environmental groups speaking out about the danger of fossil fuel misinformation, there’s no way for PR or Ad agencies to pretend like they’re doing the right thing when working with fossil fuel companies.” 

The letter positions PR and advertising work on behalf of the fossil fuel industry as “antithetical” to environmental and climate progress. 

“As environmental and climate justice organizations, we’ve experienced over and over the subtle and overt ways that the fossil fuel industry uses public relations and advertising to block important action on climate change,” the letter reads. “These PR and advertising campaigns drown out the voices of concerned citizens across our country and around the world, while silencing communities on the frontlines of this crisis. They are antithetical to the purpose and mission of our organizations.” 

Clean Creatives will be sharing the letter with major PR and Ad agencies, as well as some of their largest, sustainability oriented clients -- many of whom may also see greenwashing and climate disinformation as “antithetical” to their corporate commitments around the environment and climate action. 

“When it comes to sustainability, major brands often take their cues from environmental groups like the Sierra Club,” said Meisel. “These organizations set the tone for what consumers expect from brands when they make claims about sustainability and the climate, so when these groups say you can no longer be considered ‘green’ when contracting with an agency that works for fossil fuels, that can have a big effect.” 

The letter comes at an inflection point for the PR and advertising industry’s relationship with fossil fuels. The dangers of disinformation, and climate disinformation in particular, are becoming a top public concern. Major fossil fuel companies, like BP, are looking to green their image under increasing public pressure. At the same time, advocates, investors, and policymakers are taking an increasingly hard look at this sort of corporate “greenwashing,” making it less likely fossil fuel companies can get away with rebranding efforts built on empty promises. 

Over the coming months, Clean Creatives will continue to recruit PR and advertising agencies, as well as individual creatives, to join their movement to transform the industry. They’ll also continue to highlight other “polluted partnerships” between agencies and fossil fuel companies, trade associations, and front groups. 

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